Food Addiction - Is Food Your Drug?
Written by: Cassandra Wiley, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
When most people think of addiction, they think about drugs or sex. Food addiction affects more than 5 percent of the population. It affects women mostly, but it also affects men. The consequences can be fatal if you do not get help.
Food addiction does not start overnight; it happens over time. It may start during childhood, college, or after one gets married. Someone may have physically, verbally, or emotionally abused you. Events, like job loss or a divorce, may trigger food addiction.
The signs of food addiction are:
Binge eating. You eat frequently and in substantial amounts. You eat to the point that you feel sick.
Continuous weight gain. Most people start off being overweight and become morbidly obese. To feel satisfied, they eat copious amounts of food. As the situation worsens, the person may get to the point that they are immobile or bedridden. In this case, a caregiver helps them with their daily routines like bathing, dressing, cooking, and cleaning.
Eating when you are not hungry. Food addicts eat even when they are not hungry.
Your life revolves around food. The person is home all day to eat due to a life event, like a job loss. They order carryout, typically unhealthy food, or someone cooks for them. That person is an enabler if they are not promoting healthy eating habits.
Feeling guilty or ashamed about your eating habits. You may feel like you are in heaven when you eat that first slice of pizza. However, when you realize you have eaten the entire pie, you feel guilty and wonder how you ate that much.
6. Turning to food when you are stressed or anxious. When a stressful situation arises, like moving to a new place or the death of a loved one, you may tend to eat to deal with the situation. If one believes that they are a failure, eating may be a distraction to deal with that notion.
Psychological grooming. A person recalls finishing all the food on the plate. They received food as a reward or ate comfort foods at every meal (i.e., macaroni and cheese, biscuits, and gravy).
Reduced portion sizes and lifestyle changes are necessary for weight loss. Quick fixes do not exist. One may also benefit from talking to a mental health professional to find out the root cause for overeating. A morbidly obese person can have weight loss surgery; however, they must lose weight to have surgery. After surgery, they must continue to follow a healthy lifestyle to continue losing weight until they achieve their ideal weight. This takes challenging work and dedication. If the person does not take control of their life, their health and life can take a tragic turn for the worse.
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Cassandra Wiley, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Cassandra Wiley is a health coach and founder of Have Faith and Live Well with Chasadah LLC. She focuses primarily on chronic illnesses such as pre-diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity. Her mission is to empower individuals to lose weight and teach a new healthier approach to food to live better lives. She was successful in reversing her pre-diabetes and high cholesterol diagnoses naturally. The weight loss was an added benefit. She has helped clients change their diets and “have faith” in themselves to meet their health and wellness goals.
