It’s not uncommon to see people around us overeating or binge eating when stressed. This behavior can lead to ‘food addiction’ and needs to be addressed as it can eventually lead to obesity. It’s important to distinguish whether you’re eating because you’re genuinely hungry or simply chewing for the sake of it, even when full. We delve into why food addiction occurs and whether any preventative measures exist.
Beware of Emotional Eating
Excessive stress from social interactions, work, or dieting can decrease the levels of happiness hormones in our bodies, causing us to seek out high-fat, high-calorie, high-sodium foods to boost these levels. However, this effect is temporary and can lead to depression, triggering further binge eating and potentially leading to obesity or eating disorders.
A Phenomenon Similar to Gambling Addiction
Food addiction, like alcohol or tobacco addiction, refers to being literally ‘addicted’ to food. It’s when you’ve eaten to the point of fullness but still have a desire to continue eating and an increasing craving for food, leading to consuming large amounts. Stimulating and tasty foods trigger the pleasure center in the brain, releasing ‘serotonin,’ the happiness hormone, in the process.
When Stressed
Craving High-Calorie Foods?
If you frequently seek out high-calorie foods when stressed, you may need to suspect food addiction and consciously try to change this behavior. Try to consume meals mixed with whole grains and cereals, opt for whole wheat bread when eating bread, and eat sour fruits or brush your teeth when hungry to suppress your appetite. It’s also beneficial to consume foods that make you feel full, even in small quantities, such as vegetables and fruits high in dietary fiber and foods high in protein.
Starvation Diets Have Negative Effects
Suppressing appetite through starvation diets can easily lead to food addiction. Food is perceived as ‘pleasure’ in our brains and provides ‘the joy of eating.’ Those who frequently diet tend to experience this pleasure more intensely. When you don’t eat regularly and consume food, you get a greater psychological reward, leading to continual eating to achieve this pleasure. If tolerance develops, it can lead to binge eating.
Mukbang Triggers Food Addiction
Frequently watching Mukbang on YouTube or food pictures posted on social media can trigger obesity and addiction due to continuous brain stimulation. Seeing videos or photos of food causes an excessive secretion of appetite-stimulating hormones from the stomach and stimulates the brain, creating a sense of hunger. In this state, eating food can lead to overeating. Experts warn that if you often mindlessly watch Mukbang, it’s best to stop watching and deliberately avoid looking for food pictures.
Self-Diagnosis Test for Food Addiction
If you answer ‘yes’ to three or more of the self-test questions for food addiction the World Health Organization provides, it may be necessary to suspect food addiction. The questions include:
- Do you often feel tired because you eat frequently or eat a lot?
- Do you continue to eat even when full?
- Are you worried about needing to reduce the amount you eat?
- Do you often eat without leaving much food?
- When you deliberately avoid certain foods, do you strongly desire to eat them?
- When you cut down or stop eating, do you feel irritable and depressed?
- Do you look for food when anxious or have physical symptoms like headaches?
What Happens If You Don’t Treat Food Addiction?
If you don’t treat food addiction, it can be challenging to maintain an average weight, and repeated dieting and medication use can lead to health problems. More importantly, if you don’t change the habit of relieving stress or emotional difficulties through food consumption, you’ll be enslaved by stimulating food for life. In severe cases, consultation and treatment with a specialist may be necessary.
Eating Habits to Prevent Overeating
First, visually check the foods you should eat. The larger the serving dish and the more variety of food, the more likely you are to overeat. When buying food, focus on purchasing small packaged products, and when eating, serve food in small dishes to visually enhance the feeling of fullness. Also, if you’re not hungry, keep the food out of sight.
Keeping a Food Diary Can Help
How about keeping a food diary? It’s not about recording in detail but reviewing what you ate throughout the day and gradually reducing high-calorie, high-fat foods. You may not realize it while eating, but recording and looking back can teach you how often and how much unhealthy food you consume. It also makes it easier to identify which foods you should eat less and what your body needs.
Mindset and Willingness to Improve Eating Habits
Are Most Important
Your mindset and willingness to improve your eating habits are most important to treat food addiction. You also need to change your habit of using food to relieve stress and understand that food has limits in providing emotional rewards. In severe cases, consulting with a specialist and undergoing treatment may be necessary.
Written by Shin Young Jeon press@daily.co.kr
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