Food Addiction...is it real?
angella_jacobs93
Posts: 54 Member
I have heard the term "food addiction" but I was not sure if it is a real thing or not. I know everyone struggles with cravings but what is the difference between that and a food addiction? How do you know? Is there specific steps for getting past it?
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Replies
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I am not an expert or anything but I am pretty sure that all human beings - and animals - are addicted to food.0
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More seriously now: an addiction is a mental health condition and as such, should be diagnosed by a health specialist.
And I think it's a bad idea to try to diagnose yourself, and even more so with the help of the Internet. The Internet, where being sad = being depressed, being tidy = suffering from STD, having the habit to eat when bored or when it's time to celebrate = being an emotional eater, etc.0 -
There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
IMO, the vast majority of people simply have bad habits and lack self control rather than actually having a compulsive disorder.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
And this.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
IMO, the vast majority of people simply have bad habits and lack self control rather than actually having a compulsive disorder.
+1 (well +2 considering @Isabelle_1929 's endorsement)0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
IMO, the vast majority of people simply have bad habits and lack self control rather than actually having a compulsive disorder.
What he said.0 -
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I'll just go ahead and leave this here - there is great information and discussion about the questions you have raised OP.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226257/food-addiction-a-different-perspective/p10 -
Craving something =/= Addiction...0 -
I'm craving a trip to the beach.
I must be addicted.
I should probably seek help.
Maybe a nice vacation would help. I'm thinking a beach trip.0 -
angella_jacobs93 wrote: »I have heard the term "food addiction" but I was not sure if it is a real thing or not. I know everyone struggles with cravings but what is the difference between that and a food addiction? How do you know? Is there specific steps for getting past it?
As in you are different from other humans? No, I do not think it is real.0 -
^^^ THIS.cwolfman13 wrote: »
Craving something =/= Addiction...
nosajjao, when I was pregnant, I craved Jay's potato chips and dark chocolate and cheese all together. So according to your "logic" I was addicted to it? NOT LIKELY.
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Totally! I feel like if I don't eat I might eventually die!0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
IMO, the vast majority of people simply have bad habits and lack self control rather than actually having a compulsive disorder.
These are exactly my feelings on the subject.
Just as people who are addicted to sex are held accountable for their actions (destroying marriages, spreading STDs) and people who are addicted to gambling are held accountable (destroying relationships, filing for bankruptcy, going into debt, losing their homes), people with compulsive eating disorders should also be held accountable for their own health, which starts with seeking help.0 -
No such thing as a food addiction. Lack of willpower isnt an addiction. If it was, then how many other terrible things that we just consider as bad or negative are a result of lack of willpower?0
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WinoGelato wrote: »I'll just go ahead and leave this here - there is great information and discussion about the questions you have raised OP.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226257/food-addiction-a-different-perspective/p1
This is great information. Read the first post and links.
Also, check out Isabel Foxen Duke, who has had some great things to say lately re food addiction.
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Isabelle_1929 wrote: »More seriously now: an addiction is a mental health condition and as such, should be diagnosed by a health specialist.
And I think it's a bad idea to try to diagnose yourself, and even more so with the help of the Internet. The Internet, where being sad = being depressed, being tidy = suffering from STD, having the habit to eat when bored or when it's time to celebrate = being an emotional eater, etc.
Um what? Do you mean OCD?0 -
Can wanting something we need to survive ever be called an addiction? I'd say it's more survival instinct. I've read numerous times it's human nature to overfeed when food is in abundance to prepare for times when it isn't. Only these days food is always available in abundance. So it could be argued weight gain is due to the availability of food going against our natural instinct and all food shops and outlets should be closed down for days at a time...0
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I think anyone who has experience of having a friend or family member anorexia might have a different view. Its obviously the other end of the scale but they don't choose to be anorexic but they are mentally ill, I believe that in some cases over eating for years can cause some form of mental health issue. That being said I wouldn't personally want it classed as an addiction, as far to many people who pick up on it and claim it the cause for their ill health when in fact they are simply overweight and do not care about their own well being. I definitely think there is something to it, just not enough to take action on like other addictions.0
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JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »I think anyone who has experience of having a friend or family member anorexia might have a different view. Its obviously the other end of the scale but they don't choose to be anorexic but they are mentally ill, I believe that in some cases over eating for years can cause some form of mental health issue. That being said I wouldn't personally want it classed as an addiction, as far to many people who pick up on it and claim it the cause for their ill health when in fact they are simply overweight and do not care about their own well being. I definitely think there is something to it, just not enough to take action on like other addictions.
