Food Junkies

, I finally asked myself, what price was I willing to pay for peace of mind?

There is good news. Abstaining from problematic foods does not have to be a hardship. Instead, you will experience a freedom from obsession as well as all the negative consequences of addiction.

you see yourself as a food addict you must treat your trigger foods as a drug. The most successful treatment for any drug addiction, from alcohol to drugs to food, is abstinence from the trigger substance. Our addicted brain — whether it is so for genetic, psychological, or even environmental reasons — is wired to crave more as soon as even the smallest amount has entered our system. Like a flame igniting kindling, trigger foods ignite a fiery and voracious appetite that makes us want to eat, eat, eat.

Books such as The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet, by Dr. Mark Hyman, who is himself a recovered food addict, can also be helpful.

believe that the diets proposed by the low-carb, or paleolithic diet communities are fairly sound. They are ideal for food addicts or anyone who would like to follow a healthy diet free of addictive foods. Most of these meal plans encourage a protein-rich, vegetable-based diet that contains a moderate amount of fat for satiety.[17]

Dr. Avena’s Why Diets Fail

often takes food addicts years to develop the sort of full-blown addiction that has them hugging the toilet or calling in sick the next morning. It’s a gradual, but insidious, progression from one lump of sugar in their coffee to four, or from a few bites of candy to a supersize bag

Food addicts on a tear consume large quantities in a short time. To be clear: achieving this involves not just overeating — consuming a bowl of potato chips or plate of cookies — but wolfing down the entire bag or box and then going out and buying

three more for the night. Under these conditions, food addiction is just as virulently addictive as alcohol and drugs.

If food addicts could smoke or inject sugar, food addiction would be on the same playing field as cocaine or heroin.