Food Addiction

Scientists believe that food addiction may play an important role in obesity. The same reward and pleasure centers of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin are also activated by food, especially highly palatable foods like foods rich in sugar, fat and salt. Like addictive drugs, highly palatable foods trigger feel good brain chemicals such as dopamine. The reward signals from highly palatable foods may override other signals of fullness and satisfaction. As a result, people keep eating, even when they are not hungry. And like people who are addicted to drugs or gambling, people who are addicted to food will have trouble stopping their behavior, even if they want to or have tried many times to cut back.

Symptoms
Addiction is not always easy to identify. This is especially true for food addiction because we all need to eat. But, food addicts can have symptoms of other conditions like depression, binge eating, or obsessive compulsive disorder. Like other addicts, they will hide their problem, eating in private and even hiding food. Common signs of food addiction include constant obsession with what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and how to get more food, overeating at mealtimes, constant snacking, eating at strange times like the middle of the night, hiding eating habits from friends and family or eating in secret. While food addiction can often appear harmless or less serious than other addictions, it is not. It is a condition that tends to progress gradually. It can eventually result in lifelong obesity or health problems while also making mental health issues worse.
Treatments for Food Addiction
Food addiction is typically treated in the same ways as other addictions. Changing behaviors while also managing the physical cravings are key elements in treating food addiction. Therapy may help get to the root cause of overeating and help deal with emotions in a positive way, rather than by eating. Food addicts also often suffer from shame, guilt and, poor body image. Talk therapy can help a food addict work through these, and other, emotional issues. Cravings can often be managed or even eliminated with a personalized nutrition plan. A food addict must learn to develop eating habits that are in tune with the body’s natural cravings. They must also learn to eat according to hunger and not in response to emotional needs or stress. It’s often helpful for a food addict to have access to a variety of activities and resources that promote healthy living, such as a fitness center, nutrition classes, or stress-reduction techniques.