Meditation: Can it Curb Impulse Eating?

© Can Stock Photo Inc. / tony4urban

By Lorraine Alexander

In today’s busy world, we have too many demands and not enough quality time for family—and even less time to care for ourselves. We find ourselves in an unhealthy spiral, eating out of control. Often, we don't understand how we got there in the first place. 

What triggers bad choices—emotions, fatigue?

​If you're finding yourself reaching for an instant fix of comfort food, sugar, or anything quick, you're most likely making poor choices in your diet. This momentary lapse in good judgment could be caused by fatigue or stress. Meditation just may be the vehicle that breaks this unhealthy spiral.
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"When practiced with consistency, meditation has been shown to greatly improve willpower and concentration. This is a prime example of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to change. Meditation has also been shown to alter the brain's gray matter. This may be a big part of the reason why practitioners often experience significant improvements in memory, sense of self, empathy, and stress, according to a new study led by Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital." -Meditation and the Power of the Brains Plasticity, November 2015 Mind Body Vortex 

Suppress impulse eating 

Speaking from firsthand experience, poor choices in eating will only offer a temporary spike in energy. In the end, it can deplete your energy and add unwanted pounds as you load up on empty calories. More importantly, a diet lacking essential nutrients, high in sugar or fat is highly addictive - and according to reports, a hazard to our health. How can we break this spiral? Could meditation be the answer?
  
There are many hot buttons that can trigger poor food choices including stress, fatigue, emotional challenges, or simply not having enough time or energy to prepare healthy meals. That’s when we reach for that easy instant boost. When we feel this urge, we want (and need) immediate satisfaction— that junk food or sugar high. 
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The stress, cortisol, belly fat connection
 
Cortisol is a steroid hormone released in the body during times of stress. This hormone signals the body to load up on energy, this triggers the appetite causing cravings for energy-rich foods like carbs. High levels of cortisol can also cause you to gain deep visceral belly fat. The effect is the release of cytokines, which increases the risk of chronic disease, and also increases the risk of heart disease

 
“Meditation lights up the ‘willpower’ brain region. A 2009 joint Duke-Caltech University study examined the brains of 37 dieters while they looked at 50 photos of various foods, rating each by taste and healthiness. Their study showed that those dieters with the highest levels of willpower had very high activity in the “dorsolateral prefrontal cortex”. It’s no coincidence that this brain region is also highly active in meditators, shown by numerous neuroscience studies. Meditators naturally have a highly disciplined, good food-choice making brain, with the body to match”. —Eco Institute

“Studies show that meditation can help you lose seven times more weight than dieting alone.” ­–KRON 4 NEWS, aired May 20, 2017

Break the spiral
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According to the Mayo Clinic, the top three things for optimal health are a healthy diet, exercise, and meditation (for stress reduction). Meditation can actually free you to make better choices in your diet and lifestyle, and here's how:

1. Meditation offers deep levels of rest. During meditation the metabolic rate drops, taking us to a profound level of rest. As a by-product, we get deeper sleep as well. Deeper levels of sleep, boost energy and provide that reserve needed to exercise. Deeper rest can also offer that extra energy needed to plan and prepare healthier meals. 
2. Meditation combats depression and elevates moods. Military Medicine’s 2011 study on meditation reports that study participants felt a 30 percent improvement in satisfaction with the quality of their life. How does this relate to impulse eating? If you’re happier and rested, you'll naturally make healthier choices in your diet.
3. Meditation balances hormones levels in the body as it reduces stress. Stress triggers excessive cortisol and adrenaline in the body, which can interpret to weight gain and accelerated aging. Stress can cause the body to resist weight loss, even if you are eating a healthy diet. Dissolving deep levels of stress through meditation has proven to reduce cortisol levels. Lower levels of cortisol allow the body to burn calories at the optimal level. 

"Meditation improves the function of the endocrine system to balance hormones and boost immunity. Researchers using MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans have shown that meditation increases activity in the part of the brain responsible for automatic and involuntary bodily functions, stimulates the body’s immune response, and thereby supports all of the organs. A 2009 NIH study by Pace et al. on the effect of meditation on stress indicated that practitioners experienced an increase in immune function and reduced stress-induced immune responses."  ~ Brainwave Research Institute

The winning combination

Meditation is a powerful technique that can reduce deep levels of stress and give you just the boost you'll need to dive into a healthier more balanced lifestyle. The best news is that you can practice this form of meditation almost anywhere. With regular practice, meditation is a powerful tool—effective in supporting the body, mind, and spirit.

"Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and may improve certain medical conditions." ~ Mayo Clinic

​There's no doubt, getting back into balance will take time and effort on your part. But know that Vedic silent-mantra meditation is effortless and effective. With regular practice, you can maintain your balance by lowering your stress, getting deeper sleep, and making mindful food choices. Combine meditation with exercise and healthy meal planning, and you have a winning combination. From there, as the urban slang goes "It's all you," meaning learning to ride the bike through your own efforts. It's all about health—it's all about you!
 
Check with your healthcare provider and ask if meditation is right for you.
 
Resources
 
Harvard study:
https://psychcentral.com/news/2015/01/24/meditation-shown-to-alter-gray-matter-in-brain/80342.html
 
Mayo clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
 
Atkins:
https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/10-ways-sugar-harms-your-health
 
Brain Wave Research Institute:
https://www.brainwave-research-institute.com/meditation-improves-the-function-of-the-endocrine-system-to-balance-hormones-and-boost-immunity.html
 
Eoc Institute
http://eocinstitute.org/meditation/4-ways-meditation-is-the-weight-loss-key-healthy-mind-healthy-body/
 
Wikipedia on cortisol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol
 
Wikipedia on cytosine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokin
 
KRON 4 News, report aired May 20, 2017

Science Daily, May 15, 2014
Study summary: The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology compared meditation styles. Non-directive meditation (like silent-mantra meditation) proves to be the most effective form. The comparison in CT scans shows an astonishing difference.   
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140515095545.htm
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As executive director of DASA Meditation, Lorraine Alexander leads annual teachers’ trainings, lectures and coordinates programs. She formerly led both the U.S. Green Building Council’s Redwood Empire and the Pacific Region as chair. She learned to meditate at the age of 15. Contact her at (707) 620–5070 or l.alexander@DASAmeditation.org
 
DASA Meditation prioritizes education to enhance health, wellness and self-awareness.
​To learn more about meditation, go to www.DASAmeditation.org

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