Chocolate, Cheese, Meat and Sugar Are Addictive Foods

The strange thing is most people do not even know they have a food addiction.  Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances.

Here is a little quiz that might give you an insight as to your possible food addiction. The quiz uses the words cookies/sweets as an example – so you can substitute another addictive food in it,s place.

1. You believe you can “control” how many cookies you ingest, yet most times are unsuccessful.
2. You regularly have the thought that it is OK to eat sweets when ______ (blank) occurs.  (For me this was Date Night, birthdays, a weekend, I’m at my favorite vegan restaurant, my husband brings them home as a treat, etc.)
3. You make excuses for eating sweets, blaming it on people, places and things.  (“Oh, it’s only licorice – it’s fat free!”)
4. You start to become jealous of people around you who can eat sweets in a controlled manner.
5. You expect a reward for staying away from sweets.
6. You blame other people for all the sweets you eat.  (“My mother shouldn’t have let me eat all those sugary cereals growing up.”)
7. You hang out with other people who constantly eat sweets (thus making it seem okay for you to eat them as well.)
8. You begin to have an “I don’t care attitude” about all the sweets you eat, even though you know they aren’t good for you.
9. You deny it’s really a problem.  (“Compared to most people, I’m a health nut!  I don’t really eat that many cookies and sweets…”)

Did you come to the realization that you might have a food addiction? It may surprise you  that this questionnaire came from a  very credible drug and alcohol website; yes indeed, everywhere you see the word “cookies/sweets” in the quiz above, it originally said “drugs/alcohol.”

In this video Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food additions. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods.

The good news is that a plant-based diet is the solution to avoid many of these problems.

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Is it time for a Phony Baloney Sandwich ?

The quote came from this great article.

Feature image source.