Hmmm, I have a bit of a different perspective, which is that the issue is less about not being mentally strong, but about having the strength to be vulnerable, and to respond to ourselves (and others) in an encouraging, compassionate, and reasonable way.
Gosh you're really on to something here! I never even thought about my problems with food as an addiction but listening to this I think that might be what it is
Well… it’s actually not an addiction to food. It sure feels like it, but if the term “addiction” is used it’s more like an addiction to eating as a way of coping or distracting. I think of food issues as a “frenemy” in that it’s a friend (helps us cope, reward, distract, numb, etc) but it’s also an enemy because it hurts us physically and emotionally. The title of this video references “food addiction”because so many people believe they are food addicts and I wanted to give them a different perspective.
I had a friend who had a really bad druq habit and she said it was easier to overcome that than it was to give up coffee. I know we're talking about food addiction but this made me think of that because she said the problem was people at work would constantly ask her if she wanted a coffee when they were going out to get one
That’s what makes it hard for many people who are trying to implement healthy habits into their lives. They’re constantly being asked to go out for dinner or urge to have dessert. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dessert and contrary to the title of this video, I don’t believe in an addiction to food (more like an addiction to eating if we’re going to use the word addiction) but people need support on their journey to a healthier relationship with food! And often well meaning people sabotage those efforts.
Hi Carol, for the past 20+ years, I've treated people with severe binge eating behaviors (as you can see from my video, despite the title I don't ascribe to the "food addiction" model) and also people reporting an unhealthy, unhappy relationship with food. In all cases, it's a matter of figuring out the reason behind the cravings: we always consider whether these cravings are driven by diet mentality (ie, deprivation leading to wanting what we think we can't have) or if they represent a way of coping, distracting, numbing, or even celebrating. So, the approach is the same! Great question!
You're either not hungry and you're trying to distract yourself from what you should be doing or you're poor at planning your meals and use a quick option because it's easier than cooking something healthy.
Yes, but that summary does not allow for compassion. There are many reasons why we learn to distract ourselves or we don’t learn to take care of ourselves. Let’s be curious about that while learning new ways of coping and self-care. 😌
I've often wondered if the reason we use foods that are bad for us is because they are the most convenient. You can buy sugary/fatty treats almost anywhere that you can buy a drink.
That’s an interesting thought, Phyllis. There’s a difference between eating readily available foods, which, as you correctly note are everywhere-and bingeing or emotionally. People who binge can sometimes end up devouring things they don’t even like, or foods that are uncooked or even in the trash. It’s a desperate and painful way of using food, that’s not about pleasure. It’s about escape! But I’m with you on the convenient foods. They are far too available and far too unhealthy. When I was in Paris last year, I didn’t see any junk food anywhere!!
So the problem was whatever was waiting for you at home and gambling was the solution, or the negative coping strategy. I hope that things are better for you now!!
Man, I always blamed my lack of willpower, but your point about emotional triggers really hit home. Gonna start journaling my feelings before I grab a snack.
It's definitely NOT about willpower! I'm glad you're getting curious about your "why" since identifying those reasons is the first step to creating lasting change. If you're interested in journaling, you might like my guided workbook, The Binge Cure Journal, that helps you work through all the things I talk about in my videos. drninainc.com/journal
Exactly! And I see it more as an addiction to eating, rather than to food. Although I wrote a book called Beyond the Primal Addiction, I find the addiction model to be unhelpful. To your point, most addictions are coping strategies.
Yes, there are definitely a plethora of such studies. They just don’t get as much attention as the studies that appear to prove that food addiction is real. There are a lot of problems with some of those studies (using starved rats and then giving them the choice between sugar and drugs, and of course the rats will go for sugar!) but they often lead to best selling books about the dangers of sugar, etc. Also, my approach is not just about expressing emotions, it’s about changing ones response to life issues: identifying and expressing what’s going on, responding to ourselves differently, processing conflicts, seeing things that we don’t want to see, feeling things we don’t want to feel, healing the past, creating a roadmap for the future, etc..
