Is food addiction a real thing or is it just an excuse to overeat?

Is food addiction a real thing or is it just an excuse to overeat? 

Ever wondered why you rarely crave green vegetables, oats or green tea but can’t get enough of junk food? If you have a mother like mine who was not exposed to junk food growing up she will tell you that it is a matter of will power and she is right. But there is another factor to consider. If your addiction to junk food is past will power, maybe understanding how your brain reacts to junk food will help.

The human brain has a neurotransmitter (Substance in the body that caries messages from one nerve to another) called dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. When we do anything vital for survival for example flee from danger or eat,  the brain releases dopamine as a reward which in turn makes us feel good and repeat that particular action that brought about that good feeling. It is the way the brain motivates us to survive.

As we have said, food is one of the things that trigger dopamine release. Junk food makes the brain release more dopamine than healthy food by far. This means that the brain’s reward center rewards you more when you take junk food than it does when you take healthy foods. Translation, your brain will make you seek more junk food. Like with all other addictions, you can develop tolerance. This means that you will have to keep increasing the amount of junk food you eat each time to get the good feeling. 

What is in junk food that makes it so hard for us to say no to it? Junk food companies are in business and their number one priority is to make money. To do so, they have to make sure that you keep eating their food and that you keep buying it even when you know that it is bad for you. They have laboratories to make sure that the experience you get when you taste a particular junk product, for example potato crisps/chips, is so unforgettable you just can’t get enough. Food processors find the perfect balance with sugar, salt and oil and they don’t just come up with the proportions in a board meeting. They put so much research into it that when you put their food products in your mouth, your brain goes crazy and the reward is so much you just want more and more.

Some of the qualities processed foods have that make you more hooked include; making a food product with contrasting properties eg a hard chocolate that is melted in the middle or candy in ice cream, adding ingredients that make you salivate just by hearing them being mentioned eg butter, making food that just melts in your mouth which tricks your brain into thinking that you are not eating as much as you really are, adding artificial flavor enhancers that make you eat more without feeling full and more.

So, is there hope for anyone who is trying to break up with junk food? Like all addictions, junk food addiction can be overcome as well. Habits can be learned and they can also be unlearned. Bad news is it is not easy. After eating so much junk food, healthy food tastes blunt and that might be discouraging but difficult isn't impossible. If you are a full blown junk food addict, you will have to cut it off your life completely just like an alcoholic would have to stay away from alcohol forever.

For those who are not too deep in here are some of the ways to turn your lifestyle around;

Replace processed foods with whole foods. Sometimes we buy processed foods thought to be healthy but they could have ingredients and flavor additives that could be addictive. The best option would be to prepare your food from scratch. That way you know exactly what is in your food. When adding spices and flavorings, make sure that you use natural ones or spices whose ingredients you are sure of.

Make healthy food interesting and tasty. Google fun and healthy recipes or buy recipe books with healthy foods. Remember to make your food tasty and good looking.

Eat the right kind of carbohydrates. When making food choices, make sure that you get whole foods which means food with fiber. Processed foods are high in simple sugars which is not good for you. For example, instead of getting your carbohydrates from white bread and cakes, choose whole wheat bread/brown bread, oats, whole fruits etc.

Know what your triggers are. If seeing junk food makes you want to eat it, get all of it out of your house and replace it with healthy foods. For those who eat while stressed, resolve your issues in a healthy way and if walking by an ice cream parlor makes you crave it, change your route.

Discover new places. If you eat out a lot, find places that serve healthy foods.  

Have a positive attitude. Believe that you can and you will.