Wednesday, March 13, 2024

How To Get Over Fast Food Addiction

Change Your Mindset About Fast Food

How To Stop Fast Food Addiction (My Experience)

For some, reducing their fast food intake means handling their mindset before anything else. Some people may see eating fast food as a treat, but you can spin it in a more negative way to help you overcome your cravings:

  • Think about how unhealthy and processed these foods are and how they can negatively impact your body. They can even cause pain, like stomachaches and headaches.
  • Tell yourself that fast food is poorly prepared and made and could give you food poisoning. This might trick your mind and cravings since youll associate fast food with getting sick.

How To Beat It

Theres no quick fix or magic pill to make you stop wanting sugar or foods that you crave. Ultimately, you crave what you regularly feed yourself. So the only way to reduce your cravings is to take a break. If you regularly have something sweet to eat after dinner, its very natural for you to always feel like eating something sweet after dinner. Youre in a bad habit, thats all. Research has shown that fasting particular foods doesnt increase the cravings like it does with true drug addiction, it actually reduces them.

Changing your habits and behaviour is hard work. So you need to get prepared. Here are are few tips to help you beat the sugar high and get in control of your eating.

The Secret Technique To Stop Unhealthy Eating

If you snack or eat fast food more often than you would like, youre not alone 1 in 4 Americans will visit a fast food restaurant today. Nutritionists advise limiting fast food meals to once per month, but how many people follow this advice? University of Alberta researchers recently found that a drink and a snack from a vending machine would provide 15 teaspoons of sugar and 433 caloriesroughly the caloric equivalent of a McDonalds Quarter Pounder.

60% of Americans are overweight or obese, and the Surgeon General has stated that fast food is a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. This isnt surprising, considering a single meal at a fast food establishment can fulfill your total calorie intake for the day. Its also not hard to see how uncontrolled snacking can contribute as well.

And whether or not weight is a concern for you, processed foods are not a healthy part of any diet. Yet potatoes are the most consumed vegetable in America in the form of French fries, and how far down the list do you think potato chips fall?

No one walks into a fast food chain like Wendys or Burger King expecting a nutritional and healthy meal. We know the risks, weve been shown the statistics, but we still spend billions of dollars on fast food every year. Or how about the quick stroll down to the office snack machine?

Why do we maintain this destructive relationship with unhealthy food?

Have you ever considered the added sugar in processed foods?

You May Like: How To Stop Being Addicted To Food

Food Addiction: Is It Real

Lets start at the beginning: Can you really be addicted to food? That question doesnt have a simple answer. In fact, its kind of controversial.

Food addiction is not an official medical diagnosis, though addictive food behaviors have been linked to medical conditions including obesity and binge eating disorder.

And whether food itself is addictive is still up for debate.

Some people believe you cant be addicted to a substance that you need to survive and that food itself is not actually addicting, Dr. Albers says. After all, food doesnt put you in an altered state of mind like addictive drugs do.

Theres also not oneingredient that can be singled out as being addictive. For some people, its greasy fast food. For others, its sweets. But even then, you wouldnt binge on a bowl of granulated sugar. It seems to be processed foods with some combination of ingredients that become problematic for people.

Yet other researchers argue that food is indeed addictive. Certain foods light up pleasure centers in your brain and trigger the release of feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, much like other addictive substances do. In people who are more predisposed to addiction, those chemicals can overpower other signals from the brain that tell them theyre full or satisfied, which can lead to a cycle of overeating.

Sometimes, researchers say, people resort to addictive eating behaviors as a way to cope with stress and emotions.

Tips To Beat Food Addiction

Treating Eating Disorders, Anorexia Treatment, Bulimia ...

Are you are self confessed chocoholic? Are you addicted to sweet foods? Its a pretty common assumption that sugar is addictive, just like substance or alcohol abuse, but is this actually the case?

Ive definitely had moments when Ive craved chocolate or needed something sweet after dinner so I can relate to the notion of needing a fix.

Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Nasal Spray Addiction

How To Stop Eating Junk Food: 10 Tips To Take Back Control

CHEF SKY HANKA March 25, 2021

Want to stop eating junk food? Want to get out of the 3pm slump feeling groggy and tired, or for-go the mindless crunchy snacking late at night?

This is the break-up we all want, repave your health and wellness with these 10 tips to break cravings and reclaim control over our intense desire for junk food.

Craving For Sweet Or Salty Foods When Hungry

Situations arise where individuals cannot consume food without sugar. Medical research shows that such a condition is as by stress, lack of sleep, boredom, excessive sweating, or Premenstrual syndrome . For instance, women experience the craving for sweet and salty food because of hormonal imbalance. To recover from this symptom, they should consume supplements having Calcium and vitamin B-6, apply acupuncture and herb as well as using oral contraceptives that work according to research studies.

