Eating addiction
Eating addiction is a very serious problem and one of the main reasons some people just can’t control themselves around certain foods, no matter how hard they try. Eating addiction is quite simply, being addicted to junk food in the same way as drug addicts are addicted to drugs.
The most common types of eating addictions are:
- Binge eating – binge eaters will gorge themselves on large amounts of food such as sweets, salty foods or carbohydrates.
- Anorexia – anorexic individuals will typically limit their food intake in an effort to stay thin no matter what the cost.
- Bulimia – bulimic individuals will eat as much as they want to eat but they will later take extreme measures to prevent from gaining weight as a result of their uncontrolled eating.
Signs of eating Addiction
- End up eating more than planned when you start eating certain foods
- Keep eating certain foods even if you’re no longer hungry
- When you eat a food you were craving, you sometimes eat to the point of feeling excessively “stuffed.”
- Worry about not eating certain types of foods or worry about cutting down on certain types of foods
- When certain foods aren’t available, go out of your way to obtain them
- You often hide your consumption of unhealthy foods from others.
- You feel unable to control your consumption of unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they are causing you physical harm
- Spending a great deal of time alone / social isolation
- Feeling depressed or sad about your weight or self-image
A nutritionist, psychologist, or doctor who is educated about food addiction may be able to help you break the cycle of compulsive eating. There are also a growing number of programs that help people who are addicted to food
