Processed Food Addiction

Obesity and eating disorders have stubbornly refused to respond to treatment since the 1990’s. This book organizes the evidence for a possible answer, i.e., that the problem could be one of addiction to processed foods. In a Processed Food Addiction (PFA) model, concepts of abstinence, cue-avoidance, acceptance of lapses, and consequences all play a role in long-term recovery. Application of these concepts could provide new tools to health professionals and significantly improve outcomes. This book describes PFA recovery concepts in detail. The material bridges the research into practical steps that health professionals can employ in their practices. It contains an evidence-based chapter on concepts of abstinence from processed foods. It rigorously describes PFA pathology according to the DSM 5 Addiction Diagnostic Criteria. It applies the Addiction Severity Index to PFA so that health practitioners can orient themselves to diagnosing and assessing PFA. It contains ground-breaking insight into how to approach PFA in children. Because the book is evidence-based, practitioners can gain the confidence to put the controversy about food addiction to rest. Practitioners can begin to identify and effectively help their clients who are addicted to processed foods. This is a breakthrough volume in a field that could benefit from new approaches.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the #1 bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Salt Sugar Fat, the troubling story of how food companies have exploited our most fundamental evolutionary instincts to get us hooked on processed foods. Everyone knows how hard it can be to maintain a healthy diet. But what if some of the decisions we make about what to eat are beyond our control? Is it possible that processed food is addictive, like drugs or alcohol? Motivated by these questions, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss began searching for answers, to find the true peril in our food. In Hooked, Moss explores the science of addiction and uncovers what the scientific and medical communities--as well as food manufacturers--already know, which is that food can, in some cases, be even more addictive than alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs. Our bodies are hard-wired for sweets, so food manufacturers have deployed fifty-six types of sugar to add to their products, creating in us the expectation that everything should be cloying; we've evolved to prefer convenient meals, so three-fourths of the calories we get from groceries come from ready-to-eat foods. Moss goes on to show how the processed food industry has not only tried to deny this troubling discovery, but exploit it to its advantage. For instance, in a response to recent dieting trends, food manufacturers have simply turned junk food into junk diets, filling grocery stores with "diet" foods that are hardly distinguishable from the products that got us into trouble in the first place. With more people unable to make dieting work for them, manufacturers are now claiming to add ingredients that can effortlessly cure our compulsive eating habits. A gripping account of the legal battles, insidious marketing campaigns, and cutting-edge food science that have brought us to our current public health crisis, Hooked lays out all that the food industry is doing to exploit and deepen our addictions, and shows us what we can do so that we can once again seize control.

Drawing on her experience in addictions treatment, and many personal stories of recovery, Dr. Vera Tarman offers practical advice for people struggling with problems of overeating, binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia. Food Junkies, now in its second edition, is a friendly and informative guide on the road to food serenity.

Breaking the Cycle of Yo-Yo Dieting is Hard...Too many people blame themselves for having no willpower when it comes to staying on a diet or food plan. After they have surrendered to the desire again and the cravings kick in, they pass through the well-known cycle of a binge, finally emerging, determined not to ingest processed foods again.Processed Food Addiction Is a Disease That Can't Be Controlled by Willpower. The reality is that an ever-growing number of people may be suffering under the weight of an addiction-a processed food addiction-without knowing it.Author Karren-Lee Raymond, PhD, is an internationally recognized practitioner, researcher, and pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of processed food addiction. She knows that until the addict is aware that their craving is a disease, they are in its control. In Processed Food Addict: Is This Me? Why You Can't Stop Eating Junk Food and How to Permanently Break the Cycle of Yo-Yo Dieting, Bingeing, and Starving, Dr. Raymond provides evidence that an addiction to processed food is just as insidious and deadly as every other kind of addiction.Dr. Raymond contends that a processed food addiction is an addiction just like alcoholism, and is a disease rather than a behavioral disorder. This is in direct contrast to the current models of treating food addiction in the same way that gambling is treated. In Processed Food Addict you'll discover that Processed food addiction is an incurable disease, that willpower is NOT the answer, and there is a solution.Processed Food Addict: Is This Me? sheds light on the reality of the insidious nature of a processed food addiction, and it engages with readers so they learn more about this subtle disease that is taking shape under so many disguises.

