"At the same time metabolism is going down, many people who have unprocessed trauma may use food as a coping skill to numb out their pain. Most of us do this to some extent. Some of us stay really busy to stay out of our pain, some of us use alcohol or drugs, some of us focus on our kids or other people, and some of us use food. Food has a particularly powerful effect on our nervous system.

When our ancestors evolved, chewing and swallowing food literally meant we were not currently being chased by a tiger, that we were safe (Kubo, Iinuma, & Chen, 2015). So not only is metabolism down, but the act of chewing and eating (especially foods high in sugar and fat) soothes the nervous system, leaving some people frustrated with their relationship with food and their bodies."