If someone is struggling with food addiction, it means that they have developed an obsessive and compulsive desire to keep eating food irrespective of the negative effects.

Like other forms of addiction, someone addicted to food will have some cravings for some specific foods. If they don’t have access to them, they experience some withdrawal symptoms.

When it comes to food addiction treatment, counseling can be effective in helping individuals deal with food addiction. Here are some important roles that counseling has to play in treating food addiction.

Helps to uncover the root of your addiction

When people are addicted, they are not usually aware of the origin of their addiction, and this is why they may not understand the extent of their problem.

During counseling, you will learn the root cause of your addiction, and you will be exposed to the fundamentals of addiction. Additionally, you will learn about your triggers, and how you can take preventative methods when it comes to addiction.

Provides treatment options for food addiction

It is important to mention that there are a number of treatment options to help with food addiction. Based on the peculiarity of your addiction, the counselor’s responsibility is to use your diagnosis to suggest the right treatment option for you.

Some of the therapies that are effective in dealing with food addiction are Cognitive behavioral therapy, Dialectical behavior therapy, Nutritional counseling, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, etc.

Proper monitoring and accountability structure

When an addict is receiving treatment for food addiction, they might relapse when there is no proper follow-up system. Or they might not be serious with treatment when they are not accountable to anyone.

With counseling, addicts have someone that will be present from start to finish. They might have to report to the counselor and give progress reports from time to time.

Support system during addiction recovery

Having a counselor during addiction recovery provides support, even when the family and friends of the addict are not available. The counselor motivates the recovering individual to keep putting in their best so that they can become sober.

Many people don’t know that food addiction exists. This is because food provides a rewarding effect on the brain that makes it difficult for you to know if you are addicted or not. It is interesting to mention that food addiction has a similar operation to other types of addiction.

To treat food addiction, here are some treatment tips to get started:

• Spot the trigger foods

Not all foods can get you addicted. Hence, it is up to you to identify those foods that can cause addiction. All you need to do is create a list of those foods so that you can know what you’re dealing with.

• Make your research

Food addiction can occur in different ways across a population. However, you need to know how people are dealing with it in their ways.

From your research, you can know the common signs of food addiction so that you will know what to look out for. Researching food addiction will keep you informed on how it would play out so that you will know how to seek help.

• Identify healthy meals

It is important to know the meals that are beneficial to your health and the foods that you should stay away from. Generally, you should stay away from processed foods, foods high in fats and sugar should be avoided except according to the dietician’s instructions.

• Speak with your dietician

Your dietician should be your best friend if you want to keep food addiction at bay. It is easy to see a dietician who would help you create a food timetable containing the meals you can take that are considered safe and healthy for you.

• See an addiction counselor

An addiction counselor is important in helping patients break free from addiction. When you discover that you are struggling with addiction, you can reach out to an addiction counselor to structure a treatment plan for you.

Good nutrition is an essential aspect of health and development. The World Health Organization advises that good nutrition is good for all ages as it helps to reduce the chances of diseases and boosts longevity.

The problem that occurs when it comes to nutritional health is, many people don’t know how to eat the right way. This is large because they are not armed with the right information.

In this piece, we’ll be revealing some essential nutritional tips that you can apply

• Take enough water

One of the hacks to sustaining good overall health is by taking enough water. You can control your body weight and prevent obesity simply by drinking a sufficient amount of water.

Taking water can also keep you hydrated and make your organs function the right way. Not everyone might prefer taking plain water, so it can be taken in other forms like juice, water, etc.

• Take less sugar

We need sugar in our diet but taking it excessively is disadvantageous. Always look out for your sugar intake and ensure it is in the right proportion. You can discuss with your dietician how to ensure you don’t exceed the normal sugar intake.

• Don’t take too much-processed food

Much-processed food can increase the chances of coming down with diseases. To avoid this, we are advised to eat food that doesn’t have many processed ingredients.

• Take fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables should be a compulsory inclusion in your diet. Before you eat them, wash them thoroughly because they might harbor some germs that can make you ill.

Many of the foodborne illnesses come from fruits and vegetables that were not washed. Fruits and vegetables contain lots of minerals and vitamins that have a pivotal role to play in our health.