Recommended Reading: What Types Of Addictions Are There

Eat One Raisin Mindfully

Leslie Korn, PhD, an expert in mental-health nutrition and author of the cookbook The Good Mood Kitchen swears by this 5-minute or less trick: eating one raisin! First, pick up the raisin, examine its texture and shape, and sniff it. Then place the raisin on your tongue, move it around in your mouth and start to chew it slowly. As you swallow it, remain still as you imaging the raisin moving throughout your body. When youve finished eating the raisin ask yourself What does my body really need?

Mindful eating helps boost your parasympathetic dominance, a chemical reaction that slows down your heart rate and breathing, notes Korn. Practicing mindfulness in general helps increase your levels of the anti-anxiety neurotransmitter GABA, according to an article in Ancient Science. And GABA stabilizes your appetite and improves digestion.

ParentsParents LatinaShape, Real Simple, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living,HealthReader’s DigestRachael Ray Every DayPreventionFitnessCleveland MagazineThe Today Show, CBS This Morning, Good Morning AmericaDr. OzFlat Belly Diet

Do I Have A Food Addiction

Instantly Overcome Food Addiction

Not every food addiction looks the same. If you have 6 or more of the above signs, its likely you have a food addiction or are slowly building one. As you can see, they tend to play off each other. For instance, being secretive about eating addictive food will lead to negative lifestyle effects and could well cause food addiction enablers to become your central circle of friends.

The most important thing about studying food addiction is understanding what it looks like so you can stop it before it gets really bad. If you want to know how to beat food addiction on your own, thats the easiest way. So even if you only recognize a few of the above signs in your eating habits, its never too late to fix them.

Also Check: What Is The First Step In Recovery From Addiction

Take It One Day At A Time

Detoxing from anything is hard work, and we have to be forgiving of ourselves. Oftentimes we are so hard on ourselves and set unrealistic expectations, that we set ourselves up for failure. Take it one day at a time and let every day be a new day. If you fall off the wagon, dont wait to get back on just get back on. You are trying to create a lifestyle change, and there is no perfect. Just try to do better tomorrow than you did today.

It might be easy to walk away from the vending machine and reach for some grapes instead. And then again, it might be really hard. Choosing better nutritional options is easier than ever, but its still a challenge unless you have the intention and motivation to make it happen. Even though it can be hard at times, the benefits are immeasurable and definitely worth the effort.

Food Addiction: Where’s The Beef

Not long ago, when ads for a potato-chip manufacturer were teasing consumers with the challenge, “Betcha can’t eat just one!”, they may have really meant it!

Food manufacturers have done an exquisite job of recognizing and tapping into our cravings, using persuasive ads and alluring packaging to keep their products tumbling into our shopping carts. “There are so many processed foods that are not only calorically dense, but they also stimulate dopamine production that makes us feel good,” says Goldhamer.

On the other hand, many nutritional experts believe that there are more important risks associated with processed foods that have nothing to do with addictions. “The problem with processed food is that you digest it so quickly that it’s out of your stomach in no time and you still feel hungry,” says Michael Roizen, MD, author of Cooking the Real Age Way. “If you take the fiber out of food, you get a lot of empty calories.”

While lobbyists for food manufacturers may minimize the risks of plates brimming with meat, cheese, and other high-fat items, Roizen says he believes that eating more than 20 grams a day of bad fats such as saturated fats and trans fats can contribute to breast and prostate cancers, as well as what he calls “arterial aging,” which may lead to heart disease, stroke, impotence, memory loss, and even skin wrinkling.

You May Like: How To Help Someone With Addiction Problems

What Causes Junk Food And Sugar Cravings

Czerwony lists four reasons you may be craving sweets and other junk food.

1. Food euphoria

Unfortunately, our bodies are hard-wired to crave junk food. When you eat foods you enjoy, you stimulate the feel-good centers in your brain, triggering you to eat even more.

Especially in patients with excess weight and obesity, the brains reward processing system for food is like its mechanisms related to substance abuse. Sugar makes us want to eat more sugar. Fat makes us want to eat more fat, notes Czerwony. Our brains are chasing that pleasurable state of food euphoria.

2. Lack of sleep

Studies suggest that sleep deprivation is associated with increased hunger . And you can blame it on your hormones. Lack of sleep causes hormone shifts:

  • Ghrelin, the hunger-control hormone, increases, causing you to eat more.
  • Leptin, the appetite-suppressing hormone, decreases.
  • Cortisol, the stress hormone, may increase, stimulating your appetite.
  • Research shows that sleep deprivation causes an increase in overall hunger, which can lead to cravings of sugar, fat or both.

3. Habit

If its normal for you to eat junk food, it can be hard to break that cycle, explains Czerwony. Youre used to not cooking, preparing or planning. You eat whatevers on hand because thats what youve always done.

4. Stress

Have Enough Sleep And Rest

How to get rid of fast food addiction

A lack of sleep means a lack of energy. To compensate, the body tricks you into consuming more food, and this could inevitably lead to fast food since its fast, convenient, and cheap.

