When Food Is Comfort. Julie M. Simon

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СКАЧАТЬ way the basic regulatory structures of the brain develop.”

      In order to curb our emotional reactivity and wayward impulses and make wise decisions about food, we need the upstairs brain to step in and perform its duties as the captain of the ship. When our self-regulation circuitry is working well and all parts of the brain have open communication, we find ourselves less dependent on external supports, such as food or chemicals, to calm us down, lift us up, or get us going.

       The Triune Brain

       This simple model of the brain describes the three areas of the brain that are designed to process information separately and to function as a whole. (Triune means “three in one.”)

       The brain stem regulates basic processes like heart rate and respiration, as well as states of arousal. This area receives input from the body and communicates with the areas above it.

       The limbic region is the emotional brain, responsible for our basic drives and emotions, and it is home to the emotional-processing amygdala and the hippocampus, which is responsible for converting our feelings and experiences into words and memory.

       The cortex is the thinking brain, responsible for higher-level cognitive functions and relational skills and helping to coordinate the connections among all brain regions.

      Left Brain, Right Brain

      The brain is organized into lateral as well as vertical regions. Like the upstairs and downstairs regions of the brain, the left and right sides of the brain need open channels of communication. The right side develops earlier than the left and communicates more directly with the lower brain areas and the body. This side of the brain receives emotional information: it is home to our emotions, intuition, gut feelings, imagery, nonverbal communication, and autobiographical memory. As very young children, we’re right-brain dominant: we live completely in the moment and have little concern for concepts like right and wrong or following the rules. Our left brain, responsible for logic, language, and linear thinking, develops a bit later.

      Generally, the two sides of the brain work together fairly smoothly, even in people who seem to favor one side over the other. However, traumatic memories appear to activate the right hemisphere and deactivate the left. One of the results of this imbalance is that when something reminds us of a traumatic event, we can feel as though the event were happening in the present, not the past. Unable to access our rational left brain, we may feel flooded and overwhelmed by our feelings. At times like these, there’s a high probability that our emotional response will be bigger than the crime and that we’ll resort to a maladaptive coping behavior in an attempt to stop the emotional overload and restore tranquility. We may grab our favorite comfort foods and overeat. We might ignore the alarm messages from our emotional brain, even though our bodies are registering the threat, and deny the existence of our feelings. But the right side of the brain keeps working, as stress hormones signal the muscles to prepare for fight, flight, or freeze. Eventually, the physical effects on the body will demand attention.

      Similarly, when we function predominantly from our left brain, we cannot harness the full potential of both sides working together. Cut off from our emotions and intuition and the richness and creativity they offer, our lives can feel dull and unsatisfying. We may find that delectable foods offer the excitement and bliss our left-brained lives seem to be missing.

      Brain Chemistry and Overeating

      Consistent and sufficient parental nurturing in infancy and childhood plays a major role not only in the normal development of the structure of the brain regions and circuits, but in the brain’s chemical communication systems as well. Brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, allow messages to pass from one cell to the next and are essential for communication between brain cells. Brain chemicals regulate our mood and mental energy, alertness, focus, and calmness. The quality of our lives is highly determined by our brain chemistry.

      There is a specific area of the upstairs brain, called the orbitofrontal cortex, that is heavily involved in our ability to regulate our emotions, impulses, and behaviors. This area has a dense network of connections to the lower brain structures, where our most primitive emotions, like rage and fear, are generated, and the brain stem, where our physiological body states are managed. This area of the brain is at the center of our reward and motivation system, and it contains a large supply of the reward chemicals — endorphins and dopamine — associated with soothing, calm, joy, and pleasure.

      Endorphins: Molecules of Emotion

      Endorphins alleviate physical and emotional pain and facilitate emotional bonding. If you’ve ever had a serious injury and didn’t feel pain immediately, you can thank your endorphins for that — and for the deeply relaxed and calm feeling that comes after lovemaking, because a flood of endorphins is released during orgasm. (Leave it to nature to make sure the propagation of the species is an enjoyable process!) Endorphins are also the brain chemicals responsible for “runner’s high,” the euphoric state some runners describe after an extended period of aerobic exercise. Some overeaters are also overexercisers, and this tendency may be due in part to a subconscious effort to boost low endorphin levels.

      Researchers have identified more than twenty different types of endorphins. In addition to alleviating emotional and physical pain, these chemicals are involved in the regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and body temperature. We have endorphin receptors (think of these as the loading docks of your cells) in different types of cells throughout our bodies, playing different roles. For example, in the nervous system, endorphins act as painkillers and tranquilizers, whereas in our mouths, they diminish secretions and lead to the familiar “cotton-mouth” sensation.

      Endorphins also govern our attachment instinct. A mother’s attention and loving presence trigger an endorphin release in an infant’s brain. Nature didn’t forget the brains of mothers, either: mothers experience huge endorphin surges when they nurture their babies. Conversely, if a mother or other caregiver fails to respond adequately to an infant’s needs on a consistent basis, endorphins are not released in the baby’s brain. She is left to self-soothe with alternative coping mechanisms like thumb sucking, rocking, or shutting down and tuning out.

      When our levels of this natural pain reliever (named for its resemblance to morphine) are low, we may find that we are highly sensitive to both emotional and physical pain. We seem to feel pain more than others do. Perhaps we cry at the drop of a hat. Stress can deplete our scanty levels of endorphins even further.

      Alcohol and drugs (especially opiates), as well as drug-like components in foods such as refined flours and sugars, can attach to our brain-cell receptor sites and take the place of our natural brain chemicals. As our brain perceives these receptor sites as full, it produces less of our natural chemicals. This partly explains the vicious cycle many overeaters know so well: cravings, indulgence, relief, and more cravings.

      Dopamine: Energy and Focus

      Our main energizing brain chemical is called dopamine. It’s like our natural caffeine. It promotes a sense of satisfaction, drives assertiveness, and pumps up our libido. Dopamine keeps us feeling energized, upbeat, and alert. By helping us focus and concentrate, it plays a role in the learning of new behaviors. Pleasurable experiences such as dinner with a dear friend, a good tennis match, or the anticipation of a vacation tend to elevate dopamine levels.

      Joyful, nurturing interactions with primary caregivers stimulate the development of dopamine receptors in the infant’s brain. Early separations, insufficient emotional and physical attention, or regular stressed interactions with caregivers can cause significant alterations in the dopamine system, including reduced dopamine production as well as a diminished number of dopamine receptors.

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