Food Addiction: Craving the Truth About Food | Andrew Becker | TEDxUWGreenBay

Andrew Becker discusses how the current food environment of today motivates us to consume until we are obese. We are evolutionarily primed to thrive in a food scarce environment with natural foods, but now face an endless supply of processed junk food that has the power to cause addiction.

[koynanath]

You know what's worse? You know you are craving for something which is unhealthy, you eat it like there's no tomorrow because you get excited, and then you regret and your mind is full of guilt after looking at that place which you just emptied. You look at yourself, your bloated stomach and face and scold yourself for doing it all over again. And when you talk about this problem about how hard you try not to, or in my case, how I am SCARED of eating food because I'll gain weight, they either judge you for whether you are going through some ED or just for fun, call you overdramatic.
Idk I just had to say this here because I guess I'm not the only one who goes through this mental battle with my own mind and other people's mind😔😔

[ThePeacefulResistor]

Unfortunately, the focus of the food industry is not to provide a healthy, quality food supply. The main focus is profit. And just like any drug dealer knows, addiction is the best way to maximize profits. It is pure economics.

[mychannel]

Honestly feels so good to know I’m not alone.. my food addiction made me gain 100lbs.. I was able to lose it but still battle with it everyday and gained about 20 back it’s seriously an everyday battle..foods on my mind almost 24/7

[patriciawalters]

The AMA says food addiction is not real. 50 years ago they said opioids were not addictive. They were wrong about that, too.

[dpesca]

I have ended my relationship with processed foods, it is hard, but worth it.

[shopmycloset]

I’m addicted to unhealthy food, and idk how to quit, when I’m stressed or have anxiety I eat way more then when I’m calm and feeling good. I’ve lost 50 pounds from cutting back, and now I’m back to where I started...

[Danielprobably]

Food addiction is actually a new concept to me. I have battled and quit drinking and smoking cigarettes cold turkey with a few relapses of course but this addiction has honestly been the hardest to face and hardest to even recognize. Anyway I’m going to battle this addiction and win because I know I’m stronger than my appetite and I’m more motivated to change this pattern than I ever have been since my cigarette addiction has been beat. This was a great video and I appreciate what you said and how you said it.

[ShadowOfRainbow]

I always felt that food addiction to me is even more difficult to deal with than other addictions, because you can't just stop eating...

[zanolino]

Like any addiction, food addiction is both physical and emotional and it has been my lifelong struggle. However, what helped immensely combat my food addiction was first significantly reducing my sugar consumption. I am more into savory foods than sweets but for some time I had been consuming lots of processed sugar and my body was asking for more and more. I had very challenging withdrawal symptoms for the first 2+ weeks but later it became easier. Hadn't I made a sacred oath, I do not think I would have had enough will power to restrain myself.
I did not eliminate sugar completely but have reduced my consumption by 90%. To indulge my sweet tooth, I eat fresh and baked fruits, figs, prunes, and some other dried fruits but in small quantities. I use pure vanilla extract, cinnamon, date paste/sugar, and occasionally honey to sweeten my low sugar desserts or lemonade. I do not use artificial sweeteners. Sometimes I use stevia, monk fruit or a combo of monk fruit and erythritol. Very rarely I would also eat a regular dessert. That alone was not enough but made my transition to the next phase smoother.


After I normalized my sugar cravings, I shifted my diet to eating 90% of time unprocessed foods - mostly vegetables (fresh, baked, cooked, fermented), tubers, mushrooms, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, fresh fruits, some dry fruits, homemade yogurt, occasionally some wild fish and grass-fed meat and cheese. Different kinds of bread and pastry are my weakest point so I try to eat them only occasionally and/or in small quantities. I also do intermittent fasting (12-21 hours, usually 16hours daily) and during my refeeding periods I have 2-3 defined meals and do not have any food or caloric drinks in between. I also started doing alternate day fasting where you eat every other day after roughly 36 hours. I do it sometimes once a week or a few days in a week.
When I do eat, I take my time to finish my meal to give my brain sufficient time to register the fact I am satiated rather than eating fast and therefore, possibly overeating. I usually chew my food and rarely drink smoothies. I usually finish my last meal at around 5-7PM, but very occasionally later, too. I did not prohibit myself from ever eating some processed foods but it will be more an exception rather than a rule. I try to set and stick to optimal times and foods but do not stress if I divert occasionally from them when I find it appropriate. It is life. You should be able to enjoy indulge yourself from time to time, you should not feel you are in a prison serving a life sentence. But the next day just go back to your good eating habits and if you wish, you can also compensate a little bit by fasting. Fasting helps curb your bad food cravings.


