Watch out, they can be addictive! Find healthy alternatives.

When we feel sad, lonely, depressed, angry, fearful, tense, any uncomfortable feeling, we naturally want to move to a more pleasant feeling. Sometimes when we’re not able to do this, we look for something to change it for us. Often, quiet unconsciously, we reach for sweet or fatty foods. Things like jelly beans, chocolate, ice cream, biscuits, peanuts, pizza, fried chicken, burgers, Niknaks and any junk food. The reason for this is that the sugar and fat in these foods cause a chemical reaction in our bodies that makes us feel better, a type of natural high. Unfortunately, the feeling does not last for long, and if the situation causing the tough feeling has not changed, you may be back looking for the next fix from a sweet or fatty treat.

If this happens frequently, the body starts becoming dependent on these chemical rushes, regardless of whether you are feeling happy or down. You just experience the constant craving that you cannot say no to – an addiction.

Food manufactures, aware of the addictive nature of fat and sugar, add this to the food, knowing that this is a sure way of enticing you to buy the product again and again. Next time you are at the shops, look at the ingredient labels on things like salad dressing, pasta sauces, bread, soups, flavoured milk and baked beans, and see how much sugar has been added to savoury foods.

Kicking a sugar or fatty food addiction is no mean task. There are many websites offering assistance.

You could start by looking at this site
Or
Even try this good site.

Also, as a Phela Wellness member, you can receive free help from a counsellor by calling 0800 22 93 55

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