Here are some studies (I get this question a lot and have a list): “Chocolate craving and liking” by Tuomisto et al. (1999) found that self-identified “chocolate addicts” did not show significant differences in physiological responses compared to controls. “The plausibility of sugar addiction and its role in obesity and eating disorders” by Benton (2010) argued that the evidence for food addiction is limited and flawed. “Obesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?” by Ziauddeen et al. (2012) conducted a systematic review, finding inconsistent evidence for food addiction in neuroimaging studies. “Eating addiction’, rather than ‘food addiction’, better captures addictive-like eating behavior” by Hebebrand et al. (2014) argued that the concept of food addiction may be misleading. “Back by popular demand: A narrative review on the history of food addiction research” by Meule (2015) pointed out inconsistencies between food addiction theory and observed patterns in eating disorders and obesity. “Exposure to the food environment and ‘food addiction’ in the UK Biobank cohort” by Hardman et al. (2015) demonstrated that exposure to “forbidden foods” actually decreased binge eating in treatment studies. “Brain and behavioral correlates of overcontrol in anorexia nervosa: A systematic review” by Westwater et al. (2016) reviewed neuroimaging studies and concluded that obesity and binge eating are not well-characterized by the food addiction model. “Is food addiction a valid and useful concept?” by Finlayson (2017) found that controlled manipulation of food composition and availability in humans does not consistently produce addiction-like patterns. “Does food addiction exist? A critical examination of the evidence” by Rogers (2017) suggested that the apparent addictive properties of certain foods may be better explained by normal learning processes. “Food Addiction Treatment Isn’t Science-Backed: Here’s What’s Really Going On” Authors: Draayer, L. Published in: Equip Health, 2022. Summary: This article discusses a 2022 systematic review that concluded food addiction isn’t a legitimate diagnosis due to insufficient research and clinical trials, and it emphasizes the need for more comprehensive studies.
It's good that you recognize your trigger is the pressure at work! And, consider this: what would you say to a co-worker who was stressed. Would you say, "Here, eat this!"? Probably not. The key is to respond differently to stress by expressing it, even if it's to yourself, and then acknowledging, validating, and reassuring yourself that you're going to get past this difficult time. Here's an article I recently wrote on the topic of overcoming stress eating: drninainc.com/impact-of-stress-on-your-eating-habits/
I hear that a lot and as a clinician who treats people with binge eating disorder (which is what people with so-called “food addiction” are often suffering from) I can tell you that most people think it’s something they have to struggle with for life. And then they work with me and everything changes. I help many people who have struggled for decades to create peace with food and themselves. There is hope!!
Good point! And of course, emotional eating and binge eating is not really about food, as it is a negative coping strategy in which eating is used for comfort, distraction, numbness, filling a void, converting emotional pain to physical pain and so much more!
Absolutely! Great point! When babies cry, some parents automatically feed them, without figuring out exactly what the babies want: is the baby hungry, or does the baby want to be hugged or need a diaper change? When this happens, the baby learns that any discomfort can be resolved with food. And later, parents often use food as a treat, a reward, or an incentive. Again, this sets up kids to use food as an emotional response. Of course, parents do this because that’s how they were treated and it just gets passed on in a multigenerational transmission process. But, we can break the pattern by treating ourselves and our kids different differently!!
Literally my whole friend group needs to watch this.
Please share this video with your whole friend group!! 😂
She makes such a good point about why it's a whole different kind of addiction. The "just don't have the first one" definitely doesn't apply here
I'm so glad this resonates with you!!
We don't even try to become mentally strong these days, that's why we can't even control ourselves in the moment to make our future better.
Hmmm, I have a bit of a different perspective, which is that the issue is less about not being mentally strong, but about having the strength to be vulnerable, and to respond to ourselves (and others) in an encouraging, compassionate, and reasonable way.
