Causes And Cure Of Food Addiction

Thursday, July 12, 2012, 15:36 [IST]

Eating is important but overeating is unhealthy. When you get addicted to some foods, you tend to eat more than required, and this ultimately affects your body. Food addiction can be with any variety of a cuisine. It can be towards rice, wheat, corn flakes, bread, cheese etc. Apart from food craving, there are few addicted people who eat more that the required amount. In short, food addiction is a disorder where the intake of excessive food is very high. This compulsive habit of overeating is not something usual. The addiction towards eating is similar to drug or alcohol addiction. So, it is important to cure food addiction before you get affected by it physically and emotionally. But, what causes this food addiction?

Causes

There is no specific cause behind this addiction. It can either be through genes (passes through generations) or because of consuming some foods excessively to enjoy its delicious taste. In many cases, the cause behind food addiction can be childhood negligence. When the child overeats, parents do not consider it dangerous and this habit turns into a disorder in the later years.

Treatment

Acceptance: Firstly, you have to accept that you are suffering from food addiction. The treatment to this disorder can only start after you admit and decide to cure it! By accepting, you motivate yourself to come out of the disorder easily.

Planning: When you have accepted that you are a food addict, you have to find means to get over the addiction. Plan out a schedule. List down some nutritious and healthy foods that can help you stay fit. Make sure the amount of food in your meal should be 2-3 times less than what you used to have before. If you eat the same amount of food, you cannot get over this disorder. So, include limited amount of nutritious foods in your diet. Consult a nutritionist to help decide the amount of food you should have per meal.

Implementation: After acceptance and planning, you have to stick to whatever you have decided. To cure the foods addiction, eat less food, control cravings, workout regularly and only stick to 3 meals a day. If you have cravings, prefer munching a handful of nuts instead of eating chips or fried snacks. Nuts are rich in fibre and filling too.

Try these ways to cure food addiction. If you have a family history, you can prevent this disorder by controlling on the food consumption. Overeating is a bad habit and unhealthy for your body!