• Reduce alcohol intake

Someone who takes alcohol excessively is at risk of coming down with addiction which can affect different aspects of physical and mental health over time.

Almost everyone loves junk foods and one of the reason is because of the pleasant taste of satisfaction it gives. If some people were given the chance, they will prefer eating junk foods as regular meals instead of home-cooked meals.  

One thing you need to know about junk foods is, they have low nutrients and they contain much calories from fats, sugars and starch. Due to this composition, they have little or nothing to offer when it comes to improving your health.

It is crucial to mention that junk foods is all inclusive, it refers to snacks, drinks and a host of others

Here are some negative effects of junks to your health:

• Weight gain: Junk food makes you gain weight faster than normal food, and this could cause obesity in the process. Junk food tastes very good, so it is normal for you to always have cravings for them without bearing in mind that they are not the best for your health.  

• Learning and memory problems: A published study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who took only junk food for five days, had a poor performance when given cognitive tests that measured mood, speed and attention.

With this study, it was concluded that junk foods have a way of deteriorating your memory. The reason for this is, a poor diet causes some chemical reactions that induces inflammation in the hippocampus part of the brain that is responsible for learning and memory.

• Poor appetite: When you take more of junk food, you lose the appetite to eat home-cooked meals and this is a great disservice to yourself. The habit of eating junk food is similar to drug addiction when you have only cravings for drugs instead of home cooked meals.

There are other disadvantages of eating junk foods and certainly, it is correct to say that there are less merits than demerits of eating junk foods. One of the chronic causes is, too much junk food can lead to mental health problems like depression.

Good nutrition has an impact on your health and quality of life. It is typically easy to differentiate someone who observes good nutrition with someone who does not pay attention to their nutrition.

It is important to keep track of your nutrition so that you can observe and maintain a healthy lifestyle

• Reduces the chance of developing health problems: When you observe good nutrition, there is a huge chance that you will reduce the chances of developing some ailments that could adversely affect your health.

Some of these common ailments are diabetes, obesity, heart disease and hypertension. To increase your chances of remaining healthy, it is important to observe a healthy diet.

• Healthy weight: The fact is, anyone who is overweight is not living healthy. Also, if you eat more processed food instead of natural food, there is a high chance for you to be overweight and eventually obese which is not good for your health.

It is vital to note that your weight has a big influence on your overall health and lifestyle. So, if you can control it effectively, you have a big shot at living a very healthy life.  

• Increase in Energy Levels: Have you ever wondered why you are weak sometimes, and it is hard for you to perform some conventional tasks? One of the reasons could be because you have not been feeding properly.

It would be best for you to fuel your body with nutritious food that will supply a great bulk of energy than junks that give short bust of energies which dissipates in the shortest possible time.

To be able to carry out your daily routine effortlessly, you need good food to achieve this.

• Immune system boost: A good nutrition is one of the ways to give your immune system a great boost. And when your immune system is sound, you will be able to fight off a good number of ailments that would have typically knocked you down.

Observing good nutrition is a great choice to make because it does not just affect a part of your body, it affects every single organ and part. So, the actions you take determine how healthy you will be.  

Food is necessary for our survival, and it is an essential for our wellness. Asides the fact that food serves as a source of enjoyment and pleasure, food also provides sustenance.

There is also a gratification which food gives via smell, texture and taste. However, for some people, food addiction can be as worse as being addicted to drugs or alcohol.

For people who are suffering from food addiction, they are addicted to food which are extremely rich in sugar, fat and salt. Foods in this category usually trigger chemical reactions in the brain which produce feelings of gratification.

This reaction is compared to the response an addict who is addicted to alcohol and drugs would experience.

Food addicts rely on the pleasurable feelings which are gotten from taking certain foods, which requires a need to eat even when there are no feelings of hunger, thus resulting in a vicious cycle.

As the individual continues to eat food which produce pleasurable feelings, they over eat, and they take beyond what is needed for a balanced nutrition and satisfaction.

This can result in physical, social and emotional consequences which are unpleasant for the individual. If you have someone who is struggling with food addiction, you should be aware that there are lots of implications which could result in that aspect of their lives.

