10 Common Signs That Show You Are Suffering From Food Addiction

Addiction!

– Tell us the first thing that comes to your mind.

When we hear about addiction, we think of alcohol, illegal drugs, and prescribed drugs. Well, that’s what conventional addictions are related to.

However, the idea that a person can get addicted to food has recently gained popularity. Food addiction comes from the brain’s imagination. The brain stimulates the pleasure receptor and activates the reward center.

Experiments in animals and humans show that the same reward center and pleasure receptors can be triggered with food, as in the case of addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Like addictive drugs, highly palatable food triggers brain chemicals to release dopamine. Once people experience the pleasure associated with dopamine, they want to eat again to experience the same.

Food addiction is fairly a new concept. Hence, only a few people are aware of it. This is why we are here. Today, we will discuss food addiction and share a few signs that will help you find people suffering from food addiction.

What Is Food Addiction?

Food addiction is a fairly new concept among people. Hence, it is really difficult to define it particularly. However, there are three positions that will completely define the current debate around food addiction.

• The addictive potential of certain food certainly qualifies for food addiction—for instance, carbohydrates and fat.
• Researchers are yet to find a specific substance that triggers food addiction. That means eating addiction might be more of a behavioral trait than related to addiction.
• The two points mentioned above do not hold any scientific weight. That means diagnosing food addiction would not be clinically helpful.

Despite not having any formal treatment program, there are experts who still call overeating food addiction. Get more information about food addiction via Ocean Recovery.

What Are The Causes Of Food Addiction?

People might experience food cravings from out of nowhere. This craving can be related to smelling, seeing, and hearing about the food. If you feel hungry just by watching advertisement boards on the side of the roads, you might be suffering from food addiction.

Food addiction is similar to drug addiction as it affects your brain in the similar way a drug does. It stimulates your brain to release dopamine which gives the sense of pleasure.

Here are a few possible causes that make one addicted to food.

Stress

When feeling stressed, people look for things that they can do to reduce the stress. For some people eating reduces their stress. Gradually, eating to reduce stress became a necessity and an addiction.

Depression

When someone is depressed, their ability to make sane decisions is hampered. So, one gets involved in overeating and gets addicted to food.

Genetics

Some people have genetic issues; thus, they cannot restrict themselves from eating food in the wrong proportion.

Food Addiction Signs

With food being a daily requirement for well-being, it is really hard to equate food with addiction. When it comes down to assigning an official diagnosis for food addiction, the medical and scientific jury is still out.

Despite the government helping people realize the consequences of compulsive eating, the obesity rate is rising worldwide.

Food addiction signs are pretty much similar to that of addictive drugs because of the same effect both bring to the brain.

Here are the signs that raise flags for the person being food addicted.

Favorite Foods

Foods high in sugar and fat have always affected the brain. If your favorite food is something sweet and fatty, and you cannot just have enough out, you might be suffering from food addiction.

Improved Moods

Those who go from being irritable, exhausted, and stressed out to energetic and lively after eating their favorite pastry for a snack, might be exhibiting signs of food addiction.

Isolative Behavior

Isolative behaviors can be related to food addiction. People often intensively miss out on social gatherings to hide their out-of-control appetite. If you can relate to things, you might be suffering from food addiction.

Unable To Reduce Food Intakes

If you have tried your best to cut back on certain food to live a healthy life but could not do it, you might be suffering from food addiction. People suffering from drug addiction often go through the same struggle.

Impaired Ability To Function

After eating so many things, your body is put to work to digest them. Unfortunately, this makes your body feel sluggish and makes it harder to complete your work at home, school, or office.

Eating Without Any Reason

We all know eating cannot be done without any reason. So, when a person is eating without any reason, that’s a sign that they are suffering from food addiction.

Eating While Experiencing Emotional Changes

When a person goes through an emotional roller coaster ride, they tend to isolate themselves from the social world and start spending time alone. But, in the case of a person suffering from food addiction, they engage themselves in binge eating.

Eating Increases Over The Time

People who eat to feel better. They will start eating more and more just to experience the same HIGH effect. You will notice that their eating portion and frequency have increased in the last couple of weeks.

Unable To Control Portion Size

A person suffering from food addiction will lose control over the portion size. They will always order the largest portion size available, and even after they are full, they keep on eating.

Continue Eating Despite Negative Consequences

This might be clear as day. People suffering from food addiction continue eating even after knowing that it is affecting their bodies. They know that compulsive eating only adds unnecessary weight to their body, but they simply ignore that.

See A Doctor!

Eating is not an activity that needs professional guidance. However, if you feel that your eating is out of control and you are eating even when you are not hungry, that might be a signal to seek professional help to overcome your food addiction.

A doctor will be able to help you find the root cause of compulsive eating behavior and suggest relevant treatment methods.