I hear all the time that people want to turn to keto to try to break their food addiction. When people say addiction, they tend to think about alcohol or drugs, or even gambling. Is food addiction real? Overeaters Anonymous say yes. Others say it’s just an excuse to eat too much. In this series, we look at the controversial idea of food as an addiction. Next up is food addiction symptoms.
A Recap of Food Addiction
In the first article in this series, we looked at the question: is food addiction real? In continuing my research for the series, I found a website called Eating Disorder Hope. This site offers the idea of food addiction as another eating disorder – in the same category as anorexia and bulimia. It defines food addiction as eating foods that are desirable, usually those high in fat, sugar, and/or salt, that release chemical reactions in the brain. This chemical release induces feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. It leads to a constant obsession of what to eat, when to eat, and how to obtain that food.
Physical Food Addiction Symptoms
Now that we agree that food addiction can be a real thing, let’s look at how you might recognize you have a problem. Some of the physical symptoms include eating to the point of feeling sick and eating certain foods even when you’re not hungry. How many of us have eaten a good, healthy meal and then eaten past the point of being full to gorge on a chocolate bar or other tasty, sugary dessert?
When we suffer from a food addiction, we often don’t feel well. We might have low energy or chronic fatigue, which isn’t surprising because we often have difficulty sleeping or we sleep too much. We feel restless and have difficulty concentrating. It shouldn’t come as any big surprise that we have digestive issues and sometimes we suffer from chronic headaches.
Psychological Food Addiction Symptoms
These symptoms are how I knew I had a problem and needed to change my relationship with food. They include isolating ourselves. Maybe we eat in secret or avoid social interactions with others so we can eat certain foods by ourselves. We may go out of our way to get foods we are craving. We spend a big part of our budget on certain foods – even if we have perfectly good (but less sugary or salty) foods at home. It affects our budget, it makes us stressed, and it makes us irritable.
Physical Effects
Food addiction is no joke. It leads to obesity, and we know that obesity contributes to and complicates many other chronic diseases and conditions. Things like type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and heart disease. These conditions can be uncomfortable, lead to expensive medication and can even lead to death.
Emotional Effects
As someone who identifies as having struggled with food addiction, I can only say that it’s a devastating part of your life. There is a constant feeling of despair and hopelessness. People look at those who are obese as lazy and weak. Just put down the cookie and go to the gym, Wendy. It’s truly not that easy and if it was, we would all be in great shape and great health.
Food addiction offers a cycle of low self-esteem and anxiety. You get motivated to lose weight, and then your body and mind work against you and sabotage you. The more you fail, the more you sink into a depression and feeling that you can never change. For me, sugar was the food additive I craved. It did a number on my body, but more importantly, it did a number on my mind.
Food Addiction Symptoms Affect Your Life
Food addiction affects your relationships. You bond with others who binge on the sweet, fatty, or salty foods. You understand each other. But, at the same time, you isolate yourself because you don’t want anyone to know the true amount of the foods you are eating. There is a constant feeling of shame that goes with the addiction.
Food addiction affects your job and your finances. Not only do you spend money you don’t have on those certain foods, you also are irritable and have a hard time concentrating. These factors do not add up to a successful career. There was one time I remember counting change to try to scrounge up enough for a pizza. Not my finest moment.
Naturally, food addiction affects your health. You can’t take in that much trans fat, salt, and sugar without having negative effects. I knew it was just a matter of time before my doctor diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes. Did I change? Nope, I ate more of the stuff I knew I couldn’t have for much longer. Not a smart decision for someone who many consider a pretty smart person.
A Final Thought about Food Addiction Symptoms
The symptoms are negative and therefore this article is more negative. I don’t want people to throw their hands up in despair. There are ways to change, and I am living proof. I still struggle with cravings for things that are sweet – now it’s just sugar alcohols that I take in. It’s still not the healthiest thing, and I recognize that it’s part of my ongoing struggle with food addiction. But, overall, I am proud of the changes I’ve made. Our next article in this series will be about changing your relationship with food to a healthier life.
Wendy
