Common Signs of Food Addiction

Food addiction is not yet listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it involves eating binges, cravings, and a loss of control over food.

Although someone with a severe craving for food or an overeating habit may not fit the criteria, there are at most 6 symptoms.

Here are six common symptoms of food addiction.

Getting cravings despite feeling full

Even after eating a nutritious, satisfying meal, it’s not unusual to feel hungry.

Some people crave ice cream after a steak, potato and vegetable meal.

Cravings, hunger and cravings are not the same things.

It is called a craving when you feel the urge to eat, even though you have eaten or are full.

It is quite common and does not necessarily indicate a food addiction. Most people get cravings.

If cravings are frequent and it becomes difficult to satisfy, this could indicate something else.

These cravings don’t indicate a need to get energy or nutrients. It’s the brain requesting dopamine. This chemical plays a part in pleasure and how we feel.

It is common to feel hungry. Although a craving does not necessarily indicate an addiction to food, it can indicate that you may have a problem.

Eaten more than you intended

Some people believe there is no such thing as a single bite of chocolate or a piece of cake. One bite can turn into 20, and one cake slices into half a loaf.

This all-or-nothing mentality characterizes addiction of any type. Moderation is not possible.

It’s almost like telling someone suffering from food addiction to eating junk food in moderation. It is impossible.

SUMMARY

People with food addiction may eat more than they intended when they need to satisfy a craving.

Eat until you feel too full.

Someone with a food addiction might eat until they feel satisfied by a craving. Then, they might realize that their stomach is full and feel satisfied.

SUMMARY

Binge eating is when you eat until you feel full, whether frequently or every day.

Felt guilty afterward, but doing it again soon.

Feeling guilty can result from trying to control unhealthy food intake and then succumbing to a craving.

One may feel they are cheating or doing wrong.

A person suffering from food addiction will continue to have these negative feelings, even though they are unpleasant.

SUMMARY

After binge eating, guilt is common.

Excuses are made

The brain can be quite a complex thing, especially when it comes to addiction. The ability to avoid trigger foods can lead to the creation of rules. These rules can be difficult to follow.

Someone with food addiction may find ways to rationalize their cravings and succumb to them.

This thinking might be similar to that of someone who is trying to quit smoking. This person may think they aren’t smokers if they don’t buy cigarettes. They might still smoke cigarettes from the pack of a friend.

SUMMARY

Food addiction can lead to cravings by making rules about eating and then making excuses for why you shouldn’t.

Multiple failures in setting rules

People who struggle with self-control often set their own rules when they have trouble controlling themselves.

These include not sleeping in on weekends, doing homework right after school and never drinking coffee later than a specific time. These rules are almost all broken, even rules about eating.

You could try these: eating one cheat meal per week, having only one cheat day, and eating junk food on holidays, birthdays, and parties.

SUMMARY

Many people have a history of not setting rules about their food intake.