Are you a food addict? Find out with these symptoms

Food addiction can lead to serious health ailments like diabetes, obesity, etc. Find out if you are prone to it.

By: Dr Neha Sanwalka | | Published: January 28, 2014 5:23 pm

Are you one of those who can never refuse food? Do you crave food most of the time or overeat even when not hungry? Do you have food thoughts very often? Don’t classify yourself a foodie, you could indeed be a food addict. Also Read - What happens to your body when you eat a heavy dinner?

Recently, it was discovered that people who have an impulsive behaviour are more prone to have food addiction – a compulsive pattern of eating that is similar to drug addiction – and may lead to obesity. Though people have heard about drug and alcohol addiction, not many are aware of an addiction of food. Dr Neha Sanwalka who holds a PhD in Health Sciences, tells us more about this condition called food addiction. Also Read - Weight loss: Healthy alternatives for times when unhealthy food cravings strike

What is food addiction? Also Read - 5 drinks to boost digestion after weekend overeating

Food addiction is a biochemical condition similar to drug or alcohol addiction which creates a psychological craving for specific foods, i.e. a person loses control over what and the amount of food he/she eats. There is an uncontrollable craving for eating a particular food and typically involves junk foods which are high in salt, sugar or fats. Food addiction was first recognised in early 1990s.

Like addictive drugs, food triggers feel-good chemicals (such as dopamine) in food addicts. The person feels the need to eat the food he is addicted to, quickly. The reward signals or the feel-good factor may override the signals of satiety and a person may end up eating food even when he is full or not hungry, resulting in over-eating.

Symptoms of food addiction

Food addiction affects an individual physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially. The mere thought of food, availability of food or actually eating food gives them immense pleasure. Some symptoms which can be seen in food addicts are:

Marked increase in the amounts of food consumed over time.
Intentional overeating over a long period of time even when not hungry.
Preoccupation with food and spending a lot of time/activity to purchase food or obtain food.
Persistent attempts at cutting down consumption of food that he/she is addicted to.
Eating when upset or depressed.
If food is not available, they show physiological or psychological withdrawal symptoms similar to those seen in alcohol or tobacco withdrawal.
Avoiding social, recreational and professional gatherings in order to avoid foods being served at these gatherings.
Consumption of large amounts of food, even after knowing that it’s not good for health.

How to identify if one is suffering from food addiction? (Diagnosis):

Early diagnosis of food addiction can help one in quick recovery. Dr Ashley Gearhardt and team from Yale University have developed a scale which could be used to identify if a person is addicted to food. You can find this scale on this link.

A person can also maintain a food diary to maintain log of the food he/she eats, why he eats them, how he felt before he ate the food and how he felt after he ate the food along with the amount consumed. This food diary should then be reviewed after a period of 2-3 weeks to look for eating patterns, i.e. if the person is eating when sad, depressed, happy or bored.

How risky is food addiction?

Like alcohol or any other drug addiction, food addiction has side-effects and can be quite risky. It can cause health problems like:

Obesity: Most food addicts lose control over the amount of food consumed and tend to consume much more food than required by their body. Excess consumption over a long period of time can put a food addict at risk for developing obesity.

Lifestyle disorders: Most individuals are addicted to highly processed foods which are high in salt, sugar or fats. Excessive consumption increases a risk for developing lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.

Social implications: A food addict is always preoccupied with food. His disinterest in social gatherings, professional work and family can lead to severe social implications such as being distanced from the family, losing friends or losing their job.

How to treat food addiction?

A therapist/counsellor, nutritionist and family members can help a food addict recover. Food addiction treatment involves multiple steps:

Elimination of food: One needs to eliminate feel-good foods slowly from the diet over a period of time. For example, if a person is addicted to fast foods and is consuming it every day, he should reduce it to five days a week to start with, then limit it to three days a week, then one day a week and eventually not consuming it even once a week.

Increasing good food intake: A trained nutritionist could help a food addict understand basics of a good and balanced diet and enable him to eliminate all the feel-good foods from his diet and increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and other healthy and nutritious foods.

Ways to cope cravings: A food addict needs to find ways to cope with cravings for food when feeling bored, lonely or upset. Some of the strategies could be to indulge in a hobby, calling or meeting friends and family, taking a dog for a walk, getting more involved in your work.

Meditation or exercise: Meditation, yoga or other forms of exercise to take one’s mind off food can also be a good strategy to overcome food addiction. One can also start playing a competitive game to get over food addiction.

Food addiction thus like other forms of addiction is quite real and if one suffers from it, they should seek help at the earliest.

Dr Neha Sanwalka has a PhD in Health Sciences and has completed her BSc, MSc Dietetics. She is the recipient of INSPIRE Fellowship from the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and a certified diabetes counsellor. She is also the director of a start-up, NutriCanvas which provides diet and statistical consultations and conducts various nutrition workshops. She specialises in neonatal, paediatric nutrition and endocrine nutrition, bone health & SPSS (statistical software). She is also amember of the editorial and advisory board of Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal. She teaches various subjects at colleges to Masters and PhD students.

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Published : January 28, 2014 5:23 pm

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