Food addiction is real. Yes, it is possible to be addicted to your favorite ‘treat’. When people stop eating certain foods they start having withdrawal symptoms similar to drug addiction. A study examined the withdrawal symptoms that people have when they stop eating certain foods. The study examined 231 adults and found that they experienced sadness, tiredness, and cravings in the first week of quitting junk food. This is similar to how drug addiction works. Food addiction may not as detrimental as drug addiction. However, it will stop many people from losing weight and living healthy.
Junk Food Addiction?
Processed foods and junk foods are normally high in four things: sugar, salt, fat, and caffeine. These components, especially sugar, generates dopamine. Dopamine delivers messages to the reward center of the brain. This signals the brain to repeat the behavior. The pleasure we get when dopamine is released makes us consume more processed foods. Dopamine makes us eat more sugar so that we get a pleasurable feeling. Inhaling a pack of potato chips or a slap of chocolate is possible because of the dopamine rush that comes from junk food.
The Top 10 Most Addictive Foods.
The University of Michigan did a research to find out what were the most additive foods or foods that had the most addictive qualities. The study proposed the highly processed foods have pharmacokinetic properties such as drugs. Pharmacokinetics is the movement of drug into, through, and out of the body. The same way people can have a drug addiction can also have a food addiction. Processed foods have unhealthy fats, added sugar and sodium are highly addictive.
The most addictive foods:
- Pizza
- Chocolate
- Chips
- Cookie
- Ice Cream
- French Fries
- Cheeseburger
- Soda
- Cake
- Cheese.
These foods share four common traits. Firstly, all of them are highly processed except for cheese. Secondly, many of these foods contain high amounts of added or processed sugar. Thirdly, some contain refined fats and sugar. Finally, a few contain high levels of sodium. The normal culprits make another appearance.
The least addictive foods are:
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Beans
- Apples
- Brown Rice
- Broccoli
- Bananas
- Salmon
- Corn
- Strawberries.
This is list is vastly different. The first thing you realize is that most of these foods are unprocessed except for brown rice. All of these foods have healthy macronutrients such as protein (broccoli), carbs (cucumber), or fats (salmon). One thing that is interesting from this study is that healthy and unprocessed is not additive. When we eat nutritionally dense foods we curb food addiction and also get fuller for longer.
How To Overcome Food Addiction?
If you feel like your food addiction is out of control, get professional help. Many people could overcome food addiction with a couple of lifestyle changes. Making clean eating and exercise a habit will go a long way to overcome food addiction.
Replacement.
You can try to replace certain food items. If you are addicted to processed sugar, you can try replacing it with natural sweeteners such as stevia. Swoop out potato chips for lentil chips or homemade popcorn in moderation.
Cutting Out.
At times you may need to cut some processed foods until you are weaned off them. As an example, I went 90 days without processed sugar and foods. This helped me to lose weight and build healthy habits. The biggest thing that happened to me is breaking my sugar addiction. Having some food items even in a small quantity may make relapse on your food addiction.
Take It Slow.
Many people may not be able to go cold turkey when it comes to food addiction. Take it slow. If you used to have 3 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee. Decrease to two for a while and then try one. After a month or two, try no sugar at all. If you used to have pizza every weekend, cut down to twice a month and then once a month. Soon you will be able to make it occasionally.
Eat Healthily.
One of the best ways to overcome processed food addiction is to make a habit of eating healthy and unprocessed fats, protein, and carbs. As you saw on both of the lists. It is very hard to get addicted to healthy foods. However, the most addictive foods are junk or unprocessed foods. The more you add healthy foods to your diet, the more fuller and satiety you will feel. Nutrient-dense foods (foods low in sugar, sodium, starches, and bad fats) contain vitamins, minerals, and few calories.
Food addiction is a major problem in the Westen world. People eat because of emotions or as a force of habit. Our diet is filled with junk and processed foods for convenience. The combination of habitually stress eating and junk food which has plenty of calories and fewer nutrients makes it easier for us to addicted to food. The first step is to release that food addiction may be a problem in your life. Once you start being deliberate with your healthy, you will overcome food addiction.