How does food addiction work?

Those cravings that you may be feeling at night or simply when you see food passing by, may be telling you something more than a simple “eat me!”.  Cravings are thought to be triggered by areas of the brain responsible for memory and pleasure. Which creates an addictive cycle of eating to feel good. That is, food addiction. Memory areas in the brain are responsible for associating a specific food with an emotional response. This gives that food a new meaning and creates what is known as “emotional hunger”. When our body is healthy, it sends normal hunger signals that invite you to eat healthy food. But when the microflora is out of balance – a condition called dysbiosis – the natural functioning of our intestines is damaged. As this imbalance grows and a high sugar or yeast environment is created, our bodies will respond stronger to anxiety. And we will very easily eat even more foods of this type. It is also very important to know that some foods have opioid effects. What they do is they trigger a short chemical response in the body to make us feel good. Some famous opioids are heroin or morphine. However, our bodies can produce substances that function very similarly in the form of endorphins. Foods like gluten, when digested, produce peptide fragments that can also act as opioids, called gluten exorphins. That’s why we sometimes feel like our heads are foggy after eating bread, cakes, and pasta. Casein is a protein found in dairy products that, when partially digested, produces a peptide that acts as an opioid calledcasomorphin. And well, even junk food like chips have these types of effects. Although they are not as strong, they are one of the main reasons why we can’t stop eating them or the reasons why our cravings get the better of us. The interesting thing here is that while in one sitting you can finish a bar of cheese, a bag of chips or an entire cake, it is somehow related to what could be a strong addiction.   ** But also, those cravings could be asking you for something more. Something that maybe isn’t as sugary or greasy. If you feel ridiculously strong cravings, it is most likely a call from your body to eat better and even check yourself It could be a symptom of a nutritional imbalance! When you feel this urge, take a moment and pay attention to your body.