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Fast Food Addiction - Can Anyone Else Relate?

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  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    positivepowers wrote: »
    Oh, and just for your information, McDonald's fries have many ingredients you would never put in homemade fries . . .

    “[McDONALD'S] FRENCH FRIES:
    Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Natural Beef Flavor [Wheat and Milk Derivatives]*, Citric Acid [Preservative]), Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (Maintain Color), Salt.

    Prepared in Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil) with TBHQ and Citric Acid to preserve freshness of the oil and Dimethylpolysiloxane to reduce oil splatter when cooking.

    CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

    *Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients.”

    https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/why-do-mcdonald-s-fries-have-nearly-20-ingredients

    That is why they are so good!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2018
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    positivepowers wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    There are probably no common ingredients in french friesn and a chocolate cake (which for many could be homemade, btw, I don't know why so many people assume "junk food" is always packaged, but that's a digression).

    I'm not saying that you don't have the reaction you describe when eating them -- I find I tend to crave the foods I eat, so if I mostly (not 100%) eat nutrient-dense foods I will mostly crave the kinds of things I was planning to have anyway.

    What I am saying is that this is NOT evidence of addiction to a specific substance, as was claimed. It's support for the idea that some (for a variety of reasons, often a pattern of using food for self comfort, maybe something physical, probably related to feeling bad about eating habits and thinking you should restrict or not eat certain things) will find it really hard to control foods they find hyperpalatable.

    IMO, you can probably change, to some degree, what foods you really enjoy or crave (or consider hyperpalatable -- I honestly don't get why people even think fast food is so tasty vs. other options, other options that might be even more caloric in some cases, granted -- and I admit I'm being a bit of a food snob here, it's just my response to some of the things people claim are magically and unfairly tasty is that they aren't even all that tasty vs., say, better restaurants or homemade). You can also perhaps find a way to moderate -- for example, if you know you can have fries every week, it may well be easier not to think of them at other times. Or not, people find what works for them. Point is just this does not support the idea that "fast food" as a category is an addictive substance. It is made up of a huge variety of ingredients that are also in non fast food foods (see, eg, homemade burger and roasted potatoes with some salt and olive oil). I don't think any fast food measures up to a well roasted chicken with perfectly roasted potatoes (in some of the chicken fat) and brussels sprouts. But many of the reasons that's so tasty (mix of fat, protein, carbs and salt, for example), are going to overlap why fast food is tasty for many.

    As an initial point, none of what you said relates to what I said. Maybe reread the post? And if you think I'm wrong please point to the specific comment. It's rude to respond as if someone said things they did not, it's putting words in their mouth.
    Although several times during this thread I've been accused of attempted to deflect responsibility for my eating habits by explaining how obsessed I become with certain foods, it's actually just the opposite.

    This is irrelevant to anything I said, so I won't respond.
    Also, I don't know what is in fast/junk food that is not in homemade food but I've craved McDonald's fries (they are from the devil IMHO) and Taco Bell anything, ice cream, etc., (I'm craving it now and I've just eaten - I think I talked myself into it) but I've never once craved a homemade pot roast, hamburger, french fries, tacos, etc.

    That might be your tastes or habits. I NEVER crave McD's, and have certainly craved homemade rack of lamb, roasted chicken and potatoes and brussels sprouts, one of my favorite smoothies, homemade pie, and many other things.

    But more significantly, you seem to have misread or missed the point entirely. I said two things that you seem to be responding to here:

    (1) There are probably no common ingredients in chocolate cake (I mentioned homemade) and McD's fries. So claiming that what you are talking about here is an addiction to a specific substance makes no sense.

    (2) Plenty of so called "junk foods" ARE, in fact, homemade. Other than ice cream (which I sometimes make, but rarely), most of the sweets I eat are homemade, since I think most packaged stuff isn't worth the calories. An exception is an occasional interesting dessert at a nice restaurant, but the ingredients there are going to be basically the same as homemade. Thus, it's weird that you assume junk food = not homemade.

    And yes, homemade sweets are ever bit as cravable (more so, IMO).

    Since you mention pizza, I'll note that the main pizza I crave is from a local Italian place. How is it different from my homemade (which I also can crave)? The crust is made with a better oven for that purpose or people with more expertise or some such. If you crave Pizza Hut and not something made just with the ingredients you can have at home (assuming Pizza Hut uses other things -- I have no clue what's in Pizza Hut so won't take a position), then that's just your personal tastes, not that Pizza Hut pizza is magically more delicious or impossible to resist than a homemade pizza or one using all standard kitchen ingredients from a local Italian restaurant.
    I've never compared alcohol or drug withdrawal to food withdrawal.

    I'm glad, but others have said it's exactly the same.

    There is no such thing as "fast food" withdrawal, btw, as the same ingredients are in non fast foods. Yes, there are some flavorings and such in SOME fast foods that you wouldn't have in your kitchen, probably, but no one has explained how this is going to cause withdrawals if you stop having it.

