How To Break a Junk Food Addiction

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Technically speaking any food that has very low nutritional value is called junk food. Generally only snack food is considered junk, but strictly speaking even colas, fried foods and processed food come under the category of junk food.

What is food addiction

There are a number of people who disagree with the term food addiction. The word addiction refers to doing something because you are incapable of stopping like with drugs and other substances. Many people feel that this is not the right definition, but that people who crave food should be referred to as having eating disorders.

Whatever be the definition the bottom line is the same. Anyone who eats even though they are not hungry, or who indulge in compulsive eating, or to satisfy some craving, or because they feel bad about something are food addicts.

Food addiction is a vicious circle because of the way it works. When we eat junk food, we get a high. Unfortunately this high wears off very quickly and so we tend to eat some more to get back up.

As time goes on, our system will tend to get accustomed to the food and will not respond as well and so we will need ever sweeter food to satisfy us. There’s no getting out of it.

Why do I feel this way

Many people have compared food addiction to other kinds of addictions and feel that the best way to treat it is the same way as you would go about treating other kinds of addiction.

The first thing to remember is that the craving we get is because of the nature of the food we eat. Generally most food that is classified as junk food is high in fat, salt or sugar. This is because all three of these have very similar responses in the body.

Fat, salt and sugar trigger those centers in the brain that are associated with reward. It also triggers the body into releasing Dopamine which is the body’s own natural “Feel good” chemical.

While there is nothing wrong with this, in fact these responses were essential for survival when we were still hunter gatherers, the problem comes in nowadays because we have no shortage of all of them.

Also people tend to eat sweet or fatty stuff when they feel bad because it helps them feel better. This is because the dopamine that is released when we eat sweets will make us feel better. Unfortunately most processed food do not have any fiber in them which means that they are very quickly digested. This will bring down the high very quickly making us eat some more.

Is there an easy way to stop feeling this way

No, there is no easy way out. Most food addicts know the dangers of overeating, but still continue to eat. In certain studies people who have been on a high fat, high sugar diet started showing withdrawal symptoms like headaches and nausea when their diet was changed to a more nutritious one.

It is because of this that many researchers consider certain types of food to be addictive. In fact in studies conducted on rats, when rats were fed a high sugar diet, they starved for 2 weeks rather than eat normal food when their diet was changed. People too exhibit very similar reactions.

The cause effect relationship, the reward function, and the feel good euphoria are all so deeply ingrained in us that it is very difficult to break the cycle unless we consciously want to.

How do I break food addiction 

The first thing is to make sure you realize that you have a problem and accept it. Only with acceptance will come the resolve to do something about it.

1. The first step is to start reducing the amount of sugar in the food slowly. This is because our taste buds will have gotten so used to high sugar that what is normal quantities of sugar for others will be tasteless for us. If you stick it out, your taste buds which had become desensitized, will regain sensitivity. You can then reduce the sugar intake some more.
2. You cannot obviously stop eating, but instead of cutting down entirely on fast food, choose different options. For example if you like ice-cream, stock up on sugar free yoghurt instead. When the craving hits you, there’s nothing else for you to eat and so you’ll eat this.
3. If there is nothing to eat you may be prompted to go out and buy some, which is why it is important to keep healthy alternatives stocked.
4. If you like chocolates, don’t get the usual ones. Go for the dark chocolates that is 80% coco. Not only is coco very good for you, but coco itself will give you a dopamine high without any sugar. And coco is a much more healthy alternative to sugary sweets.
5. If you like eating fried food or processed food, get healthy alternatives and keep it stocked in your refrigerator. Don’t go for salads, it’ll definitely not work, but you can go with fresh or lean meat. As long as you roast it, you can eat any meat without any problem.
6. Identify those foods that you have a weakness for and don’t try to fight it. Just avoid it. If you like ice-cream, don’t walk past an ice cream parlor. You have a better chance of sticking to your resolutions this way.
7. Sleep for 8 hrs a day. This is the time when the body stocks up on depleted enzymes like dopamine. So if you don’t sleep well, your body tends to crave sweets so that it can get the dopamine elsewhere.
8. If you feel bad about anything, close your eyes and take deep breaths. Don’t inflate your belly, rather inflate your chest. If you do this you will be flooding your body with oxygen and improving blood flow which can lower stress dramatically.
9. Lastly don’t feel guilty. This is the worst thing you can do. Mostly people feel bad, eat something sweet which causes insulin to be released into the blood. This high insulin levels in the blood will trigger the release of dopamine which will make you feel good. Unfortunately sugar is digested very quickly and you lose this high and so you eat some more.

The very fact that you accept yourself and don’t feel guilty will not make you feel bad in the first place lessening your craving.

Jenny Allan is the webmaster at NutritionUncovered.com where she provides practical nutrition and supplement tips and advice. If you enjoyed this article you can get FREE updates by RSS.