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Food Addiction and what to do about it

Updated: Jan 17

What is a food addiction?


Food addiction is a complex and controversial concept that refers to a condition where individuals have an uncontrollable desire to eat certain foods, even when they are not hungry and despite negative consequences to their health, relationships, or overall well-being.

It can be described as:


“ A compulsive relationship with food”


“An inability to control consumption of sugary, fatty or junk food even though you know it's bad for you”


“ A loss of control of eating habits"


messages about being out of control

Some characteristics often associated with food addiction include:


  1. Cravings: Intense cravings or urges to eat specific types of foods, particularly those high in sugar, fat, or salt.

  2. Loss of control: Difficulty controlling the amount or frequency of food consumption, even when there's a desire to stop or reduce intake.

  3. Continued use despite negative consequences: Continued consumption of problematic foods despite negative effects on physical health, weight, mental well-being, or relationships.

  4. Withdrawal symptoms: Some individuals may experience withdrawal symptoms when attempting to cut back or abstain from certain foods, such as irritability, anxiety, or mood swings.

  5. Tolerance: Over time, individuals may require larger amounts of food to achieve the same level of satisfaction or pleasure, similar to how tolerance develops with substance abuse.

  6. Preoccupation with food: Spending a significant amount of time thinking about food, planning meals, or engaging in behaviours related to obtaining or consuming food.


People with food addiction may often blame themselves for over-eating. However, it is important to remember that as with other addictive behaviours, this compulsion is driven not by a lack of willpower, but an overstimulation of the reward centres of the brain


Food Addiction and the brain

Food addiction affects the same areas of brain as other addictions, and involves the limbic system. Processed junk foods have powerful effect on reward centres of the brain. Three neurotransmitters are involved in food addiction:


Dopamine – the chemical of ‘want’

Serotonin – the chemical of ‘satisfaction’

Endorphins – the chemicals of ‘stress and pain relief’


Sugar, refined carbs and combinations of fat, sugar and salt act on release of all three chemicals. The consumption of these foods leads to feelings of happiness, euphoria and pleasure.


diagram of the brain

Food addiction is a neuro-chemical effect which lead to a vicious circle:


  1. We crave sugary/fatty foods,

  2. This leads us to feel compelled to eat the craved foods

  3. This leads us to feel good/happy/relaxed

  4. We then get withdrawal symptoms,

  5. This leads us to crave sugary/fatty foods again to make us feel better

Eventually…. we develop tolerance and need more of craved foods to satisfy reward centre, which is ADDICTION



Foods associated with addiction

The foods most associated with addiction are usuallyhighly processed foods, which are high in sugar, refined carbs and fats, as shown below:


chart of foods associated with addiction

Taken from 'Food Addiction in Application to Obesity Management' by Reuben De Almeida, MD, Geetha Kamath, MD & Peminda Cabandugama, MD . Science of Medicine, July/August 2022


What to do if you think you may have a food addiction


You may already recognise you may be suffering from food addiction. The first thing you might choose to do is use a tool such as the UNCOPE screening tool which was developed by the food addiction expert Bitten Johnson which is shown below.


unscope screening tool by Bitten Johnson

A score of two or more indicates that you have some issues with your relationship with food, and a score of 3 or more is suggestive of food addiction.


What to do next


  1. If you have a score of 3 or more on the UNCOPE screening tool, acknowledge to yourself you have a food addiction

  2. Remember this is a neuro-chemical problem not a will power problem!

  3. Make an honest inventory of the foods that you are unable to eat in moderation, the ones you crave - these are your trigger foods


Generally, if you have even a small bite of your trigger food, a binge or some food issue that you are unable to control typically follows


Trigger foods will need to be removed


Recovery comes when we abstain from trigger foods


Removal of trigger foods can be undertaken in two ways a step-by-step approach or by going cold turkey and removing all the foods at once:


table showing how to remove trigger foods from the diet

How to prepare the removal of trigger foods


Set a start date  - choose a fortnight when you don’t have any big commitments, social engagements etc. and not a holiday as you will need distractions

Go through cupboards, fridge, freezer and give away/bin trigger foods

Re-stock fridge, freezer, cupboards with green list foods

Discuss with family or housemates

Weight loss - don’t worry about weight loss whilst you are making this change

Plan your eating, especially in the beginning


Stocking up

It's important to make sure you have plenty of foods you can enjoy in the house when you're giving up your trigger foods - you need to have plenty of alternatives available so you don't feel hungry. Foods you might want to have in the house include:


list of healthy foods to have in the home

Plan your meals

Plan to eat three good meals per day unless you previously ate two meals per day

Eat real nutrient-dense food, home-made wherever possible

Plenty of good quality protein at each meal – aim for 30g minimum

Breakfast - pay particular attention to your first meal of the day. Start the day with good quality protein and healthy fats, and that will keep you feeling full and satisfied