Dont neglect sleep, so you dont end up eating more than you should. If youre having trouble, make your room more conducive for sleeping to induce sleepiness.

Also Check: How Do You Help Someone Addicted To Drugs

How Keto Helps Manage Mikes Food Addiction

Today, Mike weighs about 205 pounds , so hes down 335 pounds from his highest weight.

To go along with his improved quality of life, hes also experienced a renewed sense of confidence, as well as heightened energy levels. Thanks to his new approach to life, Mike even received a promotion at work and is now a marketing coordinator.

His results with keto are truly remarkable!

Even still, whenever Mike posts anything related to his keto journey on Twitter, some people respond that he could have gotten the same results with calorie counting.

To this, Mikes response is that these naysayers dont fully understand what his life was like before keto nor do they get what its like to be in the grips of full-blown food addiction.

Its the difference between fighting cravings 90% of the day, or 10% of the day, Mike said.

Still, recovery is a bumpy road. In the summer of 2017, Mike decided to go off-plan too soon. He ate carb-rich foods and ended up falling off the wagon for a month.

But, for the first time in his life, Mike managed to get back on track after that detour of a month whereas, in the past, one mistake would have triggered years of unhealthy eating.

Over the three years that Mikes been eating keto, hes improved his physical health and worked on his relationship with food. And so, when he turned 46 in 2019, he was able to enjoy a sugary treat without triggering a relapse. Instead, he simply went back to keto the next day.

Signs Of Food Addiction

Researchers at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Science & Policy have developed a questionnaire to identify people with food addictions.

Here’s a sample of questions that can help determine if you have a food addiction. Do these actions apply to you? Do you:

  • End up eating more than planned when you start eating certain foods
  • Keep eating certain foods even if you’re no longer hungry
  • Eat to the point of feeling ill
  • Worry about not eating certain types of foods or worry about cutting down on certain types of foods
  • When certain foods aren’t available, go out of your way to obtain them

The questionnaire also asks about the impact of your relationship with food on your personal life. Ask yourself if these situations apply to you:

  • You eat certain foods so often or in such large amounts that you start eating food instead of working, spending time with the family, or doing recreational activities.
  • You avoid professional or social situations where certain foods are available because of fear of overeating.
  • You have problems functioning effectively at your job or school because of food and eating.

The questionnaire asks about psychological withdrawal symptoms. For example, when you cut down on certain foods , do you have symptoms such as:

  • Anxiety
  • Agitation
  • Other physical symptoms

The questionnaire also tries to gauge the impact of food decisions on your emotions. Do these situations apply to you?

Read Also: How To Beat My Sugar Addiction

Is Food Addiction Real

It can be hard to believe that food can be an addictive substance. Not everyone will have occasion to become addicted to alcohol or drugs, but everyone needs to eat. Besides simply providing energy for the body to function, food has a host of pleasurable associations: tastes, smells, and the companionship and connection that comes from making and sharing meals with others.

But those pleasurable aspects of food are also responsible for turning simple enjoyment of food into something darker: eating disorders, obesity and addiction. Food addiction, like addictions to other substances, has both physical and emotional aspects.

Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical, often called the feel good chemical for the role it plays in the brains pleasure and reward system. Substances like alcohol, street drugs such as heroin, and prescription medications become addictive because they trigger the release of dopamine. When dopamine is released, it sends a strong signal to seek out that particular event or experience again and again.

But over time, the brain becomes desensitized to the release of those pleasurable chemicals, so that more and more of the trigger substance is needed to get the same feeling. And recent research reveals that for many people, certain types of foods contain ingredients that are as capable of triggering pleasure and reward responses as alcohol or drugs.

Getting Healthy Was Never About The Number On The Scale It Was About Healing The Part Of Me That Didnt Think I Was Worthy Or Enough

How to get free from food addiction

Now at this point, what I know to be true is that while it started as an innocent coping mechanism, it did become an addiction.

I learned that white, processed sugar has addictive qualities in it similar to that of heroin and cocaine and that I absolutely had to cut it out of my diet to break the addiction while I took on the task of healing myself from the inside out.

Sugar qualifies as an addictive substance for two reasons:

1. Eating even a small amount creates a desire for more.

2. Suddenly quitting causes withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, mood swings, cravings and fatigue.

I began to see the correlation between my intake of wheat and processed sugar, and the affect it had on my blood sugar levels and end result of nightly binges.

I filled the space in my heart that didnt believe I was perfect just the way I am with things that heal: adventures and traveling, supportive friendships, love for myself, running, sunshine, learning and personal growth, reading, meditation, love for others, animals, laughter, being close to the water, love for the world, self-expression, creative projects, gratitude, green juices, and morning and nightly rituals that keep me focused and grounded.

It was about connecting with my inner voice and strength so that I could shine the light that was buried deep inside, so that my outer beauty would reflect the always present inner beauty.

Read Also: Why Am I Addicted To Weed

- Advertisement -spot_img
Popular Articles
Related news