Food addiction

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Hardenton
Hardenton Posts: 136 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The Law of Addiction states that "administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

So how do we justify having cheat foods, cheat meals or even cheat days?

Is it good strategy for a person trying to quit smoking to have a "cheat cigarette" every now and then, indefinitely? Will they ever quit? Will they ever overcome the power of nicotine? How can we do the same with junk food and expect to overcome the power of unhealthy food craving?
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  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    nope.gif
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
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    We justify it by food not being an addictive substance.


  • Hardenton
    Hardenton Posts: 136 Member
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    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
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    tumblr_ln5kxo2XuH1qktqjdo1_400.png
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

  • HotPotato22
    HotPotato22 Posts: 91
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    Hardenton wrote: »
    The Law of Addiction states that "administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance."

    So how do we justify having cheat foods, cheat meals or even cheat days?

    Is it good strategy for a person trying to quit smoking to have a "cheat cigarette" every now and then, indefinitely? Will they ever quit? Will they ever overcome the power of nicotine? How can we do the same with junk food and expect to overcome the power of unhealthy food craving?

    For somebody with a severe food addiction my psychologist recommends not having a cheat meal ever, listing all the foods that trigger binge eating, and avoid them 100%.

    This was a food addiction phd psychologist, so you aren't totally off base with this post. However I think that is really severe cases where they fail at moderation every time and food addiction is ruining their life.

    I have a tendency towards binge eating and I have cheat days, they prevent me from going overboard. I think it is healthy for most people on here to have a treat or not look at most food as "bad"
  • Hardenton
    Hardenton Posts: 136 Member
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    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

    Junk food (unhealthy fat, sugar, salt) is addictive. By "tastes good" you mean it floods the brain with dopamine in the same way drugs do.
  • HotPotato22
    HotPotato22 Posts: 91
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    Hardenton wrote: »
    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

    Junk food (unhealthy fat, sugar, salt) is addictive. By "tastes good" you mean it floods the brain with dopamine in the same way drugs do.

    I agree with you, It actually can be an addiction the same as heroin or tobacco. I am not sure why people fight this when it has been proven time and time again.
  • DayByDayGetStronger
    DayByDayGetStronger Posts: 108 Member
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    ANY food can be addictive, not just junk food. An addict will look for anything to make them feel better or avoid feeling emotions he/she is afraid of. An addict abuses a substance or habit (shopping, sex, gambling) as a coping tool. Albeit, a destructive coping tool.

    The reality is that these "things" don't make the addict feel BETTER, it just makes them feel DIFFERENT. It's a temporary distraction until the next dose.
    Being addicted to food is super hard in recovery because you have to eat to live. Therapy is crucial to help figure out why food was abused in the first place and where the emptiness in our hearts came from. Addicts are hurting emotionally and don't know how to deal with their pain without distractions.

    Some recovery programs teach the food addict that food is medicine and that it has be a proper dose each day to be healthy. It needs to be measured and counted.
    Having a "cheat" day can be dangerous for some people because it may cause a relapse. Finding a balance in life is the main goal. If there's a day where you want to eat a little heavier on the calories, doing a hard workout will keep you in check.

    I'm responding to your post as someone who is a food addict in recovery. And yes, I'm a dietitian with a Masters degree in nutrition. I am a clear example of knowing what to eat and actually doing it are two very different things.

    Food addicts can't make it to recovery alone, they needs lots of support just like an alcoholic.

    Best of luck and wishing you success. It's a hard road but worth it at the end :)

    Your friendly dietitian
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    The best way to kick the addiction is cold turkey. I like mine with mashed potatoes, skip the gravy and smother it with creamed corn, then a slice of pecan pie for dessert.

    Food is not addictive, but over-indulgence is, as it stimulates serotonin production. That's the habit you have to break, because you can't live without food. That being the case, any comparison to real addiction is foolish, just learn to control yourself.

    Rigger
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    I guess my brain doesn't differentiate potato chips and garden peas then, because I used to eat giant huge bags of garden peas until my stomach hurt.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    HotPotato22 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

    Junk food (unhealthy fat, sugar, salt) is addictive. By "tastes good" you mean it floods the brain with dopamine in the same way drugs do.

    I agree with you, It actually can be an addiction the same as heroin or tobacco. I am not sure why people fight this when it has been proven time and time again.

    uhm. Proven when and where please link the research articles.
  • HotPotato22
    HotPotato22 Posts: 91
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    http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(09)00484-8/abstract?cc=y

    http://journals.lww.com/coclinicalnutrition/Abstract/2010/07000/Neurobiology_of_food_addiction.3.aspx

    These are just a few of dozens, these are medical journals, not propaganda websites or fear mongering tactics. It is science.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
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    In for peer reviewed studies....
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Hardenton wrote: »
    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

    Junk food (unhealthy fat, sugar, salt) is addictive. By "tastes good" you mean it floods the brain with dopamine in the same way drugs do.

    Ya, I disagree. I work in a men's drug treatment facility. I see TRUE addicts day in and day out. It's not the same. This is coming from someone who struggled with overeating my whole life. I used to fall back on the excuse that food was addictive. In reality, it wasn't. I just didn't care about my health and didn't want to lose weight bad enough. I found comfort in food, but it wasn't addiction.

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    jnv7594 wrote: »
    Hardenton wrote: »
    Junk food is addictive.. give a kid healthy food they will eat until you're full and stop. Give them junk food they'll eat until their stomach hurts

    It's not addictive in the way that drugs are addictive...not the same. Kids choose the junk food because it tastes good, not due to addiction.

    And/or because it's easier. How many kids are trusted with knives and know how to cool their own proper meals? Much easier to grab convenient food, which can also be fruit and veggies. I used to eat a looooooooooooooooooot of fruit. I still do now, but instead of eating like 3-4 mangoes in a day as a single serving of fruit when eating like 6+ servings, I eat what I desire within my calories haha.
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
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    Gambling is the only behavioral addiction that at this point is recognized in the DSM-V or ICD-9 or 10. Many psychologists, myself included, don't agree with gambling being included in the addiction setting.

    Can you be a compulsive eater? Certainly. You can be a compulsive hand washer as well, but that doesn't make hand washing addictive. Food fires the reward pathways of the brain. It is supposed to, eating is required for survival.
  • HotPotato22
    HotPotato22 Posts: 91
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    http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02791072.2012.662092#.VPU7oV2N1b1

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2003.68/full

    I too have a degree in nutrition and food addiction.

    I smoked cigarettes for 15 years and quit cold turkey no problem but not eating junk food was the hardest thing I've ever done. I won't get into details, but I have done very addictive drugs for years and gave that up without a single withdrawl. If you say comparing food addiction to a "real addiction" is silly it is because you don't struggle from it, not because it isn't real.

  • Hardenton
    Hardenton Posts: 136 Member
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    I have quit smoking too in the past no problem. I also tried the "moderation" strategy when it comes to junk food and this never works. Unless you don't mind gaining back a few pounds, having water retention, digestive problems, feeling like crap and hating yourself for a few days every month, then go ahead and have your "cheat day"

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