“I can’t just stop eating. I need to eat!” That is the common frustration of people struggling to curb overeating habits. And it is true. With many behaviors that we decide aren’t good for us, such as smoking, drinking, or being in a destructive relationship, you can give it up. But with food, we can’t just quit it. We have to battle with temptations daily and constantly be exercising moderation, which is wearing on our good intentions. So knowing when our eating issues cross over into addiction can be helpful, and applying some of what works for other addictions can be a valuable approach.
Food addiction involves the same areas of your brain as drug addiction. The same neurotransmitters are also involved (serotonin and dopamine) and many of the symptoms are identical. Processed foods have a powerful effect on the reward centers of our brains. Experiments in animals and humans show that that reward centers are activated by food, especially foods rich in sugar, fat, and salt, in a similar manner to the brain’s response to cocaine and heroin. Once people experience pleasure associated with increased dopamine transmission in the brain’s reward pathway, they quickly feel the need to eat again. In short, food addiction is not caused by a lack of willpower, but results from complex biochemistry of the brain. Neural systems that evolved to motivate and reinforce foraging and food intake for survival become problematic when high calorie foods are so readily available in our own pantries.
There is no blood test to determine if you have a food addiction, it is based on the following symptom clusters: You frequently get cravings for certain foods, despite feeling full and having just finished a nutritious meal; when you start eating foods you crave, you often find yourself eating much more than intended; when you eat a craved food, you sometimes eat to the point of feeling excessively full; you often feel guilty after eating particular foods, yet find yourself eating them again soon after; you have repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, tried to quit eating certain foods or set rules for them; you often hide your consumption of unhealthy foods from others; you feel unable to control you consumption of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they cause you physical harm including weight gain, diabetes, etc
The symptoms and thought processes associated with food addiction are similar to any drug addiction. It’s just a different type of substance and the social consequences may be less severe. Food addiction can cause physical harm and lead to serious diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. In addition, it may negatively impact your self-esteem and self-image, making you unhappy with your body. As with other addictions, food addiction may take an emotional toll and increase your risk of premature death.
If your eating habits are causing you harm, either in physical or psychological ways, there are some steps that you can take. While it is true, you cannot stop eating, you can identify foods that lead to overeating and decide to eliminate these foods from your diet all together. This may be difficult at first, especially in social situations, but it can break the cycle of addictive eating, guilt, and relapse. When avoiding certain foods, it helps to focus your attention on what you can eat. Make meal plans of nutritious food you do like and identify fast food places that offer healthy options when you are not in the mood to cook. The less you have to think about what to eat, the less you will leave room for addictive cravings to creep in. Research also shows that it is best to hold off on weight loss goals until you have your food addictive behavior under control, that drinking more water helps decrease cravings and appetite, and that eating more protein also reduces food cravings.
Like any addiction, your brain will crave what lights it up. Learning to handle a craving without engaging in the behavior will take a lot of work at first, but in time your confidence in overcoming a craving will increase, taking away the craving’s power over you. Triggers can also be times of day (often in the evenings), certain emotions (loneliness), certain places (fast food restaurant), certain people (a parent), or even a memory or thought (self judgment). Make a list of possible activities that you will do when you get a craving. Make sure you eat three healthy meals on the day you begin your new plan, and use your trigger plans whenever you want to snack outside of meals. Reassure yourself that you have eaten adequately and nurtured yourself with good food. Your craving is a sign of needing other nurturing. Learning to slow down your eating and eating”mindfully” is also proven to help with eating issues. By tuning into our bodies and our minds, we can better identify our true hunger versus a need for psychological soothing.
Like any addiction, it is not unusual to relapse and lose control over your eating. Try your best not to get lost in a negative cycle, but to get back on track as quickly as possible. Know that you are not alone. Finding some kind of a support group is really helpful and is often a key to success for those who engage in it. Remember that our body chemistry did not evolve for the abundance we currently live in. As Kimberly Steele, a researcher at Johns Hopkins writes, “broccoli and oatmeal do not get us fat.” She notes a direct relationship between the availability of high sugar and fat processed foods and our nation’s obesity rates. So it is our habits and environment that we need to adapt. As with any addictive substance, freeing yourself from its power over you can have a transformative effect on many levels. Developing a healthy relationship to food can bring back the pleasure in eating.