Clean to binge

I was honoured to be featured in ‘Fitness Life’ magazine as an invited author of the following (published 2013).

There’s currently a lot of hype about the concept of ‘clean eating’. But what does this really mean, and is it genuinely the ‘healthy option’ it is cracked up to be or a recipe for disaster in the longer term? Susan Baxter sheds a light on the matter….

“Clean foods are those that have a mum or come from the ground or from a tree” – Bella Falconi.

One of the main challenges with ‘clean eating’ is that there is no specific and objective definition of what exactly it means to ‘eat clean’. Different advocates have their own variations on what the term entails, whilst critics deride it by asking if it means that food has been properly sterilised for human consumption.

The common denominator in all descriptions of clean eating is to follow a diet where the foods are derived from whole sources, as close to their natural state as possible. That means no added sugar, generally little or no added ingredients on the nutrition list, and minimal packaging. These foods are called ‘clean’ or ‘healthy’ or ‘good’; while the alternatives, such as junk or processed foods, are deemed ‘unclean’.

Whilst many diets and eating habits come and go, the real question that needs to be considered is whether the ‘new’ diet is any healthier than your current (or any alternative) diet. Also ask yourself whether foods you are excluding cause harm, such as weight gain, compromise bodily function, or can lead to malnourishment.

Despite the current fear mongering surrounding foods containing sugar, fat, and salt (which are each complex issues in their own right), the real concern should be on who is eating the particular item of food, and in which quantity (think portion control). Such an approach would not rule out any food item completely, but rather limit the amount of sugar-laden foods that you’re able to eat (since these generally have fewer nutrients in them) to maintain your body weight. In other words, a moderat

The benefit of a clean eating approach is that foods derived from wholefood sources tend to be less calorie dense, and that limiting your sugar intake will reduce blood sugar spikes that may cause you to experience hunger pangs. For both of these reasons the propensity to overeat is much lower.

In addition, there are more nutrients and fibre in wholefoods, meaning that clean eating should reduce the risk of being ‘malnourished’. Fibre has also been shown to reduce the amount of calories consumed during the day by as much as 10 percent, which again reduces likelihood of overeating.

Okay, so these factors indicate that clean eating is essentially the healthier option, right? Well, not quite, as there are a number of mechanisms by which it can lead to unhealthy behaviours. These include: the psychological factors surrounding restricting one’s diet; biological responses to eating junk food (or, more to the point, stopping eating such foods); social and psychological factors surrounding dieting; and of course hunger.

Each of these factors has been associated with a phenomenon known as binge eating or compulsive eating, in other words comsuming food beyond the needs of hunger and achieving satiety. The compulsive eating described in this article focuses on short-term binges surrounding restriction for dieting; it is not intended to address more serious eating disorders or help diagnose such disorders.

If you or someone you know is suffering from such concerns please seek professional help. For resources and help on eating disorders, go to Feast Ed, or phone the hotlines on this website or 0800 2 EDANZ. And then there’s this website that offers a 24 hour on-line forum for practical ideas, help and support.)

Scientific evidence from the USA on people following clean eating has shown a small but statistically significant association with binge eating. Binge eating is not just harmful to a person’s weight management intentions, but can also have ‘knock-on’ effects that can harm a person psychologically. These include increased anxiety to make up for the ‘unhealthy eating’ during bingeing, and physiological effects on hunger and satiety hormones, both of which can lead to another binge episode.

These mechanisms work on the intrinsic need to eat, which is regulated by the feeling of hunger. When following any restrictive diet the extra focus and obsessing on food can cause hunger. In clean eating, hunger can be a mechanism to drive binge eating since the foods (as mentioned above) tend to be lower in calorie density and therefore potentially (and unintentionally) cause people to under eat. Consequently they might end up bingeing, particularly when the further physiological effects of hu

Although ‘the shakes’ might be the result of hunger associated with low blood sugar levels, scientific research also shows that many of the ‘high- incentive’ (‘junk’) foods that people crave during bingeing (in order to release energy quickly) activate the same pathways within the brain that are activated by drug use! For instance, dairy and cheese stimulates the opioid pathways, and many high sugar items stimulate endocannibinoid pathways: such that are stimulated by morphine and cannabis use.

Junk food stimulates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you experience pleasure. The problem is, as the body enjoys this ‘hit’, it craves another. The body is also very adaptable to the stimulus, in a way not unlike the training effect of exercise. In a similar fashion, the brain will require more of the junk food to release the same amount of dopamine. As a result, the body begins to crave this junk food hit more frequently. This is how and why the cravings (and worst case s