A food addiction is any condition which is characterized by an obsession with food. It does not have to be a need to eat so much as a need to control food consumption. Some of the common conditions that are characterized by a food addiction are anorexia, bulimia, and obsessive/ compulsive disorder when it is directed at food. Recognizing a food addiction is the important first step in overcoming it and here are ten signs of food addiction.

Signs of Food Addiction

Here are ten early warning signs that you or a loved one might have a food addiction:

• Obsessive thoughts about food.
• Eat to deal with worry and stress.
• Eat until feel sick, especially when worried or stressed.
• Feelings of anxiety while eating, which lead to more eating to cope with the anxiety.
• Overeating just because food is available.
• Speed eating. Eats very fast to be able to eat more.
• Eat all of a food item even when full, i.e. Just has to eat the last chip.
• Feelings of guilt over amount of food consumed.
• Dieting is followed by periods of overeating.
• Sees food as something harmful and avoids it.

If you or your loved one display one or two of these sings, it may not be a food addiction. Displaying three or more of these signs is a very good reason to seek help from a health-care provider or a mental health specialist. You or your loved one may only need to arm themselves with the right coping mechanisms in order to be free from food addiction.

Food Addiction: The Body Knows: Revised & Expanded Edition

Food addiction is a major problem in developed countries where food is so readily available and where body image is crucial to self esteem. Unfortunately, the very thing that sustains us can become our worst enemy.