I'm a mostly but not totally recovered (weight restored but still have body dysmorphia and a bad relationship with food) anorexic binge/ purge and I think "food addiction" is a behavioral addiction. Yes it's a mental illness but in all reality for me it really has nothing to do with food itself. It is more stuff I associate with food. I didn't binge because I was addicted to sugar or because I was craving. I binge in response to hunger and all or nothing, black or white thinking "oh I let myself eat this bad food so I might as well eat all the food as I will gain anyways". I have foods I must avoid just because I associate them with past binges. Also when I get emotional I am more likely to binge. Other than my trigger foods I can be around any foods and not binge at all if I am not restricting or am not in a bad place mentally.0 -
Compulsive eating is considered a disorder - you could call it a food addiction . There is much involved mentally. I have suffered from that throughout my life. Eating food ALL THE TIME -in the absence of hunger and binging on sugar filled foods to top it off..0
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Holly_Wood_888 wrote: »Compulsive eating is considered a disorder - you could call it a food addiction . There is much involved mentally. I have suffered from that throughout my life. Eating food ALL THE TIME -in the absence of hunger and binging on sugar filled foods to top it off..
Is it about the food or is it about something you are trying to self medicate with food?0 -
This is a real can of worms to open, particularly because it is difficult to agree on the exact definition of "addiction", and semantics. Personally, I think if you feel comfortable applying the term as you understand it to be to yourself or your behaviour, then fill your boots. But others may not agree and will label your behaviour something else. I can see both sides.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »There isn't a physical addiction, but I do believe people have compulsive eating disorders which would be a psychological addiction much like gambling or sex, etc. If you truly have a compulsive eating disorder, you should probably seek treatment...i.e. therapy, etc.
IMO, the vast majority of people simply have bad habits and lack self control rather than actually having a compulsive disorder.
True or false. You die if you don't eat?
Seriously though that's a good answer. Bad habits and perhaps the use of food as an emotional crutch. I don't know that you can call it an addiction if it's something you need to live.0 -
Yes compulsive eating is a disorder-in the DSM-V it's considered Binge Eating disorder, one of three eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, in a category specific to eating disorders, NOT an addiction. The compulsive nature of eating can be similar to the compulsive nature of abusing substances, but there is much more to an addiction than cravings and overdoing it.0
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singingflutelady wrote: »JoshuaMcAllister wrote: »I think anyone who has experience of having a friend or family member anorexia might have a different view. Its obviously the other end of the scale but they don't choose to be anorexic but they are mentally ill, I believe that in some cases over eating for years can cause some form of mental health issue. That being said I wouldn't personally want it classed as an addiction, as far to many people who pick up on it and claim it the cause for their ill health when in fact they are simply overweight and do not care about their own well being. I definitely think there is something to it, just not enough to take action on like other addictions.
I'm a mostly but not totally recovered (weight restored but still have body dysmorphia and a bad relationship with food) anorexic binge/ purge and I think "food addiction" is a behavioral addiction. Yes it's a mental illness but in all reality for me it really has nothing to do with food itself. It is more stuff I associate with food. I didn't binge because I was addicted to sugar or because I was craving. I binge in response to hunger and all or nothing, black or white thinking "oh I let myself eat this bad food so I might as well eat all the food as I will gain anyways". I have foods I must avoid just because I associate them with past binges. Also when I get emotional I am more likely to binge. Other than my trigger foods I can be around any foods and not binge at all if I am not restricting or am not in a bad place mentally.
Body dysmorphia is the worst thing ever (to me), how I feel about food directly relates to how I feel when I look in the mirror.
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A look at the number of obese people around me, and the number of people dying of obesity related diseases, and the fact that some people can have open heart surgeries and be told by their doctors that they need to stop eating crap but they still can't stop eating it, and the fact that diabetics have lost their legs but still keep eating crap, would say to me that food addiction is real. But I wouldn't actually call it food addiction, since the crap that we're addicted to and that's killing us isn't really food.
Sugar (what we would call table sugar), for example, is a white crystal substance that contain no nutritional value other than calories, and it actually leaches nutrients from the body in the same way that many other drugs do. It has a similar affect on the brain as other drugs, and there's an addictive quality to it. A number of studies have linked it to a number of diseases. Some people can use it in moderation, just as some people can drink alcohol in moderation, or have it only occasionally, and that's perfectly fine. But I still think of it as more of a drug than a food.0 -
htimpaired wrote: »Yes compulsive eating is a disorder-in the DSM-V it's considered Binge Eating disorder, one of three eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, in a category specific to eating disorders, NOT an addiction. The compulsive nature of eating can be similar to the compulsive nature of abusing substances, but there is much more to an addiction than cravings and overdoing it.
I would say it's more of a psychological behavior addiction like compulsive gambling or compulsive sex disorders vs comparing it to substance abuse...i.e. simply being addicted to the behavioral act itself and unable to stop regardless of negative consequences.0 -
Isabelle_1929 wrote: »More seriously now: an addiction is a mental health condition and as such, should be diagnosed by a health specialist.
And I think it's a bad idea to try to diagnose yourself, and even more so with the help of the Internet. The Internet, where being sad = being depressed, being tidy = suffering from STD, having the habit to eat when bored or when it's time to celebrate = being an emotional eater, etc.
Um what? Do you mean OCD?
LOL
Yes.
Brain fart.0 -
You have all been very helpful! Thanks a bunch!
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