Processed Food Addiction Is a Disease That Can't Be Controlled by Willpower Too many people blame themselves for having no willpower when it comes to staying on a diet or food plan. After they have surrendered to the desire again and the cravings kick in, they pass through the well-known cycle of a binge, finally emerging, determined not to ingest processed foods again. "I lost twenty pounds four months ago, but now it has all come back." Breaking the cycle of yo-yo dieting is so hard. The reality is that an ever-growing number of people may be suffering under the weight of an addiction--a processed food addiction--without knowing it. Author Karren-Lee Raymond, PhD, is an internationally recognized practitioner, researcher, and pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of processed food addiction. She knows that until the addict is aware that their craving is a disease, they are in its control. In Processed Food Addict: Is This Me? Why You Can't Stop Eating Junk Food and How to Permanently Break the Cycle of Yo-Yo Dieting, Bingeing, and Starving, Dr. Raymond provides evidence that an addiction to processed food is just as insidious and deadly as every other kind of addiction Dr. Raymond contends that a processed food addiction is an addiction just like alcoholism, and is a disease rather than a behavioral disorder. This is in direct contrast to the current models of treating food addiction in the same way that gambling is treated. "William Silkworth, MD, laid the philosophical foundation for Bill W and Dr. Bob to create Alcoholics Anonymous, the very first Twelve Step group. Karren-Lee Raymond, PhD, has opened the door for all those lost in the disease of processed food addiction. Perhaps now, even those who came to scoff will find peace of mind and a new way of life."--Donald J. Kurth, MD, MBA, MPA, Chief of Addiction Medicine (Retired), Behavioral Medicine Center, Loma Linda University; Past President and Distinguished Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine In Processed Food Addict you'll discover that Processed food addiction is an incurable disease You are not alone Willpower is NOT the answer There is a solution You CAN be released from this deadly obsession Processed Food Addict: Is This Me? sheds light on the reality of the insidious nature of a processed food addiction, and it engages with readers so they learn more about this subtle disease that is taking shape under so many disguises. Begin reading this cutting edge book to discover if you, or someone you love, may be a processed food addict.

A fact-filled guide to coping with compulsive overeating problems by an experienced addictions doctor who draws on many patients’ stories of recovery. Overeating, binge eating, obesity, anorexia, and bulimia: Food Junkies tackles the complex, poorly understood issue of food addiction from the perspectives of a medical researcher and dozens of survivors. What exactly is food addiction? Is it possible to draw a hard line between indulging cravings for “comfort food” and engaging in substance abuse? For people struggling with food addictions, recognizing their condition — to say nothing of gaining support and advice — remains a frustrating battle. Built around the experiences of people suffering and recovering from food addictions, Food Junkies offers practical information grounded in medical science, while putting a face to the problems of food addiction. It is meant to be a knowledgeable and friendly guide on the road to food serenity.

This book analyzes the scientific evidence for the addictive properties of food. It covers of all subjects pertinent to food and addiction, from basic background information on topics such as food intake, metabolism, and environmental risk factors for obesity, to diagnostic criteria for food addiction, the evolutionary and developmental bases of eating addictions, and behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, to the clinical, public health, and legal and policy implications of recognizing the validity of food addiction.

Compulsive Eating Behavior and Food Addiction: Emerging Pathological Constructs is the first book of its kind to emphasize food addiction as an addictive disorder. This book focuses on the preclinical aspects of food addiction research, shifting the focus towards a more complex behavioral expression of pathological feeding and combining it with current research on neurobiological substrates. This book will become an invaluable reference for researchers in food addiction and compulsive eating constructs. Compulsive eating behavior is a pathological form of feeding that phenotypically and neurobiologically resembles the compulsive-like behaviors associated with both drug abuse and behavioral addictions. Compulsive eating behavior, including Binge Eating Disorder (BED), certain forms of obesity, and ‘food addiction’ affect an estimated 70 million individuals worldwide. Synthesizes clinical and preclinical perspectives on addictive eating behavior Identifies how food addiction is similar and/or different from other addictions Focuses on the underlying neurobiological mechanisms Provides information on therapeutic interventions for patients with food addiction