Do you believe you can be addicted to 'junk' food?

Question

I want to cut down if not out, take aways, drive throughs, microwave meals etc, but not just the convenience, i really think i might be addicted. When im hungry i cant help but want mc donalds or a chinese or whatever. Do you believe in it, and if so, what can i do to re-train myself to eat and live more healthily??

Answer 1

You can absolutely become addicted to junk food. The best way to wean yourself off (if you don't think you can do it cold turkey) is to take out one bad thing each week. Start with the fast food. The next week, start cutting out the sugary snacks, maybe the next microwave meals. This will also give you some time to start hitting the grocery store to find more healthful foods for you. When you go to the grocery store, stay on the outside aisles of the store; they usually consist of the fruits/ veggie, fresh meats and deli aisles. The outside aisles usually consist of the least processed foods. Try new recipes and read labels. You can do it! You will feel SO much healthier!

Answer 2

I don't know about all junk food, but I definitely believe you can be addicted to sugar and processed foods (a lot of salt). In fact, I know for sure the very things your body doesn't process well or gives you a temporary food "high" are the very things you will crave. Just like an addict. Believe me, I know how you feel!! However, it is much easier to change your eating than you may think. So what to do? You will get a 1,000 answers. I honestly believe you have to set yourself up to win, not lose. If you never have quality food in the house or you keep "stashes" of junk around - you are setting yourself up to fail. Create an environment to win. Throw out the crap, buy some real food and learn to cook it. The hardest thing on earth it to change your ways, especially when your body tells you it "needs" junk. NO it doesn't - in fact, it takes just 21 days to create a habit. Create some good ones. Start small like - "I will eat two pieces of fruit a day" and then build from there - "I will eat my favorite Chinese food once a week, not every night". Make them positive things, not negative. Good luck and remember - one bad day does not erase all the good days. Keep going. You will be so glad you did.

Answer 3

I know what you mean, it can be just more convenient to get take-away. Don't have any for a week stick to cooking your own food. Have a menu for each day of the week and just buy the ingredients needed,after a while you will find you prefer your own meals and will not bother with T.A. fast food etc. try eat BEFORE you actually feel hungry, you will eat anything going if you've got hunger pangs.Also have a glass of water B 4 meal and during you'll be surprised how full you feel. Will save you money too.Good luck.

Answer 4

Yes i do believe that you can get addicted to junk food because of the amount of salt and sugar also caffine and nasty stuff in it.

Try opting for an healthier version of the junk food you eat like for example.... make your own burgers from the butchers not the junk burgers which lack in meat and loaded of addictives. Check the % of meat on the packages... if you buy them at the supermarkets.

ie. 35% pork in sausages... thats cheap and nasty stuff. Closer to 100% pork or meat is good.... try aim for over 60%.

Chinese - opt for boiled rice rather than fried.

It may be hard at first but change your eating habits slowly, one at a time and you will gradually change what you used to eat for healthier stuff.

Also get a hobby or exercising hobby such as say....roller blading, skipping, tennis, hill walking whatever that can help you take off your mind on junk food. Sweating out the nasty addictives will help (drink plenty of water).

Good luck.

Answer 5

I dearly love chocolate, but manage to give it up for Lent each year (I'm not even religious, I just do it to lose a few pounds I put on over Christmas). Just stop, cold turkey, you'll go mental for the first couple of weeks, but after that the cravings start to die down and after about 3 weeks or so you'll find that you don't really miss it anymore. Just make sure you eat really delicious tasty healthy food and you'll quickly get over your junk food cravings.

Answer 6

It is VERY addictive. It is high in salt (addictive), sugar (addictive) and fats (addictive) also usually they contain monosodiumglutamate (highly addictive).
Also they are often very delicious which makes them more appealing and therefore psychologically addictive. If you have something a lot then you are more likely to become addicted (I'm pretty sure I am addicted to tea!).
So yes these foods are addictive and not especially healthy. Try to only have one or two of these meals a week as a special treat.

Answer 7

Become a good cook and eat your own meals, seriously !!, i consider myself a good cook and i love eating my own food, which is normally good and healthy, and tastes better than any ready made meal.
Try making big pans of Chinese or Curry's, pasta or whatever?, and put whats left in the fridge or freezer, then when your hungry you have an instant source of good tasty food, plus most foods taste better when left in the fridge overnight.

Good Luck :-)

Answer 8

Yes[1]. Or body is programmed to give positve feedback to food. Sugar, being a high energy food-source generates a big pleasure response. That was appropriate for hunter-gatherers when sugar was rare (e.g. honey). However in today's processed food marketplace, sugar is everywhere and people with a heightened sugar response are faced with an inapproriate level of feedback.

Two bio-chemicals that deal with hunger/eating responses are leptin and insulin. "Circulating leptin levels give the brain a reading of energy storage for the purposes of regulating appetite and metabolism."[2] "Apart from [insulin] being the primary agent in carbohydrate homeostasis, it has effects on fat metabolism and it changes the liver's activity in storing or releasing glucose and in processing blood lipids, and in other tissues such as fat and muscle.[3]

To break the cycle of hunger/pleasure swings it's important to change what and how you eat. As a first step, check out the glycemic index[5] of the foods you eat and avoid easily/quickly digested sugars and starches. Avoiding foods with a high glucose index will help to control insulin swings.

Nuts (especially walnuts and almonds) make a good snack food for between meals. Eaten before a meal they will help to reduce appetite. Avoid fast-foods in general and high-carb snacks such as cookies, chips, pretzels, carrots, etc.

If you are greatly overweight, chances are that your leptin and/or insulin regulation is out of whack. It is important in this case to have medical supervision for any dieting. For the rest of us, a diet that addresses leptin levels[4] will typically help. As far as Leptin diets go, the Rosedale Diet seems to be a sensible one from what I've read, but you may find another that appeals to you more.

Answer 9

yes i believe in it because even though I take my lunch to work I still feel this urge to stop for fast food i fight it but it's hard, and the same on my way home even though I have food at home i gotta drive by ever fast food joint there is the temptation is so hard fight. I've been doing good but i must admit I do eat fast food once on Saturdays only cuz I hang out Saturday nights.

Answer 10

yes, you can be addicted to junk food (well, to me of course). since i know that i will be tempted to finish up the whole bag of junk food, i usually buy "fun pack" junk food. at least i am eating a smaller portion, and get the satisfaction that i finished the whole packet!!! hehehe...

another way is to share it with someone. share the food, share the fat!! :P

there are addictives in junk food. if not, most junk food producers will be out of business