Food Addiction?

Food addiction is a highly controversial topic.

Can you really be addicted to a specific food??
🤔🍰🍪🍫

🥨 Yes, food can FEEL addictive for many people.

It’s easy to believe food can be addictive because it actually can activate our ‘feel-good’ brain receptors…

🎵🐶🚲🌞 But so can many other pleasant things in life like:

Music, massage, exercise, being out in the sunlight and fresh air, looking at your dog or planning a fun weekend.

🤗 Food is actually supposed to make us feel good!

So why can it feel like an addiction?

➡️ Restriction and/or not allowing yourself to get pleasure from food. (aka Dieting!) 😵‍💫

Inadequate intake of carbohydrates, protein or fats can leave you with seriously intense food cravings.

Addictive behaviors like binges occur as a result of deprivation.

How to overcome these feelings of addiction?

🍴 Stay nourished. This means ensuring you are eating ADEQUATE calories, a VARIETY of calories and a BALANCE of calories. Have a registered dietitian review your diet. You may need to establish a new routine of eating and/or change the types of foods you’re eating.

🫤 Stop telling yourself you’re an addict. You’re only reinforcing your behavior when you take on a victim mentality. Instead, get curious. See yourself as someone who is learning how to eat in a healthier way. Look for the message and opportunity for change that’s behind your unwanted eating habits.

😍 Normalize instead of moralize. Normalize the food you feel addicted to. Fit that food right into your day of balanced eating. See that food as neutral and not ‘bad’. Allow it! Give yourself permission to get enjoyment from it. It may mean incorporating those chips into a balanced lunch or having that cookie as dessert after a balanced dinner. Work towards seeing the addictive food as just another food choice in your diet.

You CAN learn how to eat and enjoy the foods you feel addicted to in a way that you feel good about! 💞