Why Wynonna Judd’s weight loss journey is an eye-opener: She beat both food addiction and depression

Judd, who has shed 55 pounds till date, was suffering from food addiction arising from her mental health issues. “I used food to soothe and reward and I don’t do that anymore,” she had said earlier. That led to abnormal weight gain which made her more conscious about her body image, plunged her into depression and compelled her to seek comfort in food. “This is a vicious cycle. Food, particularly those high on flavour and rich in sugar, fat and salt, activate pleasure centres of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin,” says Dr Shaunak Ajinkya, Consultant Psychiatrist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai.

Like addictive drugs, food triggers the release of feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine. And once you experience that gush after eating certain foods, you may keep going back to that food, have more of it to outweigh your negative emotions and stress. This leads to eating disorders and weight issues, which further make you vulnerable to body image-related depression.

A high, sugar, salt diet, that too in rapid succession, even dulls the brain’s ability to establish satiety. “It can’t tell if the body is satisfied, certainly not when you are having healthy foods. If you don’t know when you’re full, you will continue eating far more than your body needs and create health problems,” adds Dr Ajinkya. Sometimes alcoholism in women pushes them towards food addiction, which she may pass on to her child during pregnancy, he explains.

HEALTH RISKS OF FOOD ADDICTION

When a few bites aren’t enough to suppress negative feelings, you get into binge-eating. Without addressing your depression through therapy, episodes of overeating can happen again and again like any compulsive behaviour. Overeating comfort food compared to a healthy diet, say studies, reduces the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This is directly linked to depression, dementia and development of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, strokes and gastro-intestinal cancers.

WHAT ARE SIGNS OF FOOD ADDICTION?

Dr Ajinkya has seen repetitive patterns in his patients like gulping large amounts of food very quickly. Some habitually reach out for the food tray even when full, others hide their eating habits for fear of being judged. Almost all binge-eaters just have a high during eating and then immediately get low and feel ashamed. “If these symptoms persist for three months and longer, then the person needs to visit a psychiatrist,” says Dr Ajinkya.

HOW TO GET OUT OF FOOD ADDICTION

Rudd did something called brain state conditioning, which basically involves training your mind to picture yourself thin and fit every time you feel the need to reach out to food. “This futuristic imagery is a pause mechanism,” says Dr Ajinkya.

Judd even banished unhealthy foods like cookies, doughnuts and chips from her house for good, knowing that even the slightest indulgence could pull her down further. “Out of sight is out of mind. You need to regulate the balance between your hunger hormone ghrelin and satiety hormone leptin. First, stretch out your eating for a longer time period, chewing every morsel. Then keep raw carrots, cucumber and fennel seeds handy to kill your in-between cravings. These naturally re-adjust hunger hormones,” adds Dr Ajinkya.

He advises water therapy for his patients. A glass of water between meals triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which plays a crucial role in calming stress.

Of course, like Judd, these therapies need to be backed up with physical activity, sleep (Judd admits to taking short naps too) and walks. Another tip that works, according to Dr Ajinkya is “to keep a diary, delete the past and move on. Reduce coffee and tea addiction too as that worsens food addiction.”

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