In this article I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty technicalities of food, calories, or otherwise. Because, by now you know that food is energy, that you should be devoid of a relationship with food, and that you probably eat too much. I will, however, speak about how food is generally understood and approached in American society through a postmodern and spiritual approach. Nonetheless, if you are disinterested at this point, feel free to continue click on to a different article.

If you’re still reading, well, then let’s get on with it.

I would argue that food is at the crux most cultures. Through national delicacy’s and family recipes, we see how food operates as a form of cultural representation around the world. For many, food means home, family, and celebration. I believe that although there may be no reason to change this form of cultural expression, there are still reasons to question its renditions, especially in that of American society. The U.S. and some Eastern cultures generally diverge in this form of expression by way of food abundance and meal timing.

In some Eastern cultures we see some form of restriction that is interwoven into their cultural food practices. In Japan, we hear “Hara hachi bun me” (eat until 80% full), in Traditional China, chi fan qi fen bao, san fen han” (eat until 70% full), and in Muslim nations we see fasting. With an average daily intake per capita (in kilocalories) of 3750, the United States consistently ranks in the top five making America a leader in food consumption. With supersizes, multi-course meals, snacks, and high junk food consumptions, the U.S. is the poster child for over consumption and obesity.

From food porn on instagram to extreme sectors of the body positivity community, food addiction, once a symptom of the industrialization of agriculture, is now the driving force in continued overeating and obesity. Many Americans can have food at their fingers tips, it being one walk, call, or click away. Some who are “less fortunate” (read: systemically oppressed) may only have access to high calorie nutritiously devoid foods. The latter segues into a different and much larger conversation, I digress.

We structure our days around food via breakfast, lunch, and dinner; most of us “complimenting” those meals with snacks and desserts. When you think about it, overeating is encouraged with food addiction becoming inevitable. I, myself, have had peers congratulate large meals and judge small ones. They cheer on those who can eat the most, then criticize those who eat the least, sometimes mislabeling them with an eating disorder or scoffing at their ostensible lack of appreciation for their food accessibility.

As exemplified above, overeating is emboldened, usually by those around you. Food addiction is simply the B-side. Food addiction comes in a plethora of different forms: the most obvious one being mindless eating. Think: movie theatre eating, web surfing eating, constant snacking, grazing, tasting, cravings and so on.

Try this: set a timer for 60 seconds and recall everything you’ve eaten today and write it down. Done? Okay, now allow yourself however long and again, recall everything you’ve eaten today. This time, don’t forget to include that piece of chocolate or the handful of chips you had after lunch. Done? If the second list is vastly different from the first (more than a 3 item difference), then I urge you to further read and assess if you possess the behavior of a food addict. Below are some questions you should ask yourself:

• Do you experience food cravings, even after you’ve eaten or ate only a few hours prior?

• Do you eat when you’re hungry or when you see food?

• Do you eat past satiety?

• Are you all too familiar with the binge-diet cycle?

• Do you eat whenever people around you eat, even if you aren’t hungry?

• Do you use food as a form of emotional support or escapism?

• Do you often crave high sugar, high fat, and high carb food? (Think: burgerfries&shake, we all know that’s one order…not three )

• Do you eat when you’re bored?

• Are you over-consumed with finding the “perfect” diet?

If you answered yes to three or more of those questions, then I think you should consider food addiction as a possible cause for your behavior. In considering your spirituality, the act of letting go is an act of self love. Your food addiction just might be a symptom of a spiritual disconnect. You may be hungry, just not hungry for food. You might be craving something so much greater yet you’ve chosen food as a physical representation of that craving/need. You might be in need of social interaction, love, thoughtful conversation, sunlight, water, purpose, the list goes on. In working to combat food addiction, or any addiction for that matter it is important you identify that most behaviors and decisions are made habitually by your subconscious mind. You must work to take control and become more aware of the choices you make and behaviors you continue. (Please note: I am not an addiction coach, therapist, or doctor)

