Overcoming Food Addiction

The fact is junk food stimulates the reward system in the brain in the same way as addictive drugs, such as cocaine. For susceptible people, eating junk food can lead to full-blown addiction, which shares the same biological basis as drug addiction ( 1 ).

Consuming “highly palatable” foods, or foods that are high in carbohydrates, fat, salt, sugar, or artificial sweeteners, triggers the pleasure centers of the brain and releases “feel-good” chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin.

1. Do not go on a “diet”.
2. Completely cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet.
3. Make a plan for what you will eat.
4. Eat three meals a day.
5. Identify feelings, places, and foods that will trigger relapse.
6. Get support.

To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:

1. Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are.
2. Tame your stress.
3. Have a hunger reality check.
4. Get support.
5. Fight boredom.
6. Take away temptation.
7. Don’t deprive yourself.
8. Snack healthy.

But if you regularly overeat while feeling out of control and powerless to stop, you may be suffering from binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder where you frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling powerless to stop and extremely distressed during or after eating.

Some people who overeat have a clinical disorder called binge eating disorder (BED). People with BED compulsively eat large amounts of food in a short amount of time and feel guilt or shame afterward. And they do so often: at least once a week over a period of at least 3 months. Not everyone who overeats is a binger.

Here are 11 simple ways to prevent or stop unhealthy food and sugar cravings.

1. Drink Water. Thirst is often confused with hunger or food cravings.
2. Eat More Protein.
3. Distance Yourself From the Craving.
4. Plan Your Meals.
5. Avoid Getting Extremely Hungry.
6. Fight Stress.
7. Take Spinach Extract.
8. Get Enough Sleep.

When you don’t get enough rest, your levels of ghrelin (a hormone that makes you want to eat) go up. Meanwhile, your levels of leptin (a hormone that decreases hunger and the desire to eat) go down. These two hormones control feelings of hunger. The result: You feel hungry even if your body doesn’t need food.