Food Addiction

I've been thinking about addiction again. Specifically food addiction. I think it is most common addiction and plagues most people. However, it is rarely seen as addiction - "You have to eat right?"

A person in good health can go from 30 to 40 days before they begin to starve. However, let's not talk about the limits. Let's reduce it to 1 week. A reasonably healthy person can go one week without eating. The question is, "Can you?"

Most people I know can't go a few hours without eating something. I'm reminded of cigarette smokers who count down the seconds until they can light up again. Junkies waiting for a score.

But are you addicted?

If you do go a few days without eating you'll have withdrawal and feel the need to eat. This will become very strong. But here is the odd thing. A person will feel as if they are starving but in their minds they will turn up their nose as the thought of eating broccoli or cauliflower. No you want to eat cookies, a burger and fries, pizza - comfort foods.

But I'm so "hungry", I'm "starving"!

I think about those old cartoons where a person gets so hungry they eat a shoe. It's played for comedy but it contains a kernel of truth. If you are literally starving you'll eat anything. If it gets bad enough you might eat leather.

What most people associate as hunger is actually withdrawal cravings. True hunger feels similar to thirst. You feel it in the throat not the stomach. Very few of us have actually felt that.

I ask, "are you hungry or addicted?" Am I?