So, what now? Speaking from personal experience, what has worked best for me is utilizing fasting intermittently preparing my system for intermittent fasts. Before I explain what this looks like, please know that what works for me may not work for you and what’s more important than simply copying my method is getting to know yourself to figure what would work best for you through trial and error. But, without further adieu…

So what’s the difference between fasting intermittently and intermittent fasting, well it’s mostly a clever play on words. For me, fasting intermittently is fasting for 24-48 consecutive hours (weekly) and intermittent fasting is fasting 16-23 consecutive hours (daily). Intermittent fasting is what I currently do.

When I first realized that I was exhibiting some addictive behaviors around food, I knew, for me, the best thing to do to sever that unhealthy relationship was to simply stop eating. That probably sounds harsh but I figured that’s what people with addictive behaviors are urged to do. If you’re a person with alcoholic tendencies, you don’t go from drinking all the time to sometimes, you stop drinking completely. And since I can’t simply stop eating, I took on the practice of fasting, and it was the next best thing.

For the first few weeks of this process I worked on fasting intermittently. It took my about 4 - 5 weeks to build up to a full 48 hour fast. And it wasn’t nearly as grueling as I thought it would be. It was actually quite relieving. The transition to intermittent fasting wasn’t as smooth as I struggled with figuring out what schedule worked best with my body so that I develop binge/fast behavior. Over several weeks I finally found a method that worked for me:

• 10:00 AM: Coffee and Milk (time depending on when I wake up. Usually make coffee an hour or two after I rise)

• 1:00 - 3:00 PM: Lunch

• 6:00 - 8:00 PM: Dinner

This schedule works really well for me, and I’m rarely ravenous before meals. Over time my meals have gotten smaller as I’ve realized I don’t need nearly as much food as I thought I did. I’m not perfect, so I do still cravings but now instead of giving into them I do my best to assess what I might be missing (maybe I didn’t go out for some sun that day or drink enough water, for example).

Although my dinners vary day to day, for lunch I'll usually have yogurt w/ nut butter and toast or fruit on the side. For dinner I might have a salad or steak w/ vegetables and potatoes. I make sure my meals are very well balanced and do my best to prioritize protein and fats for satiety sake. I also stick to whole foods and stay away from highly processed foods. That’s a given. Of course I’m not perfect, so I might have a cookie or a bowl of cereal here and there but I stick to just that, one cookie, one bowl of cereal, I don’t spiral and become reactive to my food. Sugar is highly addictive so it’s important for you to act accordingly and prepare for that response if you are going to “indulge” or “give in.” Hopefully we get to the point where indulgence and giving in isn’t necessary or even desired.

I also want to point that through this schedule I’ve become less impacted by food and I’m becoming more in tune with my actual hunger. Some days I skip “lunch” other days, “dinner,” I am not overly attached to those set meals. I’m not even attached to “fasting,” I simply use that language so that I can easily explain this process. But, I urge you to detach yourself from “this” or “that” diet, fasting or otherwise. I believe our attachment to these labels gets in the way of the simplicity, burying the actual issue. And the issue is that we eat too much, too often, and unhealthily, because many of us are addicted to food.

Aforementioned above, the obsession with finding the perfect diet, is another symptom of food addiction. At first glance it seems that one may be trying to turn anew, and end their unhealthy or addictive habits. But when you really look at it, the behavior that’s often seen in following this perfect “diet” is just as destructive. You can’t eat this and you can only eat that, or you can only eat at this time; your days still consumed by or designed around food. The goal is to get food off your mind. It shouldn’t be a constant thought or consideration. We have other things we need to put out energy towards. We need to feed our passions, our personal growth, our relationships, and so on. Fasting, for me, serves as a gateway to this mindset/behavior. For you, it may also be fasting, or perhaps something else.

If you take anything away from this article, take this: Your body will tell you when you need food, you needn’t tell it.