    I don't think withdrawals are essential to addiction (and I think there's such a thing as an eating addiction, although not a "fast food addiction"), but this idea that you get physical withdrawals from not having a burger (which can be made easily at home or replaced with other foods that provide the same things to your body) seems absurd.
  • positivepowers
    positivepowers Posts: 902 Member
    edited March 2018
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    positivepowers wrote: »
    Oh, and just for your information, McDonald's fries have many ingredients you would never put in homemade fries . . .

    If this is aimed at me, you seem to have misread my comment. I was talking about chocolate cake as an example of "junk food" which is often homemade.

    The ingredients in McD's fries are irrelevant to me since I like really good fries (and find them difficult to stop eating) and don't think McD's fries are all that good. I never make fried food at home, so can't compare to homemade fries, but I go to places with fries that are just fat, potatoes, and salt.

    That said, what are these mysterious McD's fry ingredients? From your own list:

    (1) Potatoes - well, I would hope so!

    (2) Vegetable Oil -- I think we all assumed, McD's made a big thing about them being appropriate for vegetarians, I believe.

    (3) Natural Beef Flavor -- presumably to replace the particular flavor lost when they went vegetarian?

    (4) Citric Acid -- this is basically like lemon or lime juice

    (5) Dextrose, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate -- probably not enough of these to be significant, but do you think you are addicted to these? I'm sure it's easy to find good fries without them.

    (6) Salt -- again, pretty standard.

    Not sure how this is 20 ingredients, seems more like 7 at most to me. Are you counting the different oils in the blend? Still not 20.

    But hey, lots of other fries out there. I find some fries from a local pub harder to stop eating than McD's, probably because they are (to my taste), lots tastier.

    @lemurcat12 the was NOT aimed specifically at you. I apologize for not making that clearer.

    The article counts each oil separately, the ones added to the potatoes as well as the oils in which the fries are fried. There are 14 (the article counted some of the oils twice to equal 19, I didn't.):

    1. Potatoes
    2. Canola Oil
    3. Soybean Oil
    4. Hydrogenated soybean oil
    5. Wheat derivatives
    6. Milk derivatives
    7. Citric acid
    8. Dextrose
    9. Sodium acid pyrophosphate
    10. Salt
    11. Canola Oil
    12. Corn Oil
    13. TBHQ
    14. dimethylpolysiloxane

    But I got off track by focusing on McDonald's fries, that's my fault. What I was trying to say is, I don't crave carrots at all but processed foods (which, I apologize, turned into an indictment of McDonald's and that wasn't my intention) such as fast food, trigger something in me that turns off the part of my brain that tells me to STOP EATING. I know a few addicts, I deal with them daily in my line of work. They tell me that that's the way they feel with their drug of choice. Mine just happens to be not only legal but encouraged. My only way to deal with it is to abstain (sound familiar?) I don't know how long I need to abstain, maybe forever, (not sure that's possible in this society, though). Maybe it is an eating addiction, not a fast food (processed food, actually) addiction but the only foods I tend to eat in massive quantities are processed/fast/junk foods. That's the point I initially tried to get across.

    ETA: Believe me or not. I don't really care because I know what I go through and it is strikingly similar to some of the descriptions given by others on this website and in RL.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,754 Member
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    Behavioural addiction - comparable to other harmful behavioural addictions like gambling addictions or compulsion to cut oneself - yes I can see that
    like most eating disorders, in fact.

    But physical addiction -No.

    Seconding
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
    edited March 2018
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    Behavioural addiction - comparable to other harmful behavioural addictions like gambling addictions or compulsion to cut oneself - yes I can see that
    like most eating disorders, in fact.

    But physical addiction -No.

    This is really what it all comes down to. It’s a “behavioral addiction”. Change your attitude and behaviors, not the substances, to fight this “addiction”.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,995 Member
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    Or get counselling or pyschiatric help if neccesary.

    I am not saying gambling addictions, cutting addictions, eating disorders, are not real or in any way trying to trivialise their seriousness - - but they need different help to physical addictions.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    paperpudding wrote: »
    Or get counselling or pyschiatric help if neccesary.

    I am not saying gambling addictions, cutting addictions, eating disorders, are not real or in any way trying to trivialise their seriousness - - but they need different help to physical addictions.

    If addiction to cocaine may not a physical addiction then I expect my carb addiction was not a physical addiction based on this source below.

    https://americanaddictioncenters.org/cocaine-treatment/is-it-physically-addictive/

    Your physical addiction to carbs is not real. Cocaine addiction is real and gruesome.

    I will try to let you know how this subject shakes out since I just saw the question raised questioning if it is even possible to have a true physical addiction or not this week. Either way any kind of addiction can be very bad for all parties involved.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    paperpudding wrote: »
    Behavioural addiction - comparable to other harmful behavioural addictions like gambling addictions or compulsion to cut oneself - yes I can see that
    like most eating disorders, in fact.

    But physical addiction -No.

    Agreed.

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