Food addiction means biological and chemical dependencies on specific foods; mainly sugar, processed foods, excess fat, and salt.
Food addiction traps are especially prominent at the holidays; and Thanksgiving sets the tone for the next six weeks of feasting and festivities in America. The weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years can potentially unravel an entire year of work towards getting one’s health back.
It only takes one bite of an addictive substance to activate the dopamine reward system, causing the brain to demand more.
Willpower is no match for addictive drives.
The foods of the Standard American Diet produce the exact bio chemical effects in the brain that are characteristic of substance abuse. (nicotine, cocaine, etc.)
And, when one is malnourished from a continual diet of low-nutrient foods, the nutrient deprivation literally drives overeating. (Except in cases of anorexia where the body can no longer adequately digest and assimilate food—causing a life-threatening condition.)
Getting out—and staying out of food addiction--is an art and a science.
In my book STARVED TO OBESITY, I combine both the science of food addiction with the practical steps how to get out of it--and stay out of it. (It’s on audio book as well.)
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” (3 John 1:2)
Here’s to your good health on Thanksgiving and always!
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than fifteen years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich foods. Today, she’s certified in whole plant nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost-effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet. And now, she’s on a mission to bring awareness to the suffocating and potentially deadly trap of eating disorders as well.