Food Addiction

This week, the President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) is taking part in a vote that would recognize food addiction as a genuine condition with biological triggers such as those that are associated with alcohol and drug addiction.   I have believed that some people can become addicted to particular foods for several years and am encouraged by these proceedings.  The following quotes are from the Wall Street Journal, April 5, 2011 article, "Food May Be Addicting For Some", by Kevin Helliker:

"A new study suggests that people who struggle to say no to chocolate, french fries or other junk food suffer from something more insidious than lack of willpower: They may actually have an addiction."
"The publishing of the study comes at a time when American psychiatry is wrestling with whether to regard pathological eating as an addiction akin to alcoholism.
Skeptics note that the brain's reward centers are designed to light up at the promise of food, because food is necessary for survival. Those centers also brighten in some cases at the thought of whiskey or cocaine, they said.
Moreover, skeptics note that food addiction less commonly results in the consequences that characterize drug addiction—stealing, negligent parenting and deteriorating workplace performance.
"The skeptic's position is that drugs are uniquely powerful reinforcers that hijack the brain's reward center," says Michael M. Miller, a Wisconsin psychiatrist and board member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Calling himself "middle-of-the-road" on the issue of food addiction, Dr. Miller said ASAM will vote this month on a policy change that would embrace food addiction—among other compulsions—as a genuine addiction."

I see the arguments that the skeptics have put forth and have a real problem with them.  Compared to drugs, food is a very low-cost addiction, thus the lack of behaviors such as stealing to "maintain one's habit."  Food addiction is a more insidious habit because it is entirely socially acceptable to buy and eat even copious amounts of the most unhealthy foods.  You also won't see negligent parenting or deteriorating workplace performance resulting from food addiction since overeating does not generally impair one's judgment like drugs and alcohol can do. 

I intend to follow up on the results of next week's vote.  And I will let you know what the results are.  I am keeping my fingers crossed!   : )

Tonight, I made Better 'n Beef Bourgignon again for dinner, this time with Seitan instead of Portobello mushrooms, and it was even better than it was before.   The Seitan absorbs the flavors of the wine and other ingredients beautifully and the texture was very "meat-like".  I supplied a photo of it in the right hand column of this Blog (just below the Blog Archive). 

I hope you all have a nice weekend.  Until next time, happy and healthy eating!