![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/files\/2012\/02\/foodaddiction.jpg\")
<\/a>Latoya Young<\/strong> Many persons stuggling with weight issues should know that their love of food may actually be a food addiction according to www.foodaddictionsummit.org.<\/p>\n The summit, held in 2009 defined\u00a0 food addiction as the uncontrollable craving for excess food. Due to those uncontrollable cravings, a food addict\u2019s quality of life deteriorates when he or she eats sugar, flour or wheat. Many food addicts are obese and have tried numerous methods for weight control including diets, drugs, surgery, etc., yet no permanent solution has been developed.<\/p>\n However, some food addicts do not become obese. Their physical weight is controlled by extreme measures such as excessive exercise, purging through vomiting or laxatives (bulimia), or the severe and unhealthy limiting of food substances(anorexia). No matter which version of food addiction fits you, all of these symptoms become more severe with time and eventually lead to physical problems that can create an early and sometimes painful death.<\/p>\n A food addict\u2019s social life is also affected by intense obsessive thinking about food. Making eye contact with people and taking an interest in developing friendships or intimate relationships become secondary to locating and eating addictive foods. Food addicts often hide or steal foods and eat in secret.<\/p>\n According to WebMD.com, people who are addicted to food tend to display many of the characteristics of drug addicts and alcoholics. Food addicts develop a physical, mental, emotional craving and chemical addiction to food. The characteristics of food addicts can include: Chelsey Turner, a freshman mass communications major from Jackson, Miss. said, \u201cI think people can be addicted to food. Some people like to overindulge. Most of the time it\u2019s not just the taste of food but the sight of food.\u201d<\/p>\n Ebony Lazare, a freshman psychology major from Opelousas, La., said, \u201cI think that people can be addicted to anything. The same thing that leads to addiction to alcohol and drugs can be the same for food.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Latoya Young Staff Writer Many persons stuggling with weight issues should know that their love of food may actually be a food addiction according to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_plus_post_options":"{}","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nStaff Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Being obsessed and\/or preoccupied with food.
\n\u2022 Having a lack of self-control when it comes to food.
\n\u2022 Having a compulsion about food in which eating results in a cycle of bingeing despite negative consequences.
\n\u2022 Remembering a sense of pleasure and\/or comfort with food and being unable to stop using food to create a sense of pleasure and comfort.
\n\u2022 Having a need to eat which results in a physical craving.
\nSeveral options are available in the treatment of food addiction. These include consulting a nutritionist, doctor, psychologist, counselor, or eating disorder specialist. In addition, 12-step groups such Overeaters Anonymous (OA) have meetings in many regions or online.
\nSome tips for avoiding bouts of compulsive eating include:
\n\u2022 Knowing which situations trigger your cravings, and avoiding them if possible
\n\u2022 Drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day
\n\u2022 Exercising
\n\u2022 Relaxing with deep breathing exercises or meditation
\n\u2022 Trying to distract yourself until the compulsion to eat passes<\/p>\n