Gosh you're really on to something here! I never even thought about my problems with food as an addiction but listening to this I think that might be what it is
Well… it’s actually not an addiction to food. It sure feels like it, but if the term “addiction” is used it’s more like an addiction to eating as a way of coping or distracting. I think of food issues as a “frenemy” in that it’s a friend (helps us cope, reward, distract, numb, etc) but it’s also an enemy because it hurts us physically and emotionally. The title of this video references “food addiction”because so many people believe they are food addicts and I wanted to give them a different perspective.
I had a friend who had a really bad druq habit and she said it was easier to overcome that than it was to give up coffee. I know we're talking about food addiction but this made me think of that because she said the problem was people at work would constantly ask her if she wanted a coffee when they were going out to get one
That’s what makes it hard for many people who are trying to implement healthy habits into their lives. They’re constantly being asked to go out for dinner or urge to have dessert. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dessert and contrary to the title of this video, I don’t believe in an addiction to food (more like an addiction to eating if we’re going to use the word addiction) but people need support on their journey to a healthier relationship with food! And often well meaning people sabotage those efforts.
Do you think the approach to overcoming food addiction is different for people who have severe binge-eating habits versus mild sugar cravings?
Hi Carol, for the past 20+ years, I've treated people with severe binge eating behaviors (as you can see from my video, despite the title I don't ascribe to the "food addiction" model) and also people reporting an unhealthy, unhappy relationship with food. In all cases, it's a matter of figuring out the reason behind the cravings: we always consider whether these cravings are driven by diet mentality (ie, deprivation leading to wanting what we think we can't have) or if they represent a way of coping, distracting, numbing, or even celebrating. So, the approach is the same! Great question!
You're either not hungry and you're trying to distract yourself from what you should be doing or you're poor at planning your meals and use a quick option because it's easier than cooking something healthy.
Yes, but that summary does not allow for compassion. There are many reasons why we learn to distract ourselves or we don’t learn to take care of ourselves. Let’s be curious about that while learning new ways of coping and self-care. 😌
I've often wondered if the reason we use foods that are bad for us is because they are the most convenient. You can buy sugary/fatty treats almost anywhere that you can buy a drink.
That’s an interesting thought, Phyllis. There’s a difference between eating readily available foods, which, as you correctly note are everywhere-and bingeing or emotionally. People who binge can sometimes end up devouring things they don’t even like, or foods that are uncooked or even in the trash. It’s a desperate and painful way of using food, that’s not about pleasure. It’s about escape!
But I’m with you on the convenient foods. They are far too available and far too unhealthy. When I was in Paris last year, I didn’t see any junk food anywhere!!
I used to gamble every night after work because I couldn't face going home.
So the problem was whatever was waiting for you at home and gambling was the solution, or the negative coping strategy. I hope that things are better for you now!!
Man, I always blamed my lack of willpower, but your point about emotional triggers really hit home. Gonna start journaling my feelings before I grab a snack.
It's definitely NOT about willpower! I'm glad you're getting curious about your "why" since identifying those reasons is the first step to creating lasting change. If you're interested in journaling, you might like my guided workbook, The Binge Cure Journal, that helps you work through all the things I talk about in my videos. drninainc.com/journal
How can we differentiate between an actual physical craving and an emotional craving? Any tips on telling them apart in the moment?
Yes, I have tips on that! I made a video in which I explain the difference: th-cam.com/video/t_nXJ-HECg0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3rxFuZ0dkb-8NXaU
It's definitely the easiest and most acceptable form of addiction/distraction...
Exactly! And I see it more as an addiction to eating, rather than to food. Although I wrote a book called Beyond the Primal Addiction, I find the addiction model to be unhelpful. To your point, most addictions are coping strategies.
Have you seen any studies that directly contradict the ‘food addiction’ model and show long-term success just by addressing emotional needs?
Yes, there are definitely a plethora of such studies. They just don’t get as much attention as the studies that appear to prove that food addiction is real. There are a lot of problems with some of those studies (using starved rats and then giving them the choice between sugar and drugs, and of course the rats will go for sugar!) but they often lead to best selling books about the dangers of sugar, etc.
