Eating disorders are one of the difficult problems for many people to manage. They can result in bulimia or anorexia. There is also the raccoon syndrome which is less known than the first two, but which affects more and more people. Victims may not even realize it. Zoom on the raccoon syndrome.
What is raccoon syndrome?
Although its name seems to be endearing, raccoon syndrome remains a disorder that can be dangerous in the end. Indeed, it designates the fact of always wanting to nibble just like the raccoon. Patients who suffer from it cannot resist any food.
This eating disorder can affect anyone, especially young people. Victims cannot deal with their compulsive habit with food. In the end, this puts their health at risk, since snacking can cause illnesses of all kinds.
Fortunately, it is very easy to recognize this disorder. Just look at the eating habit of the person. If she does not stop the cravings day and night, she might therefore suffer from this type of syndrome. The ideal is to call on qualified help to combat it.
What are the causes and consequences of raccoon syndrome?
Several elements can be at the origin of the raccoon syndrome. This can be sociological and professional anxiety, fatigue, toxic relationship, etc. In general, anything that can cause a negative emotion can cause a person to snack nonstop. She may end up suffering from this eating disorder.
In a way, hypereating can be seen by the victim as compensation for their emotional and physical suffering. As a result, she quickly reaches a problem of being overweight. In the space of two years, she can gain between 10 and 20 kilos. The reason is that the permanent secretion of insulin during snacking generates reactive hypoglycaemia.
If this is already causing appearance concerns, medically speaking, the problems that can result from it might be even more serious. Hypertension, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, depression, cognitive problems, etc., these are all diseases that might then be derived from them.
How to overcome raccoon syndrome?
This eating disorder can therefore come from a very distant source. So to get rid of it and return to a more balanced and healthier diet, you must first determine the underlying causes. The person concerned must first of all get back in harmony with himself. She must relearn how to organize herself and adopt a healthy lifestyle. This involves not only a good diet review, but much more. It is necessary to relearn how to sleep properly (full and quality night), to do physical exercises, to take advantage of the present moment, etc. Although all this seems difficult to achieve, the person must arm himself with perseverance, great willpower and rigor.
In general, to overcome raccoon syndrome, you have to go little by little. Starting with changing small habits like getting distracted with chores, going out instead of staying home, making popcorn instead of chips, taking 5,000 steps a day.
Then, as you go along, you have to plan a big leap towards the most difficult habits to do without them, like emptying the pantry and the refrigerator of all the snacks and sticking to meals at a specific time. There’s no denying that it’s a tough challenge at first, but with little patience, your body and mind will get used to this new way of life.
Why is it important to consult a professional?
Certainly, once you become aware of your problems and you want to get out of them, you can start yourself by changing your habits. However, one still needs good support to successfully overcome raccoon syndrome. This is where the professionals come in.
Through consultations with the psychologist, one can free oneself from the main sources of one’s emotional problems. With a doctor, you can treat the diseases that have been caused by this eating disorder. And by trusting a dietician or a nutritionist, you can benefit from good recommendations in terms of food quality and quantity.
This professional also indicates the ideal frequencies for meals and the types of food that must compose each menu. In general, he recommends fruits, vegetables, good fats and good sources of lipids and carbohydrates to the detriment of a high calorie diet which damages health.