Try and avoid snacks – or if you do get hungry choose high protein, low carb snacks


If you choose to go cold turkey

There may be a period of adjustment  when cutting out sugar and carbs as your body gets used to changes in the diet -  this is normal. Initial side-effects can include:


  • Feeling tired - as your body no longer has ready access to glucose and has not yet adapted to burning fat for fuel

  • Headaches & flu-like symptoms Dehydration/leg cramps or fall in blood pressure

  • Constipation

  • Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) – especially if on medications to lower blood sugar, e.g metformin – see your GP to adjust medication

How to avoid initial side-effects


  • Drink plenty of water – good hydration is very important and helps prevent headaches and constipation

  • Increase salt in your diet - If you don’t have high blood pressure. When insulin is high salt is retained by kidneys, when insulin is low, less salt is retained. Do not add salt to your diet if on blood pressure medication or have high blood pressure

  • Magnesium supplement  - may reduces risk of cramps and constipation

  • Gentle exercise only - no vigorous exercise during transition period

  • High blood pressure medication - may need to ask GP to review dosage


If you experience side effects for more than 2 weeks, you may need to see your GP to check you have no other health problem


If side-effects problematic -  you may need to slow down transition and make dietary changes more gradually – i.e change one meal at a time

a sleepy cat

Healing your addicted brain


Recovery from a food addiction will take time, it takes more than the removal of trigger foods. The brain has been used to the getting the highs from eating sugar/carbs, due to the release of dopamine, serotonin, endorphins linked to eating these foods.


Experts in the field of food addiction tell us that it is helpful to find other ways of feeling good and balancing our neurotransmitters or we might succumb to our old food addictions again.


”The cornerstone of recover is developing and sustaining new habits of nutrition and other behaviours that help balance your brain chemistry over time”

Jen Unwin from 'The Fork in the Road' book


Here are some ways to stimulate the release of neurotranmitters through other activities:


  1. Increasing Dopamine - the chemical of 'want'


infographic on effects of dopamine on behaviour

2. Increasing oxytocin - the hormone of closeness

Oxytocin is a hormone and a neurotransmitter and linked with bonding, reproduction and childbirth. It may have a role in appetite suppression. Higher oxytocin is linked to lower susceptibility to substance use disorders and has antidepressant and anti-inflammatory effects in animals.

list of natural ways to boost dopamine

3. Increasing serotonin - the satisfaction neurotransmitter

We can increase serotonin by eating foods rich in Tryptophan and by activities such as exercise.


infographic showing foods that boost serotonin

4. Increasing endorphins - stress and pain relief

Endorphins reduce pain and can produce feelings of euphoria and boost mood. There are a number of ways to boost endorphins, including:

  • Exercise – e.g ‘runner’s high’

  • Meditation

  • Laughter – people shown comedy post-operatively have less pain and anxiety

  • Random acts of kindness – volunteer, donate to food banks

  • Music – listening or performing

  • Spicy food – is thought to trigger a release of endorphins


Dealing with cravings


However well you prepare it is likely that you may experience cravings for your trigger foods, especially early on or when you are feeling stressed or tired. Here are some tips about how to handle such cravings:


  • Talk about them out loud – to yourself or others – ‘Oh I’m really craving X… I wonder why’ or ‘what has triggered this craving – is it hunger or am I upset about something?’

  • Have a hot or a cold drink

  • Take a short walk or make yourself do 10 sit-ups., or some other physical activity to distract yourself

  • If you are hungry eat a meal based on protein and fat

  • Tell yourself that each time you are resisting a craving you are re-wiring your brain – put a £1 in a box and save up for a treat

  • Message or ring someone supportive – you could set this up in advance

  • Avoid looking at TV cookery shows or reading recipe books or looking at social media that may contain your trigger foods



Finally, if you fall off the horse....get back on!

Going off track is part of recovery – you learn along the way!


If you have gone off track, consider what happened and why, and how you might avoid it happening again:

  • E.g were you in a situation where there were poor food choices, e.g you were travelling. If so, next time you might take your own food with you

  • E.g - were you in a social situation, which made turning down a piece of cake difficult? Think about how you felt physically & mentally having eaten the trigger foods again- sluggish? grumpy? had a headache?


Forgive yourself and make a plan to avoid the same circumstances next time


Get straight back on track straight away – don’t wait until Monday morning!


line drawing of man mounting a horse

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CINNAMON DAYS CIC

Company number: 14343512

Cinnamon Days CIC is a community interest company, which is a not-for-profit organisation. Cinnamon Days CIC provides benefit to those who are disadvantaged as a result of chronic metabolic health conditions, and provides support for people with ME/CFS, Long Covid and Fibromyalgia

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