What is interesting is that I eat significantly less now yet feel much more satiated. I do not count calories. I eat until I am satiated. It does not take much power of will or the constant struggle to make healthy food choices or not to overeat, it just comes much more naturally now. I do not have to resort to making a sacred oath to restrain myself or do much restraining at all! My cravings have changed as well. While I would still definitely enjoy some cake, etc. now I find myself craving more real and unprocessed foods. Even during times of stress and emotional upheavals, my appetite does not increase as much. I used to feel as a bottomless pit.
It is not always totally effortless to make good food choices especially since there is food at every corner and food is an important part of our culture, however, it has become significantly easier and more natural even only after just 2 months of such diet.
My relationship with food has changed for the better and it is not a relationship of struggle anymore but of symbiosis. I used to feel that food was in control of me. It was such a devastating feeling to feel weaker than a piece of bread that cannot move, speak or point a gun at you and yet, it does its bidding. I felt very strong and in control in all areas of my life except when facing a piece of food. I was in a vicious circle. Now I feel more in control and without a lot of effort on my side. I realized now I was not weak or without character, I was eating wrong foods which made my body and brain demand more bad foods and perpetuate the vicious circle.

This is what has been helping me. Please share your revelations. I wish all people find their way to breaking out of their vicious circle and as importantly, never return to it. If you tried to break out of it and did not succeed or you did but the vortex sucked you in again time and time again, do not lose the confidence, do not comfort yourself with more wrong foods, embrace it as a learning experience, do not be too hard on yourself, understand that you are not your addiction and that not every bad choice you made was always and really entirely just yours or what you really wanted. Do not beat yourself, be understanding to yourself but do not pity yourself either. Pick yourself up and help your body help you make choices that are really yours not of your addiction which rides on dopamine, insulin and leptin resistance, bad sugar-craving bacteria in your gut and all psycho-emotional struggles that precede and/or follow the food addiction. Have faith in yourself. A great fighter is not just the one who always wins effortlessly but also the one who falls down but gathers the strength to get up and continue fighting.
The curve of progress does not have to be linear, in fact, it more often varies between constant rise and fall, but as far as you are learning from those falls and continuing to fight, in the long run the curve will show an upward trend. Knowledge, power, self-love, good luck and health to all of us!

[leinas_sandbox]

Its funny that a few hundred years ago, obesity was a sign of wealth- some extra pounds showed people that you could afford meat and food, while the working class was eating whatever they could manage to grab, and now its completely changed. Now, fast food is cheap and eating "healthy" and organic natural foods are expensive, so that contributes to problems as well. I wonder when that massive shift happened?

[brittaniecrum]

I thought it was going to be just another lecture on how to eat, but he had some very compelling research and really knows the struggle, good talk.

[samanthagoeller]

Nice presentation, Andrew! I really liked how you equated telling an overweight person to go on a diet/eat healthier on their own with telling someone who's addicted to drugs or alcohol that they need to reduce their use. It just won't work. I've never heard it stated that way before, but it makes a lot of sense and really puts food addiction into perspective as what it is -- an addiction.

[IAmTheRealJoker]

Ive been vegan now 6 months because of health issues, never felt better. I was addicted to junk food. 25lbs later gone and I am a new man.

[myadanco]

Food is fuel! It's so easy to fall off the wagon and crave all the junk food. I've struggled with food my whole life.

[xoxoNicholeLove]

This makes me so sad yet relieved to find out why I am the way I am. Knowing this knowledge motivates me to make a change.

[Lovelyminidonuts]

Food is me. I am Food. Working two jobs has really made it worse. Food addiction real man. It’s crazy

[georgewatkiss]

Addiction is a consequence of living in a more society and never being enough.

[MrWessel]

This is huge issue. This is the real epidemic we need to deal with.

[Leroybaby]

My first ted talk, I needed to hear this. Thank you!

[phoebec]

I needed this confirmation, because I am bombarded every day with ads for bad food.