EATING DISORDERS, FOOD ADDICTION, AND ULTRA-PROCESSED FOOD DEPENDENCY: Defining the Problem - Finding the Solution

Food Addiction and Ulta-Processed Food Dependency are diseases typified by loss of control over the ability to stop eating certain foods. Scientifically, food addiction is a cluster of chemical dependencies on specific foods or food substances. After ingesting highly palatable foods, such as those containing significant amounts of sugar, flour, excess fat, and/or salt, some people’s brains crave these foods. In addition, the more processed a food or substance is, the greater its addictive potential. Over time, the progressive eating of these foods distorts a person’s thinking and leads to negative consequences they do not want but cannot stop. What follows is a description of these phenomena and how they are like and different from eating disorders. Further, the book explores the utilization of a substance abuse treatment model as it applies to recovering from these addictive and compulsive disorders.