Why raiding the fridge at night is a bad idea

You can eat after dark without blowing your diet, but be careful

Late-night snacking should be avoided entirely - it's perhaps the worst culprit when it comes to weight gain. Most of nighttime snacking is simply overeating - eating not out of hunger, but more out of boredom, comfort & habit. 

And this type of eating can put you at risk for bingeing.  A recent report found that binge eating - eating a pint of ice cream & cookies after a full dinner, i.e., - is the most common eating disorder in the U.S.

Beyond that, eating high fat or sugary foods can also lead to a night-eating hangover, which is similar to a hangover caused by alcohol, but leaves you feeling foggy-brained & moody.

Sometimes, though, you have no choice - you simply aren't able to eat dinner until late. For those of you who exercise after work & generally start dinner after 8 p.m., choose a lighter meal, such as grilled fish or seafood with olive oil & fresh herbs, or a fresh salad with fruit for dessert. 

If your workouts are cardiovascular, add some beans to your salad for extra energy. Not replenishing your energy after exercising could leave you feeling as if you're starving & may contribute to difficulties sleeping.

Also, limiting your late-day carbohydrates to selections that contain more protein - & thus, longer-lasting energy - such as wild rice, beans & whole grains, is preferred over filling up on bread & pasta, which are more processed & will leave you less satisfied & hungrier in the long run.

In the end, Judy chucked her self-imposed dieting rule, started eating dinner in the early evening & allowed herself a 100-calorie snack later. The result? Judy had an easier time losing weight.

Binge eating a common problem in U.S.

More prevalent disorder than anorexia & bulimia, Harvard survey finds

Associated Press/March 29, 2007

BOSTON - Frequent binge eating is the country’s most common eating disorder, far outpacing the better-known diet problems of anorexia & bulimia, according to a national survey.

Psychiatric researchers at Harvard University Medical School & its affiliate, McLean Psychiatric Hospital, have billed the study as the 1st national census of eating disorders. The results were published Thursday in the medical journal Biological Psychiatry.

The survey found that 3.5% of women & 2% of men suffer from binge eating, defined as bouts of uncontrolled eating, well past the point of being full, that occur at least twice a week.

The doctors diagnosed fewer than 1% of women & 0.3% of men with anorexia, a disorder where an exaggerated fear of weight gain causes undereating & malnourishment.

The study determined that 1.5% of women & 0.5% of men had bulimia, characterized by the “binge-purge” syndrome of overeating followed by vomiting.

McLean Hospital’s Dr. Harrison Pope, an author of the study, said binge eaters face severe risk of obesity & related diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke & certain cancers.

A binge eater, i.e., might eat a full dinner, then a quart of ice cream for dessert, followed by a bag of chips, without being able to stop, Pope said.

“It’s a little bit analogous to something you hear from an alcoholic, when they might say, ‘Well, I wanted to have one drink,’ & they’ve had 12 drinks & they’re passed out on the floor,” he said in a conference call with reporters. “Even though they feel full, even though they feel disgusting & guilty, they can’t stop.”

Dr. James I. Hudson, the study’s lead author & a Harvard Medical School psychiatry professor, said binge eating deserves more recognition from health professionals.

“These results argue that binge eating is common. It’s more common than both the other eating disorders combined & it’s strongly associated with obesity,” he said. “Taken together, these findings suggest that this is an eating disorder & should be treated as such.”

'Cause or symptom?'
Funding for the study came from several sources, including the National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly & Co. & the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Hudson said the research team interviewed more than 9,000 people nationwide from 2001 to 2003 about their eating habits & psychological backgrounds.

The study probably underestimates the actual number of those with eating disorders, he said, because people are often ashamed to acknowledge their abnormal eating habits.

The survey also found that people struggle longer with binge eating - symptoms persist for an average of about 8 years compared to less than 2 years for anorexic patients, who are often young & may recover as they mature.

Bulimics suffer without cure for an average of roughly 8 years, according to the study.

Men & women between the ages of 18 & 29 were most likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder, while people older than 60 had the lowest rates of eating problems.

The doctors said all 3 illnesses usually coincided with mood disorders like depression & anxiety.

A combination of the “cultural barrage” of images of rail-thin movie stars, ubiquitous fast-food advertising & genetic predisposition is usually the root of eating disorders, the study said.

Dr. B. Timothy Walsh, director of the eating disorders research unit at the New York State Psychiatric Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center, said the study confirms a widespread belief that the population of binge eaters is growing.

He said if binge eating is a cause of obesity, psychiatrists could give more effective treatment to many overweight people.

“Everyone has a sense, whether from a casual inspection of people on Broadway or an empirical study, that there are a lot of problems with binge eating & overeating,” he said. “The question is, is it a cause or a symptom?”

Nutritionist: Beware of the risk of "emotional eating"
By Lori Silverstein

For many people, food is an enemy they must face every day. Instead being governed by a simple biological need, such as the physical sensation of hunger, food intake can be ruled by a person's emotional state of being, said a University Health Center nutritionist.

Jakubczak said many people mistakenly use food to accommodate certain basic needs such as:

• getting rest

• receiving comfort

However, she said, "food isn't going to supply any of that."

While many people use food in response to emotions like anger, frustration, loneliness & sadness, Jakubczak referred to stress, prevalent on college campuses, as the main cause of emotional eating.

"The biggest problem w/emotional eating is that people do it when they're stressed. And college campuses are overflowing w/ stress," she said.

Junior government & politics major Christine Davies said she often turned to food as a way of dealing w/stress.

"If I get stressed out, I need to focus my mind on something else," she said. "Eating is the easiest thing to do."

However, she said eating never truly eliminated her stress.

"A lot of times I didn't end up feeling better. Whatever stressed me out was usually still there," Davies said.

Senior Carrie Stewart, a health major, said when confronted w/stress, she used to respond by limiting her food intake.

"I had stress in my life & I couldn't get the grades I wanted, but I had my eating under control," she said.

Stewart said that while she knew restricting food intake wasn't right, she did it because it was one thing she could control.

"My parents had financial & other controls. But food was one thing my parents couldn't control, especially in college," Stewart said.

To avoid using food as an emotional remedy, Stewart began keeping a journal. She said writing has helped her become aware of her stress & control her emotional eating.

Kelly Burke, a junior psychology major, said she used to resort to food to end boredom, but has recently found a more positive & healthier response to this emotion.

"I've trained myself to use exercise to avoid emotional eating," she said. "When I would overeat, I would feel gross, but now when I exercise I feel healthier."

Jakubczak recommended several strategies to cope w/emotional eating. She said the best tool is to keep a food record.

"You should write down everything you ate & how you felt. Were you hungry or just bored? Were you happy or sad? Then, you'll start to see a pattern," she said.

She also suggested delaying eating until 30 minutes after a highly emotional situation. During this period, she said it's helpful to find distractions & other ways to deal w/emotions. Then, if after the 30 minutes, hunger hasn't subsided, she said eating is absolutely necessary.

You must give yourself time to think & decide if it is truly hunger," Jakubczak said.