Is Junk Food Addictive?

As a board certified Addiction Medicine specialist I was compelled to respond to this question. I work with many individuals who are greatly impacted by all types of addictions.

Most think of addiction in terms of alcoholism, drug or sex addition, but as the issue of obesity increases across the world, it is important to take note that food can be just as addictive. It has long been determined that junk food is unhealthy, but there is sufficient evidence to support that unhealthy eating can affect your brain. Yes, those potato chips and candy bars can alter your brain in ways you never imagined.

The inability to resist certain foods may lead to feelings of lack of control or enslavement to eating, which is in fact what an addition is: enslavement to a habit.

The key to curing food addiction could lie in the balancing of neurotransmitters in the brain. When these are out of balance, you may feel depressed, anxious, angry, etc. Your brain will start telling the body that it needs more, and you will crave foods that will directly affect those neurotransmitters. A great example of this is sugar. When serotonin levels are low, many people will crave something sweet.

There are some healthy ways to curve your sugar cravings. One I strongly support is exercise. Daily exercise can raise your dopamine levels, increase your mood and reduce sugar cravings. Staying well hydrated is another way to protect your brain from imbalances. When eating, a good choice is to reach for naturally sweet foods, such as fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Eating regularly throughout the day (3 meals and one snack) will also reduce cravings.

Here is a list of foods which can help your dopamine levels:

Chicken
Fish
dairy products
almonds
avocados
bananas
legumes
soy products
pumpkin
sesame seeds

If you are starting to get the sense that you are losing control over your food and your food is controlling you, you may want to look into natural addiction therapy.

Using an integrative medicine approach, you can provide your brain with the substances it needs to restore normal brain functioning, often without the use of prescription medications.