Food addiction may explain the rising rates of obesity in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or more. Your body mass index is determined using an equation that takes into account your weight and height. Obesity is a major risk factor in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Dr. Mark Hyman also believes that while self-esteem plays a part in food addiction, new discoveries in science also have shown that processed sugars, fats and salty foods are biologically addictive. The combination of biologically addictive food and poor self-esteem can have a significant negative effect on your ability to lose weight or maintain a normal weight.
What is Self-Esteem?
Good self-esteem is important because it helps you to feel proud of yourself and gives you the confidence you need to do new things, according to KidsHealth.org. It leads to self respect even when you make mistakes. Good self-esteem will help you to make good choices about your own body and health. You will be less likely to do what your friends are doing and value your own self-worth. Self-esteem is developed through relationships with significant people in your life and through the accolades you receive in your achievements.
Compulsive Overeating
Food addictions and compulsive overeating are uncontrollable cravings for an excess amount of food that often follows eating refined carbohydrates, according to FoodAddictsAnonymous.org. These uncontrollable cravings lead to deterioration in physical, emotional, social and spiritual life. Individuals who are addicted to food often cannot control their intake, especially junk food or high sugar foods. They may have tried diets or weight loss programs but none have worked permanently and they often have feelings of depression, hopelessness or sadness about their weight. Sometimes patients will find themselves eating when they're upset or using food as a reward.
The Nature of Food Addiction
Dr. Mark Hyman points out the similarities between addiction to high sugar, high energy processed foods and the addiction to recreational drugs such as cocaine, heroin and nicotine. Several characteristics of an addiction are substances taken in larger amounts and for longer periods than were normally intended, persistent desire or repeated unsuccessful attempts to quit and social, occupational or recreational activities which are given up because of the addiction.
Sugar will stimulate the brain's reward center exactly like other addictive drugs and brain imaging scans show that high sugar and high fat foods work on the brain exactly like heroin or opium, according to Dr. Mark Hyman. These scans also show that both individuals who are obese or drug addicts have a lower number of dopamine receptors in their brain, which makes them more likely to crave things to increase the dopamine, such as processed sugar. And, like other drugs of addiction, people develop a tolerance to sugar and require more and more of it to satisfy themselves.
Breaking the Cycle
Breaking the cycle of food addiction requires a plan, according to Carol Juergenson-Sheets, certified marriage and family therapist and certified personal life coach. Through help with a trained individual you learn to shift your thinking and understand and honor your own self-esteem. You learn how to put support systems in place in order to change your eating habits and improve the way you feel about yourself. The good news is that behavior in your life is a choice and you have the choice to break the cycle. There is no quick fix to improve your self-esteem and remove your food addictions, but the process can be gentle and successful.
