Fun and Fit interview Dr. Ed James on breaking free from food addictions
Are you among the many people trying to eat more healthfully, especially as we enter the holidays?
Today’s guest is a a medical doctor who once overate himself into obesity and pre-diabetes. He now inspires others to recognize traps and tricks that threaten to derail healthy plans.
A self-proclaimed “food addict,” Dr Ed James shares ways to fight “societal headwinds” that work against life-sustaining eating habits.
Some key questions to ask yourself (that he helps answer in this interview):
- How can you tell whether you’re experiencing hunger or a more challenging craving?
- Even more problematic, have you crossed a line from craving food to having an addiction?
- What is the difference between a craving and addiction?
Learn Dr Ed James’s “crowd out” technique to change your eating habits easily and positively. Spot the sneaky and pervasive saboteurs of your best laid diet plans. As Dr. James says, “Heal 2b Free!” — free from disease, free from obesity, free from feeling hungry even when overeating, free from the stresses of unhealthy food habits.
Dr. Ed James was obese and well on his way to full blown diabetes a few years ago. Since changing his diet and lifestyle, he has now lost more than 50 pounds and freed himself from the grasp of diabetes. He’s a practicing radiologist who also holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University. As if that’s not a full enough schedule, Dr. James has a Blog Talk radio show called “Funerals and Fried Chicken.”
Catch our interview of him here, then zip over to his radio show and website to break free from harmful eating patterns.
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Great topic with so much more to explore. I can see the societal headwinds component, and it also seems to me that there is a conditioned response component not associated with the body wanting the nutrients it needs. As a 90% vegetarian (using his explanation of such), I will still go after the comfort foods if they become available. The ancient technique of simply don’t buy it to begin with becomes my only defense. This might be an argument for some chemically addictive component of the mac and cheese, pizza, etc food group.
Hi Kim! Thank you for the considered reply. Those societal headwinds are intense and omnipresent! As for the suggestion to not bring foods into the house I want to avoid, the challenge is getting the spousal unit to go along with that. Curse him and his ice cream purchases that he cannot hide from me as the freezer is the obvious and only spot! How is your vegetarianism coming along?
Eating too much is directly related to your emotions. 2 studies and Dr. Leankly showed that overeating is related to depression and abuses. In over 75% of people prior depression and abuses cause overeating. Most who suffer with obesity also have prior emotional problems that can lead to overeating and food addictions.
It is time to stop blaming all obesity on lack of will power; most overeating is from depression and emotional issues. The person wants to eat less but cannot
Thank you for mentioning other reasons leading to overeating. In fact, more and more studies are showing that hormones and brain wiring cause obesity and overeating, perhaps even more than emotional states and will power. Dr Ed — like most professionals we know – do not point to focusing on will power or blame as successful strategies. Dr James Hill of the Anschutz Center in CO is doing some amazing research on obesity and food addictions as are some of the new neurophysiologits. Lots of helpful, great stuff coming out!
I agree, we need to combat food cravings by eating foods with a high nutrient count. Eating empty calorie foods will only keep us hungry and craving for more food until we eat enough food tol satisfy the nutrient count our bodies need to sustain ourselves.
So true. People who have overcome food addictions and changed their eating habits relate that the healthy food starts tasting better once the high sugars and fats of empty calories are out of their system. Thanks for commenting! The radio interview we did with Jane Velez Mitchell has more on this as well.
Food, and our relationship with it, is a constant struggle for a lot of people. Thanks for bringing the topic to light, and all of the comments are great, too. There’s no cookie cutter reason that fits for everyone’s food issues, and there’s no cookie cutter way to fix it, but it’s important to get the conversation flowing.