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Though eating is one of our basic needs that need to be met, the need to eat can go much further than a basic biological need. We no longer eat only what our bodies need but we eat to fill emotional voids, we eat to socialize, we eat at fancy restaurants to be inspired, and we eat for the pure pleasure of it. This is why each culture has a different palate of foods and cooking is now an art form. Restaurants do exceedingly well world wide and food has become a great topic of conversation over the years. Currently there is also a much larger issue that a surprising number of people deal with and it is known as food addiction.

Food addiction is characterized by an incontrollable impulse to binge on food. Those addicted have varied eating patterns and display different “symptoms” of this disease. Overall they tend to eat faster than normal and continue to eat excessively even when they are full . Food addiction is a type of eating disorder, but unlike bulimia or anorexia, a food addict does not feel guilt after eating, it only makes them feel good. Food addiction can be compared to a drug addiction because food addicts actually get a type of high from eating, it makes them feel so good that they continue to do it day after day. Another comparable aspect of food addicts to drug addicts is that if a food addict does not satisfy their craving they often suffer from headaches, nausea, and irritability. Although there is no one factor which can be pinpointed as the specific cause of food addiction, it is more likely caused by emotional problems such as depression or anxiety.

Just like any type of addiction, food addiction can affect your health in many ways. Being a food addict can be extremely hard on your emotional state and many need to seek help to stop their destructive behavior. There are a number of food addict recovery programs available such as www.foodaddicts.org which is a support group for those who have tried other ways to deal with their food addiction but have not found anything that has worked for them.