Am I a Food Addict?

Some of us have more will power than others when it comes to food.  After recently passing by Magnolia bakery and eyeing their (in) famous banana pudding, my friend announced, “I CANNOT go in there.  One bite and I’m addicted.”  But is food addiction real?  New studies are revealing that not only can we develop food addictions, but some foods, like drugs, may be addictive themselves.
What is addiction, anyway?
In the process of evaluating whether a person has an addiction to a substance or activity, I always ask the following questions (amongst others):

• Do you find yourself continuing to use despite harmful consequences?
• Have you tried to cut back and failed multiple times?
• Do you find yourself feeling irritable or experiencing other withdrawal symptoms when you are deprived of that substance/activity?
• Do you find that you need more and more to feel satisfied or the effects that you used to?
• Are others concerned about your use?
• Do you have shame and guilt regarding your use?
• Do you find yourself spending the majority of your time thinking about the substance/activity?

These are some of the questions that help us evaluate an addiction.  But what does science tell us?  We know from longstanding studies of addictive drugs in both animals and humans that there is a real science behind addiction.  When certain chemicals affect our reward pathway, they create powerful reinforcing affects.  Dopamine surges trigger our limbic system and, in turn, our homeostatic control system (which sends our minds signals about what our bodies actually need) gets out of whack.  What we crave no longer becomes what our body actually needs.  We have trouble finding pleasure and reward in healthy activities and substances and this leads to a vicious cycle of unhealthy behavior.  This can be even more overwhelming for people who are genetically or emotionally prone to become addicted.  Furthermore, a combination of addiction-prone individuals with addicting food is a recipe for obesity.
5  TIPS FOR COMBATTING FOOD ADDICTION:
1. Avoid “addictive food”. 
Recent studies show that foods with a higher glycemic index (GI) are more likely to trigger hunger and overeating at the next meal.  GI >70 is high and <55 is low.  Examples of high GI foods include sweets, rice, bread, potatoes, and some fruits like watermelon.  Low GI foods include things like carrots, lentils, skim milk, peanuts and grapefruit.
Like those with drug abuse problems or gambling addiction, the less you are surrounded by addictive foods, the more likely you are to eat them.  Clean out the pantry and replace sugary, high-carb foods with snacks with lower GI’s that are ready to eat on the run.  Also, studies show that people who are more socially connected to overweight people are more likely to be overweight themselves.  Surrounding yourself with active peers and going to meals with healthier eaters may rub off on you!
2. Avoid deprivation.
Frequent small healthy meals are more likely to keep us satisfied and less likely to trigger the pleasure/reward pathway that may lead to overeating.  When our insulin drops below a certain point, we crave food and are more likely to overindulge.  By keeping insulin steady, we find that eating “more” or at least more often actually leads to eating less food overall.
3. Sleep.
7-8 hours of sleep is normal for an adult.  Sleep recharges our bodies.  Hunger is often confused with fatigue and we may turn to food to help keep us awake if we are undersleeping.
4. Exercise.
Endorphins released by exercise can feed the pleasure/reward system in a healthy way, helping to combat cravings for food.  Plus, you burn tons of calories to help you stay in shape.  A growing number of studies are also finding that exercising 30minutes a day at 70% of your maximum heart rate can be as effective as an antidepressant medication on mood and anxiety!  This will prevent emotional eating, which can also lead to an unhealthy reward/pleasure cycle with food.
5. Avoid drugs/alcohol/smoking:
Like food, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco can all trigger our reward systems to want more.  This is why people who try to quit smoking often gain weight – sometimes up to 25 or 30 pounds!  The more we mess with the dopamine receptors in our brains (which are affected both directly and indirectly by addictive substances), the more difficult it will be to determine whether our bodies are truly hungry for food, or we are trying to satisfy a pleasure system that is tricking us into eating.