Dangers of Binge Eating and Why You Should Stop

Binge eating is a disorder or illness caused by eating a lot of food within a short period of time. Oftentimes, those who binge eat feel out of control when it comes to food. They consume more food than others simultaneously.

Statistics show that at least 16% of Nigerians experience binge eating disorder (BED), a chronic behavior characterized by overeating. This disorder controls you and interferes with your emotional side. Unlike Bulimia (a binge-and-purge cycle), there are no attempts to make up for overeating by vomiting or taking laxatives.

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Behavioural and Emotional Symptoms of Binge Eating

Sometimes, you may notice signs of overeating in a friend and feel embarrassed. For those who are not aware, here are a few behavioural symptoms you should take note of:

Continous eating, even after being full.
Hiding food to eat at a later time in secret.
Rapidly gobbling large amounts of food.
Eating at any time of the day, continuously with no planned time.
Unable to control or stop eating when eating.

Emotional Symptoms include:

Feeling tension from not eating.
Getting embarrassed over how much you are eating.
Feeling desperate to go on a diet and control one’s diet.
Constant guilt, disgust, and depression after overeating.
Never feeling satisfied, even after eating.

Read also: What are Food Allergies? Do Nigerians Have Them?

5 Common Health Dangers of Binge Eating

Heart disease

Binge eating is a cheat code to having a heart disease. It sets in slowly through being overweight and increases the risk of a heart disease. Health issues such as high blood pressure, and a high cholesterol level gradually leads to a heart attack, the onset of a heart disease.

If you binge eat a lot of junks, such as fried foods, candy, and chocolates, it is advisable to stop now. These foods affect your heart health because of their added sugar and fats.

Obesity

Binge eating causes weight gain. That is a fact. However, the kind of weight gain it causes isn’t the good kind. Two-thirds of these binge eating disorders end up resulting in obesity, then other diseases stroll in.

Carrying extra weight other than what the body itself can contain has its risks and a few of them may include, arthritis, cancer, etc.

Brain damage

Another danger of overeating is brain damage. Simply put, it impairs the brain function. Research has shown eating disorder is a common cause of mental decline in older people and even the younger ones, compared to the ones that have a healthy eating pattern.

Being overweight can affect one’s mental function as it tends to slow you down and make you sluggish. Researchers have also shown that the brain consists of 60% fat and as a result, healthy foods like avocados, olive oil, and fatty fish may be of great help to the brain.

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Depression

In most cases, people who binge eat do it to validate themselves among people or do it to feel good, and it damages them. They eventually feel guilty for eating so much that they may sink into depression trying to find cures or avoid people.

To prevent this, learning to eat well or better still, seeing a doctor may be the first step to becoming a normal eater and also improving your life cycle.

Gallbladder disease

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), another health risk that may be associated with those who overeat is gallbladder disease. This includes gallstones formed when one’s bile hardens and this can block the flow of bile through the bile ducts.

Reasons You Should Stop Binge Eating

Overeating has a lot of health damages that can shorten one’s life. Binge eating leads to a variety of emotional, physical, and physiological problems. Victims are more likely to suffer depression, insomnia, and even suicidal thoughts.

They may also experience anxiety, substance abuse, and substantial weight gain. As heavy as these risks may sound, many people can recover from binge eating disorder if they are intentional about it. All it takes them is just to re-evaluate their relationship with food.

Read also: Why You Should Avoid Foods with High Calories

5 Effective Ways to Stop Binge Eating

Practice mindful eating

Before you eat, or anytime you find yourself thinking about food, just calm down. Take a deep slow breath. Then without judgment, try to notice what is happening in your mind and body and what food is ideal at that moment. You can make that a habit.

Avoid temptation

This is another crucial step to develop a healthy eating habit. You are most likely to binge eat if you have snacks or junk foods like candies, chocolates, and desserts around you. However, clearing out your fridge and stocking up with healthy foods, mostly vegetables, can help.

Learn to recognize hunger

A few hunger symptoms may include grumbles or stomach pains. It may even be a lightheadedness. Learning to recognize hunger is an important self-test you may undergo, to be sure if it is real food you need or just snacks.

Read also: Top 10 Body Building Foods in Nigeria

Eat regularly

An essential tip to note when you are revamping your eating habits is eating regularly. Do not wait till you are starving before you put actual food into your mouth and belly. Not eating regularly may lead to binge eating, because your stomach deceives you that you are too hungry to eat little.

Fight boredom

Boredom is usually ignored when discussing the causes of eating disorders. Rather than fill your mouth with junk or fast food that you may have at home when you are bored, you can go out, take a stroll, visit friends, or do anything to take your mind off binge eating.

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Wrapping Up

It is noteworthy that overeating can be prevented, once you’re ready to take the necessary measures. If you have a loved one with a binge eating disorder, it is important to be sensitive to the cause as well.

Trying actively to help them become better eater, rather than make jokes, or make them feel less of themselves is crucial. However, to treat difficult levels of eating disorders, you can see a doctor for better recommendations.