Today on the Diet Culture Dropout Podcast we delve into a topic that is increasingly prevalent in our modern discourse: food addiction. The language around food addiction or feeling addicted to food is commonplace, often leading many to believe in the concept of food addiction. However, we will unpack this topic and explore how restrictions might be contributing to these feelings of addiction.

Listen to the full podcast episode here

Unpacking Food Addiction

Historically, there’s been significant research on food addiction. However, it’s important to question the lens through which we view it. A similar question to consider is: are we addicted to breathing? Are we addicted to blinking our eyes or sighing? These bodily functions, just like eating, are essential for life. Unlike substances or alcohol, which are non-essential and can be detrimental to our health, food is crucial for our growth, energy, and overall well-being.

Diet Restrictions and Their Impact

A major point of controversy is whether food addiction is real. Many studies fail to account for diet restrictions when examining food addiction. Dieting or fasting, such as before medical procedures, can intensify cravings and thoughts about food. Fasting triggers the brain to ramp up dopamine, the feel-good hormone, increasing the reward value of food, particularly highly palatable foods.

Interesting Studies and Findings

Several studies help illuminate this issue. For instance, one study on teens showed that prolonged calorie-deficient diets increased the reward value of food. Another notable study from Princeton University examined sugar addiction in rats. They found that by depriving rats of food for 12 hours before giving them access to sugar and rat food, the rats exhibited binge eating behaviors. However, when the rats had continuous access without fasting, there was no reported addiction.

Conditioning, Not Addiction

Another layer to this discussion is the role of learned conditioning. Holidays, for instance, often pair specific foods with celebrations—Thanksgiving with pumpkin dishes or popcorn with movies. This repeated conditioning creates associations in our brains. The famous Pavlovian experiments demonstrated this through dogs being conditioned to salivate at the sound of a bell, which was later deconditioned by not providing food after the bell sound. This suggests that what might appear as addiction could be conditioning instead.

Making Peace with Food

Research has shown that when individuals with compulsive eating behaviors are allowed to eat previously forbidden foods, their binge eating decreases. This principle of making peace with food is a core aspect of intuitive eating. Without restrictions, people’s reactions and connections to food shift. Habituation, the process of becoming accustomed to something new, also applies here—over time, new items or foods become less of a focal point.

In The End

If food addiction were plausible, it would mean we are addicted to something essential for life. However, much of what we perceive as addiction may be more about our conditioning and the restrictions we place on ourselves. When we lift these restrictions, we change our relationship with food for the better.

What are your thoughts on food addiction? Is it real, or is it a product of our dieting culture? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to send me a DM or reach out to Peacefully Nourished. Have an awesome day!

Let’s continue this conversation. Join us on our social media channels and share your thoughts. Together, we can build a healthier, more intuitive relationship with food.