Food Addiction : Part 1: Claiming that food is addictive probably sounds bizarre, even crazy to some people, to others they nod their heads because they know how it feels. Imagine food as a drug like cocaine. The symptoms and thought processes are exactly the same. It’s just a different substance and the social consequences aren’t as severe.
What is a Food Addiction?
Food addiction is being addicted to refined carbohydrates, mainly sugar and flour in the same way as addicts are addicted to drugs.
What are the Consequences?
Food addiction can cause serious harm, leading to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The biggest problem, as with all addictions, is that it can ruin your life. It makes life a living hell as it breaks self-esteem, makes you hate your body and your mind as you fight day in, day out to control what feels like uncontrollable urges to eat. It makes people feel ashamed and want to hide away from life, eat in secret and feel they are abnormal and useless. In extreme circumstances it can sometimes lead to thoughts of suicide.
How do I know if I’m a food addict?
So how do you know if you’re addicted to food and why does it happen? Simply put, if you can have one bite and stop there, then indulging a little bit when you get a craving is absolutely fine. But if you tend to binge after tasting sugary food, then giving into cravings is the worst thing you can do.
This behaviour is not driven by hunger.
Sweet, refined carbohydrate foods activate the same areas in the brain as drugs like cocaine. The cravings are so intense that you eat despite knowing that you’re causing harm. Like cocaine, the cravings are not driven by the body; they are driven by the brain’s need for reward.
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