Food Addiction – A Serious Problem With a Simple Solution

This article contains detailed information on addiction to food. It explains exactly what it is, how it works and what you can do to overcome it.

Eating healthy and losing weight seems downright impossible for many people.

Despite their best intentions, they repeatedly find themselves eating large amounts of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that it is causing them harm.

The truth is… the effects of certain foods on the brain can lead to downright addiction.

Food addiction is a very serious problem and one of the main reasons some people just can’t control themselves around certain foods, no matter how hard they try.

What is Food Addiction?

Food addiction is, quite simply, being addicted to junk food in the same way as drug addicts are addicted to drugs.

It involves the same areas in the brain, the same neurotransmitters and many of the symptoms are identical (1).

Food addiction is a relatively new (and controversial) term and there are no good statistics available on how common it is.

This is very similar to several other eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, bulimia, compulsive overeating and having an “unhealthy” relationship with food.

How This Works

Processed junk foods have a powerful effect on the “reward” centers in the brain, involving brain neurotransmitters like dopamine (2).

The foods that seem to be the most problematic include typical “junk foods,” as well as foods that contain either sugar or wheat, or both.

Food addiction is not about a lack of willpower or anything like that, it is caused by the intense dopamine signal “hijacking” the biochemistry of the brain (3).

There are many studies that support the fact that food addiction is a real problem.

The way this works is pretty complicated, but this short video explains it in human terms:

8 Symptoms of Food Addiction

There is no blood test available to diagnose food addiction. Just like with other addictions, it is based on behavioral symptoms.

Here are 8 common symptoms that are typical of food addicts:

1. You frequently get cravings for certain foods, despite feeling full and having just finished a nutritious meal.
2. When you give in and start eating a food you were craving, you often find yourself eating much more than you intended to.
3. When you eat a food you were craving, you sometimes eat to the point of feeling excessively “stuffed.”
4. You often feel guilty after eating particular foods, yet find yourself eating them again soon after.
5. You sometimes make excuses in your head about why you should eat something that you are craving.
6. You have repeatedly tried to quit eating or setting rules (includes cheat meals/days) about certain foods, but been unsuccessful.
7. You often hide your consumption of unhealthy foods from others.
8. You feel unable to control your consumption of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they are causing you physical harm (includes weight gain).

If you can relate to 4-5 of these, then you probably do have a serious problem with food. If you can relate to 6 or more, then you are most likely a food addict.

Food Addiction is a Serious Problem

Although the term “addiction” is often thrown around lightly, having true addiction is serious business.

I’m a recovering alcoholic, smoker and drug addict with a history of many rehabs, jail more often than I can count and several trips to the emergency room due to overdose.

After I had been sober for several years, I started to develop an addiction to unhealthy foods.

Full-blown addiction. Nothing more, nothing less.

The reason I’m telling you this is to demonstrate that I know how addiction works.

I’m here to tell you that food addiction is the same as addiction to drugs… exactly the same.

The symptoms and thought processes are completely identical. It’s just a different substance and the social consequences aren’t as severe.

Food addiction can cause physical harm. It can lead serious diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and depression, to name a few.

But you have even bigger reasons to quit than some unfamiliar disease in your distant future. Food addiction is also ruining your life… today.

It breaks your self-esteem, makes you unhappy with your body and can make your life a living hell (like it did for me).

The seriousness of being a food addict can not be overstated. This is a problem that ruins lives and kills people. Literally.

The Law of Addiction – Why You May Never be Able to Eat “Normally” Again

The most important lesson I have ever learned is called the law of addiction:

“Administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance.”

A former smoker who has a puff of a cigarette will become addicted again… instantly.

An alcoholic who has a sip of beer will relapse, with all the horrible consequences that follow.

There is no way of getting around it. This is simply how addiction works.

I am personally convinced that food addiction is no different. One bite of cake, one sip of coke, one “cheat” – that’s all it takes.

Of course, we all need to eat something. Otherwise we’ll die of starvation. But no one needs to eat sugar, refined wheat flour or any of the modern junk foods that people tend to lose control over.

Most food addicts will never be able to eat junk food like “regular” people again. That’s the cold, hard truth.

But if they manage to avoid the “trigger foods,” then they should be able to eat healthy and lose weight without problems.

The truth is… complete abstinence is the only thing that reliably works against addiction. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you will recover.

