Carboholicism

Just my opinion, but I think many eating disorders are similar to addictions, sure, in that one has a lack of control, engages in behaviors to one's detriment, and may eat as a dysfunctional coping mechanism, sure. That's not limited to one particular type of food -- I think it's more of an eating "addiction," in reality, that may tend to preference foods one likes best or finds comforting. Often, but not always, people may find that their habits focus on so-called hyperpalatable foods, but part of that is often that those are foods that tend to be available between meals, what one has historically used to self-comfort, or immediately available.

Carbs, of course, are often demonized when in fact carrots are carbs, peaches and blueberries are carbs, barley and quinoa and sweet potatoes are carbs, cottage cheese and yogurt are partially carbs, etc. Very often the so-called hyperpalatable foods/dessert foods have as as much fat as carbs and many foods that some will put in the carbs bucket (fast food, pizza) have all three macros. I don't think there's such a thing as a carb (generally) addiction.

I would NOT compare my food issues (although I think there are some parallels to the issues with alcohol I've dealt with) with somebody's alcohol or drug issues, no, but then I also wouldn't compare my personal alcohol issues/various family members' issues with someone else's alcohol/drug issues (although one-to-one or in an appropriate group you may find a lot of common ground in discussing issues) or, say, the issues someone on my 600 lb life has with food (and for the super morbidly obese I do think the way they talk about food and what they've thrown away for food is more comparable), because we are all different. What I find annoying -- if done seriously -- is for people to compare eating something delicious and having trouble stopping or having a weakness for especially delicious sweets to an addiction. I also think that in the current food environment it's quite easy to become obese and have some food control issues based on one's food environment and habits and learned tastes without it being addiction-like at all.

I don't think a physical addiction to a type of food is a real thing. I don't believe people who say they are addicted to carbs, sugar, chocolate, whatever. You're not...you just like them a lot.

However, an eating disorder can be a type of "addiction", when we are talking about obsessive or compulsive behavior. In that case, it's the act of eating that is the addiction. The type of food would not be the driving force.

In the stereotypical case of a person with OCD who can't stop washing their hands...they are not addicted to soap, they are "addicted" to the behavior of washing their hands.

Do you get the same reaction to apples, cauliflower, pasta or straight sugar?
Is there a carb that you dislike the taste or texture of but would still binge on despite not enjoying eating that food?

Or alternatively is it certain foods rather than a whole macronutrient that triggers you?

No I don't think food addiction to a macronutrient is real but eating disorders, disordered eating, harmful behavioural issues around food and self-control issues certainly are.
I'm not convinced labelling the behaviour(s) as an addiction actually helps the person overcome or simply manage those issues, to me that's excusing a person from taking control and making different choices.

mariomicro wrote: »

Carbohydrates (and sugars in particular) are converted into blood glucose almost immediately (as opposed to fats). That gives an instant gratification, which is the common pattern of all addictions.

That is not to say that only carbs can cause addiction. There are many other factors involved. I am addicted to coffee (even decaf coffee) and I haven't managed a way to get rid of it.

Yet we see people struggle with foods like chips and donuts way more than we see people struggle with foods like apples or cauliflower or even jam straight from the jar. Not that nobody anywhere struggles with the foods in the latter group, but the majority of the time when people say they're addicted to "carbs," it's pretty predictable what foods they go on to discuss. A big portion of the time, they're discussing foods that include good doses of fat.

There probably are people squirting agave nectar right into their mouths because it's a big world and you can find people doing just about anything. But we don't see it nearly in the quantities we'd see if carbohydrate addiction was just a function of how quickly something was converted into blood glucose.