If food addiction is not tended to, it can destroy a person’s life gradually, producing both chronic and damaging symptoms. When you have a good idea of how food addiction affects the various aspects of your life, you will be motivated to seek help.

Below are some of the effects which comes with food addiction:

• Malnutrition
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Headaches
• Stroke
• Osteoporosis
• Kidney and Liver disease
• Impaired sex drive
• Reduced self-esteem
• Depression
• Panic attacks
• Suicidal tendencies
• Anxiety
• Sadness

Food addiction help requires you to seek appropriate help and care. This would enable you to get the resources which would be quintessential in solving your addiction problem.

One of the major causes of obesity, is food addiction, making a good number of children overweight. Children who are overweight usually have “Energy Imbalance”. This suggests that they take in more calories than they use when they are undergoing any physical activity. Hence, they gain more weight, or they have weight which is higher than the conventional healthy state.

These children might not be affected by any emotional issues which influences their overeating. Their weight could come down to a healthier weight range, if they are tutored on how to eat healthy, and the benefits. Hence, they would be more physically active.

However, those who are suffering from emotional eating patterns, could have a degree of depression. Hence, the child might be eating more food than usual, as a means to catering for their emotional needs. For instance, the child could use food to bring himself comfort, he could also use food to control his mood, and feel better whenever he wants to.

Teaching your children about the gains of eating healthy is advantageous, because it helps them to have a good relationship with their diet. Children who take in too much food, are at risk of coming down with health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and the likes.

However, it is quite hard to keep them from it because of the advert for junk food which is dominating the media.

For you to prevent food addiction, there are some steps you can take:

• Make healthy snacks handy: Always ensure that your child takes healthy snacks, such as vegetables, cheese and fruits. Always keep them in areas where your children can easily reach them.

• Do not keep junk at home: Since you do not want your children to eat junk food which could make them addicted, then it is essential that you do not bring it into your home. However, it does not imply that you make it totally absent in your home.

• Never bargain with junk food: One mistake which parents often make is, they use junk food to bargain with their children, for them to eat healthy food. This should not be the case. It is however better to encourage them to eat more of healthy food.

GETTING OVER YOUR FOOD ADDICTION

Addiction is simply the uncontrollable overdo that is put into practicing an act or taking a substance. All forms of addiction, whether behavioral or substance, all ends up in unhealthy living and adverse mental conditions. Substance addiction that refers to drugs, food, alcohol and many others are some of those that develop rapid effect on the addict.

Considering how dreadful and catastrophic the outcomes of food addiction can be, getting over it should be of top most priority and importance to the addict. However, the case is not always like that, because addicts often feel ashamed of their addictions and then keep them secret from people who can help them.

Causes of food addiction

Remedies to addiction are not always one-way directional; not all addictions are treated the same way. Most times, the environment and the people around a person could lead one to becoming addicted to food. When you tend to have people who are mentally or emotionally disturbed, who do not have the interest in checking out or getting involved in recreational activities. Persons like that could become indolent and decide to full up the time of being idle with anything. The choice of food may seem to be the best choice because eating could be a bit interesting at times.

Aside for the environmental factors, bad parenting could also be a cause. Some parents believe that they always have to satisfy their children, whatever it takes, regardless of what they ask for. In their quest of always satisfying their wards, they may find food to be always pleasant in making their kids feel good about themselves and about their parents as well. Gradually as the children grow up they may become addicted to eating, since that is what they were trained with.

Therapeutic relief from food addiction

There are methods that you can access by yourself in combating our food addiction; some of such methods are getting friends and family to know about it, procuring addiction literatures, and having an intentional desire to stop. If the addiction is still in a preliminary state, outpatient rehab could be considered for treatment.

Outpatient rehab is not available for home treatments, therefore there would be shorter treatment session, but it is still suitable for tender addictions recovery. Other extreme addictive conditions should do well to take an inpatient rehab, in other to get the best treatments for and for longer sessions.

In getting rid of food addiction, try to fix yourself up with meaningful and adventurous activities. Those idle times that are spent on food, should be diverted to things that are more rewarding and profitable.