Last week I had a real run-in with trigger foods several days in a row–tempting culprits in the form of bagels for breakfast and soft white bread at a restaurant. They won, I lost. I realized that I was substituting foods that quickly convert to sugar in place of eating actual sugar. And it had to stop.
In doing more research, I found that substituting one food for another is common addict behavior. It’s often seen in alcoholics since the substance also has a food component (as opposed to something like a drug that doesn’t). Alcohol converts quickly to sugar, so when alcoholics stop drinking they often start eating large quantities of sugar-laden foods or foods made with highly-processed white flour that quickly converts to sugar. They’re replacing one sugar boost with another. Which was exactly what I was doing too.
So what exactly is a “trigger food?” And how do I identify and avoid them? My definition is any food that I can’t stop eating or that I keep eating long after I’m satisfied. For example, if I buy a large cookie at a bakery thinking I’ll just have half, but keep going back for more and more of it until it’s gone, that’s a trigger food. I said I would eat a certain amount but was not able to stop at that point. The delicious warm half a baguette served at a nice restaurant? Same thing…I think I’ll just have one piece, but in reality have two or three. And would actually eat the whole thing if someone else didn’t want to share it with me. Even if I have finished my meal and am not hungry any more, I will keep eating that bread until it’s gone.
Of course sugar-filled foods and sweets are triggers for me, that’s the whole reason I decided to give them up. But other foods can be triggers too, and it’s important for me to identify them before I get into the habit of just substituting one bad habit with another.
sweeter without 