The English expression “food addiction”, in Italian “food addiction”, denotes a compulsive condition in which one cannot help but eat certain types of food, generally rich in sugars and fats.
This behavior is associated with intense positive emotions which, despite the awareness of the negative health effects of certain eating habits, can only continue to feed them.
The mechanism is similar to that behind drug addiction and what are called “new addictions”.
It is important to underline that it is not a question of lack of willpower, as we are often led to think (with further negative effects on self-esteem and self-image), but a series of positive emotions come into play, which they fill previous shortcomings, and are associated with problem behavior, which are the basis of the activation of certain brain neurotransmitters linked to pleasure / reward and to the maintenance of the compulsion.
In particular, dopamine is a fundamental neurotransmitter to be able to talk about addiction and its increase in the body favors the probability of “addiction”, being central to the mechanisms of learning new signals and regulating behavior (Manna, 2006).
Learning from experience involves repeating what produces feelings of gratification and well-being in us. Our brain, whenever we experience moments of pleasure, releases some substances, dopamine in the first place, which work as a reinforcement to that same stimulus, underlining it. The reward circuit is so called because it describes the reinforcement mechanism of a given experience, which guides us into the future, towards its repetition.
Important studies on animals have confirmed the activation of dopamine in conditions of excessive intake of foods, especially rich in sugars.
What symptoms to watch out for
To be able to identify a food addiction it is first of all important to know and recognize its symptoms.
Do you often:
- Eat lots of high-sugar, high-fat foods, despite being full or just finished eating?
- Consuming a much higher amount of food than your intentions or needs?
- Constantly thinking about when you will eat the very food you like so much?
- Eating on the wave of negative emotions, with the intention of feeling better?
- Not being able to follow a healthy diet or to establish rules for the intake of certain foods?
- Feeling guilty after eating?
- Hide your eating habits from others?
- Are you ashamed of your eating habits?
If you answered yes to most of these questions, you probably have “food addiction”.
Why it is important to ask for specific help
Food addiction can have a whole series of negative consequences, even serious ones, for physical and mental health. In fact, it can cause a significant weight gain, which is a risk factor for many diseases, such as diseases affecting the cardio-circulatory system or diabetes and also have important consequences on self-esteem, favoring feelings of inadequacy that risk negatively impact on the mood, which becomes more and more deflected. The risk, then, is that food becomes the tool to feel better, triggering a self-perpetuating, dysfunctional vicious circle that is difficult to interrupt.
In these cases it is important to turn to a psychotherapist, who can help you understand what needs food allows you to satisfy and develop healthier and more functional eating habits and the most effective ways to feel good.