Also, my approach is not just about expressing emotions, it’s about changing ones response to life issues: identifying and expressing what’s going on, responding to ourselves differently, processing conflicts, seeing things that we don’t want to see, feeling things we don’t want to feel, healing the past, creating a roadmap for the future, etc..
Here are some studies (I get this question a lot and have a list):
“Chocolate craving and liking” by Tuomisto et al. (1999) found that self-identified “chocolate addicts” did not show significant differences in physiological responses compared to controls.
“The plausibility of sugar addiction and its role in obesity and eating disorders” by Benton (2010) argued that the evidence for food addiction is limited and flawed.
“Obesity and the brain: how convincing is the addiction model?” by Ziauddeen et al. (2012) conducted a systematic review, finding inconsistent evidence for food addiction in neuroimaging studies.
“Eating addiction’, rather than ‘food addiction’, better captures addictive-like eating behavior” by Hebebrand et al. (2014) argued that the concept of food addiction may be misleading.
“Back by popular demand: A narrative review on the history of food addiction research” by Meule (2015) pointed out inconsistencies between food addiction theory and observed patterns in eating disorders and obesity.
“Exposure to the food environment and ‘food addiction’ in the UK Biobank cohort” by Hardman et al. (2015) demonstrated that exposure to “forbidden foods” actually decreased binge eating in treatment studies.
“Brain and behavioral correlates of overcontrol in anorexia nervosa: A systematic review” by Westwater et al. (2016) reviewed neuroimaging studies and concluded that obesity and binge eating are not well-characterized by the food addiction model.
“Is food addiction a valid and useful concept?” by Finlayson (2017) found that controlled manipulation of food composition and availability in humans does not consistently produce addiction-like patterns.
“Does food addiction exist? A critical examination of the evidence” by Rogers (2017) suggested that the apparent addictive properties of certain foods may be better explained by normal learning processes.
“Food Addiction Treatment Isn’t Science-Backed: Here’s What’s Really Going On”
Authors: Draayer, L.
Published in: Equip Health, 2022.
Summary: This article discusses a 2022 systematic review that concluded food addiction isn’t a legitimate diagnosis due to insufficient research and clinical trials, and it emphasizes the need for more comprehensive studies.
What would you recommend for someone who tends to stress-eat at work? Sometimes I reach for sugary snacks just to cope with pressure.
It's good that you recognize your trigger is the pressure at work! And, consider this: what would you say to a co-worker who was stressed. Would you say, "Here, eat this!"? Probably not. The key is to respond differently to stress by expressing it, even if it's to yourself, and then acknowledging, validating, and reassuring yourself that you're going to get past this difficult time. Here's an article I recently wrote on the topic of overcoming stress eating: drninainc.com/impact-of-stress-on-your-eating-habits/
Yeah I'm not gonna be the one to tell my wife she doesn't actually need chocolate at that time of the month.
😂😂
Call me pessimistic but I feel like some people just won't ever overcome their food addiction...
I hear that a lot and as a clinician who treats people with binge eating disorder (which is what people with so-called “food addiction” are often suffering from) I can tell you that most people think it’s something they have to struggle with for life. And then they work with me and everything changes. I help many people who have struggled for decades to create peace with food and themselves. There is hope!!
Eating healthy is just so much work, like is the avocado gonna be ripe in time or just rotten? Packet of chips, 100% ready to go 😂😂
Good point! And of course, emotional eating and binge eating is not really about food, as it is a negative coping strategy in which eating is used for comfort, distraction, numbness, filling a void, converting emotional pain to physical pain and so much more!
Can poor food habits be left over from our upbringing? Like you know when parents give babies ice cream, like seriously, wtf are they doing?
Absolutely! Great point! When babies cry, some parents automatically feed them, without figuring out exactly what the babies want: is the baby hungry, or does the baby want to be hugged or need a diaper change? When this happens, the baby learns that any discomfort can be resolved with food. And later, parents often use food as a treat, a reward, or an incentive. Again, this sets up kids to use food as an emotional response. Of course, parents do this because that’s how they were treated and it just gets passed on in a multigenerational transmission process. But, we can break the pattern by treating ourselves and our kids different differently!!