Are You Addicted to Food?
Addicted to Food?
People have misconceptions about the words, “addiction” and “addict.” They may think of an addict as a person who uses a needle to shoot himself up with drugs or a drunk on the street. They may also think that addiction can only refer to alcohol and drugs, but certainly not to food.
I remember when I first told my husband that I was addicted to food. He couldn’t believe it. Somehow, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that someone could be addicted to food, and of course, not me, his wife! I told him “Yes, I am.” He said, “You have to eat. How can you be addicted to food?”
My husband’s response was actually typical. People, especially, “normal” eaters just don’t think of food as being addictive. They figure that if they can stop eating, everyone else can too. “It’s all about willpower!” they say. Yea, right. Well, not for me. It’s not about willpower, it’s about realizing that I have no power over my cravings and desire for certain foods.
At that time, I wasn’t able to convince him that I was a food addict. However, as time went on, I became better at articulating how I used food. I used it as a stress reliever, as my comforter, for entertainment, when I was bored, sleepy, or just because.
When I ate certain foods, like cake, cookies, muffins, chips, ice cream, french fries, pizza, chocolate candy (I’m sure you get the picture), I always wanted more. These types of foods would make me happy! I enjoyed eating them and my body showed it; which was the reason why I was always on and off diets.
Addiction Quiz
If you want to know if you are addicted to food, answer the following questions as truthfully as you can:
- Are you always going on diets?
- Do you continually think about what you’re going to eat?
- Do you obsess over your weight?
- Do you eat in secret?
- When events are coming up, do you go on crash diets?
- Do you hang skinny jeans in front of your closet to help you stay on a diet?
- Do you often eat when you are not hungry?
- Do you get upset if you don’t get the food you want?
- Do you continually exercise to work off something you’ve eaten?
- Do you eat/snack continually throughout the day?
If you answered yes to most of the above questions, you may be a food addict. I know the term may scare you or sound a bit harsh, but it doesn’t matter what the term is, the truth is still the truth. Stand in it and take the next right action. I did,and I want to encourage you to do the same. That is my prayer for you.
The American Psychological Association published a research article on food addiction. The article explained how a research team compared the brain’s response in a food addict versus how it responds in a person addicted to alcohol. The research team also developed an addiction scale that was used as a tool to determine whether a person is addicted to food. Click here to take their test.
To read the full article, click: Fighting Food Addiction.
Cynthia
