Food Addiction - Treatment, Symptoms and Causes

Food addiction is considered as the disorder in which the individual always possesses a certain sort of strong urge to eat more and more food which is rich in sugar, fat and salt. Such food items are termed as palatable foods. Consumption of palatable food leads to triggering of  a chemical called as dopamine which activates “feel-good” part of the human brain and thus, people suffering from this particular disorder keep on eating more food as they experience tremendous amount of pleasure while eating. People addicted to food  spend excessive time in eating as they  posses no control over their eating behaviour.

The possible causes because of which, one gets addicted to the eating of excessive food are stated below:

1) To handle stress

Some people, when feeling stressed, indulge themselves into eating related activities like munching junk foods as it somewhere releases the stress level and so, help them to tackle with it but gradually, this becomes a necessity and ultimately, an addiction.

2) Genetic-problems

Some people have this problem of food addiction due to some genetic problems and thus, they are unable to limit themselves while eating the food and intake edible products in the wrong proportions.

3)  Depression

When an individual is in depression and have an upset state of mind, then in that case, all the abilities to respond and to take the right decision gets damaged and so, one gets involved in overeating and gets addicted to food.

The symptoms which become evident and help us in identifying whether a person is a victim of food addiction are explained below:

1) Eating the food more than the proportionate value once you start eating any particular sort of food.

2) One of the major symptoms is that an individual eats even if his stomach is full or even no longer hungry.

3) One keeps on eating more and more until he starts feeling odd or ill.

4) If one don’t find a certain sort of food, one wants to eat, then the individual starts behaving in a different manner and tries his level best to obtain it at any cost.

5) One start gaining a lot of weight and becomes a victim of other disorders like obesity, overweight etc.

6) One keeps on worrying about his improper body shape and feels restless.

7) One gets physically weak and so, is unable to give his best in physical work demanding tasks and activities.

It is now crystal clear that such sort of addiction is very dangerous and tremendously harmful for an individual and so, it needs to be treated as soon as possible. Some of the effective treatment techniques are mentioned below-

1) Cognitive behavioural therapy

It is one of the most effective treatment techniques as it deals with the behaviour and psychology of the victim and accordingly, activities are designed to get fruitful results and cure.

2) Divert your mind

Try to divert your mind from food and related stuff by talking with your friends, spending time with your family or by getting involved in other recreational activities. Gradually, with time you will find positive results.

3) Consult a dietician

One can consult a good dietician to plan a proper diet for the victim. With proper implementation and by following diet plan in exact manner, one can overcome his problem of food addiction.

Prevention is always better than cure or treatment and below are mentioned certain preventive measures to avoid food addiction:

1) Avoid other activities while eating food

One should avoid using mobile phone and should not watch television during the span of time when one intakes his food as it diverts one’s mind and one doesn’t get the exact idea about his diet and thus somewhat it leads to overeating and food addiction.

2)  Go for a healthy alternative

If one feel constant urge to eat more and more than instead of junk foods, one should choose and go for some healthy alternatives like fruits, juices, salads etc. as by doing so one won’t have adverse affects on his bodies.

3) Eat a bigger breakfast

Don’t avoid your breakfast, rather make it more nutritious and bigger as it will keep your stomach full around the afternoon until the time of your lunch and thus it will play a major role in the prevention of food addiction.

When one goes through a certain treatment or start avoiding the intake of more than enough amount of food, then withdrawal symptoms may arise and one may experience anxiety attacks, agitation, restlessness, irritation, upset stomach, vomiting etc. These are all withdrawal symptoms are most common ones and it is possible that one can experience other withdrawal symptoms too as per their body shape and psychology.