How to Identify Food Addiction

Food addition is a serious compulsive disorder where people force themselves to eat either too little or too much. Food addiction may take different forms: starving oneself, eating an excessive amount and then vomiting, or simply overeating. Seek professional help if you identify food addiction in yourself or someone you know.

Instructions

• 1

  Observe whether the person is obsessed with thoughts of food. A food addict gains pleasure from the anticipation, availability, or eating of food. The addict may also be obsessed with the amount of food he eats.

• 2

  Determine whether the person eats when anxious, disappointed, worried or stressed. A food addict may be anxious about her eating, and that results in more eating. Overeating also leads to feelings of guilt.

• 3

  Find out whether the person hides food, invents plans to eat alone or hides his eating. A food addict may do any or all of these. He may also become angry if someone eats the food he has hidden.

• 4

  Notice whether the person avoids food. Some who suffer from food addiction see food as harmful, or as something to stay away from. They may always have a reason why they are not eating, or the way they talk about food may provide clues that they view it negatively.

• 5

  Consider whether the person is preoccupied with gaining weight. The food addict struggles a great deal with her body image. She may continually try a new method of weight loss, including self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, amphetamines, excessive exercise or fasting.