u/FunPlatypus2479

I'm reading Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke atm and it's a great read to understand how addiction works in my opinion. I can recommend the book. She also talks about additiction on podcasts for people who prefer audio or video as medium.

I think it's also important to address that we're taught to see our bad relationships to food as an individual problem rather than a systematic one. Today's capitalism is profit oriented and people who are addicted to something are great consumers and buyers. Our pleasure reactions to fast blood sugar spiking carbs and sugars, fats and salt are systemically exploited and encouraged as they profit corporations. These systems are not our fault and that in and of itself should increase the compassion we have for one another about issues created from it rather than seeking to judge or shame one another or ourselves. We're all a product of our socio economic environments.

Second I wanted to mention fiber. Fiber rich foods like vegetables, fruit like apples, cooled potatoes (starch changes through cooling), beans, whole wheat foods or peas are increasing the feeling of fullness and saturation. Slowly adding them into your regime and slowly replacing some of your unhealthy foods can go a long way. Fiber also feeds the good bacteria in your body and your microbiome makes up a lot of your immune system.

The same thing is true for protein. Protein increases saturation and fullness. Chicken breast, tuna, eggs, high protein yogurt, mozzarella, soy products like tofu, beans and seeds are all high in protein. Fish products shouldn't be consumed too often to avoid mercury poisoning (and overfishing).

I also wanna talk about omega 3s. Not all fats are created equally. Many of us have an excess in bad fats and lack omega 3s that are necessary, antiinflammatory and good for us. Fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil and avocadoes are a good source for that (avocados, almonds take a lot of water in irrigation so they're not ideal for the environment). Again, omega 3s will have you feel more full and saturated and decrease binging.

Quitting cold turkey is not feasible for most of us, slowly incorporating more of the foods that don't make us feel so shitty in the long run and ruin our dopamine balance is easier to adapt to. Small steps.

I find that trying to help other people with our vices and practicing forgiveness towards others by helping them is also a great way to forgive ourselves. A lot of the time our binging habits are amplified by shame, insecurities or taboos we've internalized at some point. Understanding that this can happen to anyone else and feeling compassion for others is a great way to reduce our own insecurities and shame especially if we have troubles forgiving ourselves directly.

I've had a couple of rough years wearing me down. I know that bile provoking foods are keeping me from feeling better, but I'm really addicted to dark cacao and because it has tons of fiber usually I don't feel much worse if I have it with a few carbs and bifidus yogurt, but it keeps me from getting better. I'm really craving that dopamine and I never seem to get around it. It's really frustrating because I can lower my sugar, I can somewhat lower my fat (this is also a struggle), but dark cacao is such an important self soothing food that I can't get past it. I feel like my baseline anxiety would go up for a few weeks and I can't handle it.

Anyone has any advice for this issue?

I've had a couple of rough years wearing me down. I know that bile provoking foods are keeping me from feeling better, but I'm really addicted to dark cacao and because it has tons of fiber usually I don't feel much worse if I have it with a few carbs and bifidus yogurt, but it keeps me from getting better. I'm really craving that dopamine and I never seem to get around it. It's really frustrating because I can lower my sugar, I can somewhat lower my fat (this is also a struggle), but dark cacao is such an important self soothing food that I can't get past it. I feel like my baseline anxiety would go up for a few weeks and I can't handle it.

Anyone has any advice for this issue?

edit: i found that there's a sub specifically dedicated to food addiction for people who have issues with diet restrictions. i'm not sure whether i'm allowed to advertise it here. it's not hard to find it though. just wanted to put that out there.

I have reflected on the stigma and shame that society puts on diseases especially stds, disabilities or anything othering, doesn't have to be a disease could be just something as simple as neurological divergence. treating people like 2nd class citizens for something they take no fault in. i hope my reflexions can help others to fight against those discriminatory narratives. we're all human beings with innate dignity and deserve to be treated as such.

i just want to remind everyone that poverty and disease can happen to everyone and are not a moral failure. therefore you don't have to feel ashamed for either of them. you are still worthy of love, respect and human dignity.

there's systemic issues in place worsening yeast infections. humanity has been through a lot of stress and loneliness with the pandemic and addictive social media worsening isolation from each other. the food industry is preying on people's quick dopamine from sugar and unnecessary additives changing our ability to appreciate healthy foods as much. the pharma and medical industry is built on symptom treatment and not seeing humans as a holistic being.

it is not your fault that this is the socio-economic climate that capitalism has created with focus solely on profit rather than human health and happiness.

i know this can feel incredibly demoralizing and sometimes we can feel really gross and unclean, but we need to remind ourselves that this doesn't make us any less than anyone else. existing with a human body that can become sick is not a moral failure, it's not a deliberate attempt to harm someone or to be less useful, so we shouldn't beat ourselves up additionally.

you're still a human being worthy of friendship and love and dignity and respect. avoid the narrative that ties your value to external factors that you are not in control of. you are allowed to feel secure in yourself even if you can't live up to your best version.

often if we have issues that don't show up 100 percent on a test and are clearly visible or only show up once in a while doctors struggle to believe us because they don't want to do any harm from their point of view. sometimes they don't give your issue the serious treatment it deserves and minimize what you're going through. this can happen with complex diseases that aren't always easily showing up or showing up as serious even when they are. especially as a woman it can feel very dehumanizing when doctors aren't showing any empathy if you struggle with this issue repeatedly or chronically. it's a systematic issue that doctors aren't trained extra to show empathy (especially to women, minority groups and in general) and sometimes you have to be lucky to find someone who is kind and listens with open ears and sees you holistically. you are still a human being worthy of love and respect.

share your stories so that they may be heard and lead to systemic change. voice your frustrations to the public if you have the courage and share it with other women so systemic medical misogyny finds more recognition.

lots of female conditions like endometriosis aren't researched like they should be and don't get the funding. candida still has no vaccine even though 3 out of 4 women will suffer from it at least ONCE in their lives and there's growing resistance problems with certain strains. the clit nerve was mapped only this year while for the penis it happened 30 years ago. so many things. it's not in your head, there's medical sexism and funding sexism. it's not an individual failure, it's a systematic one. i'm sending you positive energy. let's not fall for the collective lies we've been told. we deserve better.