Although the “everything in moderation” message may work for some people, this advice is a complete disaster for food addicts.

When it comes to addiction, moderation fails. Every time.

This is the simple (but not easy) solution to addiction. Avoiding the addictive substance at all times.

Source:-  http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-overcome-food-addiction/

The Relationship Between Sex and Food

There is a close relationship between love, sex and food.

Recently, a good friend who I've collaborated with on research proposed to me that we should stop studying gossip and sex, and start to study food. Everyone eats, she argued. Women know that one way to a man's heart is through his stomach, she said. Men look sexy when they cook, I thought, regardless of whatever they are making.

I was immediately intrigued.
There is a very close relationship between love, sex and food. It's hard to feel romantic if you're starving. On the other hand, when you first meet someone and are completely infatuated, often you lose your sense of hunger. Our bodies produce a chemical stimulant, phenylethylamine (PEA) as well as norepinephrine. They make our bodies feel alert, alive, giddy, excited - and many of us lose our appetite. The human need for food and sex are basic, part of the foundation of our nature, which makes it sensible that they are so closely knit together

Another way to look at it is that when you eat, you're using many of your senses. Obviously, you are using taste, but also sight, smell and touch. These sensations are the same ones used during sex. And, if you feed your lover, sensually, these sensations might be heightened.

You can also eat certain things to increase your feeling of wellbeing or increase your sex drive. Some foods you just have to smell or see to think about sex, according to some researchers. Here are a few to consider:

1) Chocolate has long been thought to be an aphrodisiac - in the 1600s it was considered such a powerful one that religious leaders banned monks and nuns from consuming any! It contains the chemical PEA, which creates a rush or feeling of euphoria. It causes the release of dopamine, which is the same chemical that is released during all sorts of "highs" including orgasms, gambling, and drug use. Dark chocolate contains the most. Other foods that also increase PEA are apples, avocados, tomatoes, almonds, and cheddar cheese. While we're on the topic, the mere scent of almonds is supposed to increase women's sex drive - with the added bonus of potentially improving heart health.

2) Some foods might be considered sexy because they are make us think erotic thoughts. Asparagus and avocados resemble certain male attributes, so they might be an indirect way to make your lover think of sex. Banana flowers have a rather phallic shape, which might be why some people consider them aphrodisiacs. Bananas themselves are thought to be important for sex hormone production because they contain high levels of potassium and B vitamins.

3) Let's not forget spices. Ginger and ginseng increase circulation - ginseng in particular it thought to increase libido by exciting the central nervous system. Cinnamon and nutmeg are also rumoured to stimulate sexual feelings. And, since we're talking spices, this might be a good time to mention that some additives are supposed to improve the taste of semen - cardamom, peppermint, lemon and pineapple, for example, while garlic and onions are thought to cause it to taste unpleasant. (more suggestions for food can be found on the web, including: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Nutrition-Health-Food-Labeling-646/aphrodisiac-foods.aspx)

4) If you're planning a romantic evening, you might try to find on a good bottle of wine with the hopes that it will make your lover (and you!) more relaxed. Drinking wine in moderation might serve that purpose well, but drinking too much can be problematic. Aside from the commonly discussed results, such as not remembering one's behaviour, or not being able to sexually feel much (if anything), excessive alcohol consumption can decrease women's DHEA, which is related to sex drive. In men, it decreases testosterone, which is the backbone to male sex drive, and can make vasopressin plummet, meaning it might be difficult to achieve an erection. Even touching your lover can lose its magic because alcohol reduces oxytocin, so the sense of touch is not as sensitive.

5) Then there's using food for play - whipped cream, honey, jell-o and all the usual ones to consider. After hearing some very humorous and sticky stories from girlfriends, I'll pause here to remind you to examine expiration dates, and to beforehand clean-up issues.

Food, love and sex have a long history, and one that is rooted in our biology. If you're thinking of a romantic gift for a lover, why buy just the usual box of chocolates? Instead you could make an "aphrodisiac basket," or make a meal that incorporates many of the foods mentioned.

Want to know more about what happens to your body, chemically when you're in love? Victoria Costello, a fellow blogger here at Psychology Today, and I recently co-authored a slim sexy book called, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Chemistry of Love."

This article was written by Maryanne Fisher Ph D. in Love's Evolver.  You can read it here:-

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/loves-evolver/201102/the-relationship-between-sex-and-food