What is binge eating?
Binge eating in simple terms means ‘eating large amounts of food at a time and out of control’. It is treated as a disorder as it becomes a habit or compulsion for people to overeat. They never tend to throw up their food and are lazy who don’t like exercising or working out. It is a mental health problem which if left unchecked leads to some serious health issues.
Which age group is most affected by it?
Amongst the rise in the teens, youth and today’s generation, binge eating is a common problem area. It’s a chronic illness and can occur at any age. It is more seen in teens due to concept of “thin is beautiful” and body image perceptions and peer pressures. Factors responsible for binge eating
Events in life of a person, personal problems and situations give rise to this disorder. It’s more of a mental problem. People often relate emotions with food. Heavy food consumption tends to give them a feeling of satiety. Persons appraisal of oneself, self esteem, family history, mental illness if any, bad experiences in life, plays an important part in this disorder, the more secure and confident you are, and the lesser you fall into this trap. Binging may also be a person’s way to deal or cope with stress, unhappiness or rejection.
Ways to cope up with binge eating disorder
Depending on the severity, there are many treatments available for binging disorder. A medical professional or group therapy works in most cases. Therapy along with medications can curb the disorder and make a person normal and confident again.
Along with treatment a few below mentioned tips also work wonders:-
- Talk to someone and seek help. Acknowledging that there is a problem is the first step to self help.
- Choose healthy food items to binge on. Replacing packed and packaged food items with nuts, fruits, Makhanas etc satisfy food cravings in a healthy and nutritious way and keeps one full for longer.
- Exercising or walking or any form of physical activity should be adopted at least 3-5 times a week. It makes us feel good and confident about our body and reduces our temptation for unhealthy things and habits.
- Get a well planned diet to prevent any long term deficiencies.
Effects of long term binge eating:
- Binge eating leads to social, emotional and physical health risks.
- Due to uncontrolled eating, it leads to unhealthy weight gain and obesity.
- Asthma, Sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome etc are some of the byproducts of this disorder.
- The quality of life, social interactions, lack of self esteem leads to disturbed physical and mental health with a frequent association with various illness and diseases.
Binge eating is curable with the help of proper support and treatment. Start living a healthy life today. Avoid overeating at a time or it can let you in serious complication of binge eating disorder.