Although the question as to whether food addiction exists has a complex answer, the simple response is, Yes. Recent research demonstrates that it is indeed entirely possible for people to be addicted to something as basic and essential as food. In fact, this form of addiction has been growing steadily in the United States, and around the world.
More than seventy percent of Americans are over-weight, and even more are unhealthy due to poor diet. The biggest reason that Americans are in this health crisis is the type and quantity of food that they eat. Why would so many people continue choosing to eat foods they know will make them overweight, and feel sick? Simply put––they are addicted to food.
Just like with any other addictive substance, certain foods cause a temporary high followed by a crash, which can lead to a vicious cycle of abuse. People who are addicted to food often describe themselves as feeling out of control and unable to choose whether or not to eat certain foods. They say it’s like being taken over by an invisible force. They feel helpless and hopeless. So how can something that we need in order to live, cause such dangerous dependencies?
The answer is food addiction has two primary causes:
The industrial food complex churns out hyper-processed, highly palatable, intensely addictive foods that affect our brain chemistry, health, and weight. There are people sitting around a table somewhere, literally getting paid to figure out how to make the food they sell, even more addictive. They focus on something called the ‘bliss point’ which causes people to continually come back for more. They chemically enhance certain flavors and alter the chemical structure of food to produce a certain ‘mouth feel’. They are making food to be actually intoxicating. The commercial for potato chips – “Bet you can’t eat just one,” comes to mind. They have worked hard to make sure that this is true.
A few years ago, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that proves that high-sugar foods are addictive in the same way that cocaine and heroin are. This study, and others like it, show that the pleasure center of the brain lights up in response to sugary and processed food.
Dr. Mark Hyman sums it up perfectly in his book, The Blood Sugar Solution -10-Day Detox
This is part of the reason that you may feel stuck in the food patterns that you are. Remember, we are hardwired to seek pleasure. Much of our food today takes advantage of this fact and leads us down a path filled with unnatural and unhealthy food that is even harmful in many ways. The engineered foods and additives that are part of the Standard American Diet (SAD) are extremely likely to have hijacked the pleasure center in your brain.
When we turn to food in order to deal with negative emotions and events, our brains become habituated to dopamine that is released when we eat. Every time we use food to meet our sustenance needs, it lays down a neural pathway in our brains which making easier and easier to repeat the behavior. This process often begins with a triggering event, for example an argument with your boss or coworker, a rush of emotions, such as frustration follows. Next you take an action, for instance, eating something. Because on some level, eating gives you that hit of dopamine, albeit for the short term, so you turn to it again and again, thus creating an entrenched pathway in your brain. Think of it like the wagon wheel routes that led across the country to the West. These paths became so deep that wheels would often get stuck in the ruts and not be able to get out.
Hmmmm… Getting stuck in a path and not being able to get out?
Sounds familiar huh?
Because these strong neural pathways, you wind up autopilot every time there is a triggering event creating an addiction to food. Your brain becomes very efficient at turning to the solution it thinks you need (food) and more-or-less leaves you out of the decision-making process.
When dealing with food addiction, you are being driven by your biology
and a habituated brain.
Our habitual behaviors, especially with food, are controlled by our primitive brain which is why food addiction is so difficult to overcome. The primitive or reptilian brain is the most basic part of your brain. It is responsible for your survival, avoiding pain or danger; as well as seeking pleasure and safety. When we feed our bodies addictive foods, our brains experience pleasure in the form of that dopamine hit, and over time, it is easy to become addicted to that pleasure. Biological changes occur that can render us unable to say no to those foods despite the best intentions and heroic displays of willpower.
It is important to realize that food addiction does not mean that you are a weak-willed person. Being hard on yourself and thinking that you should be able to just control yourself fails to take into account that there is real biological programing at work. Furthermore, negative self-talk results in lower self-esteem, and makes it even more likely that you will give into cravings. Understanding your biology and how your brain works is key to overcoming sugar addiction.
In order to overcome food addiction, it is important to address the underlying causes. As discussed above, there are two primary causes of food addiction, our food supply and our habit of using of food to deal with life. Any approach designed to help you overcome food addiction must address these causes.
By gradually and systematically shifting away from the highly processed and addictive foods, you can get your brain back. You can begin to choose foods that are satisfying but not full of brain-hijacking chemicals. Did you know that our taste buds are replaced every twenty-one days? This means that if you begin eating lots of whole, clean foods, you will lose the taste for many of the addictive foods that you currently crave. Making new choices with food isn’t easy when your brain is demanding its usual fix. Therefore, education, support, and a new way of thinking about food are essential to your recovery.
As discussed above, when a person is addicted to food, their brain drives them to eat in ways that do not serve them. These messages the brain sends out are extremely powerful. Often people don’t realize that they can change the thoughts produced by their brains, believing themselves to be powerless over their thoughts. However, brain science has shown us that we have the ability to change the way we think.
While you may feel powerless when the urge to eat cookies or chips arises, you actually have all the power you need to make a different choice.
Simply put, you are not your brain.
At Nuuaria, we understand how the brain works and our programs are designed to help you think differently. You do have the ability to step back from your thoughts, slow them down, and redirect them in such a way that it allows you to effortlessly make choices that are aligned with your goals. It takes practice but it is something that our clients learn to do successfully every day. Your extremely adaptable brain can learn new ways of thinking by having the right education and most importantly, support. You can overcome food addiction within a short amount of time when you are willing to treat it at the source – your brain.
With the right knowledge about how habits are formed, and how you can retrain your brain, you can develop new neural pathways that allow you to make different choices regarding food.
If you would like more information about how to understand food addiction and overcome it as part of your journey toward food and body freedom, sign-up below for access to the Freedom Channel. This page is dedicated to the freedom that comes from living with a loving, nourishing relationship with food and body and in alignment with your authentic self. When you sign up, you will gain immediate access to a free mini-course, blogs, videos, interviews with other amazing coaches and a link to schedule your one-on-one Discovery Session to uncover what stands in the way of you becoming the best version of yourself.