While food is an important part of life, our food habits can sometimes be unhealthy (like at night!). Eating is a source of nutrition and pleasure, but sometimes the food can exceed a pleasant part of life and move in addiction area.

Is food addiction real?

There is indications that food addiction is very real, especially when we talk about processed, sugary and salty foods. These foods are considered very tasty, which means that they like the palate and the brain.

Food, especially these tasty foods, stimulate the brain’s reward center, and for some people this stimulation can replicate, which happens in drug or alcohol dependency.

In nature, the brain rewards us for survival behavior (such as food and sex) through dopamine (Feelgood Chemical). Usually, the feeling of satiety happens after the food, which is also a satisfactory feeling.

But reward signals can also override signals of saturation Encyclopedia of food sciences and NutritionThis means that some people are in hunger and reward and can never make it saturated.

Industrialized food and addiction

Food dependency is a relatively new illness, and not only because the food is easier for most of us in history (although this also plays a role).

Industrial food companies deal with research teams to find out the right combination of tasty ingredients for the production of addictive food. This is another reason why it is so important to eat real food.

We are all dependent on food. As explained above, there is a biological reason for us to look for food (and a biological reason that it is worthwhile). It is okay to enjoy food and enjoy food.

Symptoms of food dependency

Researchers of the Rudd Center for Food Sciences and Policy at Yale University have developed a questionnaire that can help identify those with food addiction. Here are the symptoms of the questionnaire screens for:

• Eat food food in large quantities and longer than intended times (e.g. up to the disease point)
• Persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts not to eat excess food
• Spend a lot of time and energy when you get, eat and relax from use
• Give up important social, professional or leisure activities
• Despite the knowledge of adverse consequences, the use continues (loss of relationships, weight gain, etc.)
• Develop tolerance (have to eat more and more, and the resulting “high” constantly decreases)
• Withdrawal (physical withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety or excitement in reducing food intake and/or food to relieve them)
• Significant burden of food (depression, fear, guilt, etc.)

If you believe that you may have some of the symptoms of food addiction, a supporting doctor or a holistic intern may help.

Is the addiction physically or emotional?

Like many other dependencies, food addiction can be emotionally, physically or both. Cravings are the way the body tries to get back into balance (homeostasis). Physical imbalances (such as not enough certain micronutrients) can play a role, but Dodier notices that food addiction often has an emotional component.

Physical causes of food addiction

There are some important options for how food dependency can be caused by physical problems.

stress

It is no secret that stress is a big problem in modern life. But stress can also play a major role in feeding food addiction. The combat or flight reaction, with which we are all familiar with, is an old reaction that brings us to safety. When the wolf is on the cave door, this reaction increases blood sugar levels (for fast energy), increases blood pressure (to check the possibility of a bleeding wound) and activate the immune system by inflammation (important for handling an infection from an attack) . All of this works perfectly in this scenario, since all of these systems are normal again after the threat has ended.

In modern life, however, stress comes from sources that do not necessarily disappear. A difficult work environment, a full family plan and other everyday stress factors are an example of modern stress factors. They arrange for the body to react as well, except that the threat does not disappear (or is quickly replaced by another).

Stress hormones (such as cortisol) are released during this cycle and can lead to the body long for sugar, salt and fat. Experts explain in an article published on Cleveland.com that we long for these foods because they are more difficult to find food in nature.

In times of stress, of course, the body drives us to search for these foods because they are a quick energy source and are slightly saved on the body for later than energy (fat). In the wild, this is a perfect survival system.

However, these foods are easily available in modern society, which is why addiction becomes a problem.

Hormonal imbalances

Stress hormones play a role, as mentioned above, but other hormones can also affect food addiction.

A study from 2015 showed that the lack of a hormone (GLP-1) mice to overeat, especially fatty foods. This makes sense because fat is required for synthesis hormones. The unhealthy fats that are easily available in processed foods are loop continued).

The previously discussed review of 2018 also showed that there are differences in hormones (myelin, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone) for participants who met criteria for food addiction, and those who did not. This indicates that hormones may play another role in food addiction, but researchers are calling for more research in this area.

Lack of nutrients/bad nutrition

I am a great advocate of nutrient -rich diets for everyone (especially children!). Research published in 2010 shows that the nutrient density of food is more important for the satiety of hunger than the number of calories.

Eating nutrient foods can lead to more hunger and keep more food with low nutrients.

In addition, cravings are often a sign that the body needs something. The hunger remains until something is preserved. Nutritional foods probably don’t give the body what it needs. So the body will continue to search for food.

Emotional causes of food addiction

If food dependency has an emotional component, it can be more complicated. Here are some of the emotional causes:

Inability to deal with negative emotions

Similar to leisure medication, the good feeling that you get through the food of sweet, salty or fat foods can mask negative emotions. Eating is a way to deal with these negative emotions, as it offers dopamine release that feels so good. If we have no skills to deal with negative emotions, it is easiest to look at substances (including food!) For relief.

According to the journal Physiology and behaviorFood dependency focuses more on relief or avoiding negative feelings than looking for positive.

Uncovered needs

An article in Psychology today argues that food dependency is actually a desire for love and security, two things we all need. The article explains that many people with emotional nutritional problems also have relationship problems because both food and relationships are a way to seek these feelings. However, it can be unhealthy to use food for comfort instead of finding a way to meet these needs.

Low self-esteem

Many people with emotional eating problems or food addiction have a low self -esteem, but it is unclear which caused the other. A study from 2001 showed that the food of binge (in men and women) was associated with negative emotional characteristics of depression, low self -esteem and neuroticism.

Although we do not know whether low self -esteem is a direct cause of food addiction, handling can only help.

To do what to do with food addiction

Dealing with food addiction is complicated and often includes the treatment of more than an underlying cause. If you believe that you have a food dependency or a problem with emotional food, your health service provider talk about natural opportunities to reset the desire for food and stop emotional food.

I recommend Sarah Fragoso’s book Hangry, Susan Pierce Thompson’s book Bright Line Eating and Stephanie Dodiers Intuitive dining courses 271 in the wellness Mama Podcast.)

This article was medically checked by Madiha Saeed, MD, a family doctor certified by the board. As always, this is not a personal medical advice and we recommend that you speak to your doctor.

It’s not easy to think, but do you fit into the category for food addiction? What do you think is the biggest participant?