Food has been described as ambrosia and the elixir if life. For some, eating is a biological necessity for others it is a passion that can turn into an obsession. Experts define food addiction to be a disorder where the addict is preoccupied with food, the availability of food, and the pleasure of eating.

There are three recognized addictions:

1) Anorexia.

2) Bulimia

3) Overeating, where the addict has no control over the amount or the number of times he eats. The person has no concept of being overweight or the servings a person must eat normally. Being an overeater, the addict will indulge in uncontrolled eating binges. Being obese, the addict will be prone to hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, and cancer.

The most common health problems are obesity, alcoholism, diabetes, bulimia, food allergies, and food intolerance.

The signs that you are addicted to food are:

- Uncontrolled cravings for particular foods. Some are addicted to sweets, others to soft drinks, yet others to coffee.

- Continuous or frequent eating. No fixed meal times an addict will eat throughout the day.

- Sharpened hunger on consumption of specific foods.

- Anxiety attacks, feelings of nervousness, low sugar, a headache, stomach gripes and grumbles.

- Withdrawal symptoms.

- Fatigue.

- Extreme irritations.

- Intolerance to foods.

- Feelings of guilt at having eaten.

The very cornerstones to curing the addiction are to:

- Identify and avoid what are known to be trigger foods or drinks.

- Put into practice a diet that is nutrient rich, healthy, and helps maintain or loose weight.

- Make lifestyle changes. Adopt a healthier lifestyle and include plenty of fresh air as well as exercise.

- Focus on personal and spiritual development. Seek inner peace, calm, and joy. Practice meditation and deep breathing.

- Plan to have activity filled days to distract the mind from food.

Deters comment:
Good advice?
Sure, i think so.

very practical advice there.
Good to aim for living that way during the maintainance stage (i.e. onece the addiction been disempowered)

The last one is a very cognitive approach, and we all know that mind-over-matter techniques just dont hold under stress, don't we? But good little techique to be able to use once we are better and recovered and maintaining.

P.S. Sorry i cant remember where i read this, if you find the reference let me know and i will gladly add it.