Top 8 Addictive Foods and how to Banish Food Cravings Once and for All

Food addiction typically doesn’t develop overnight. We get accustomed to unehalthy eating habits whether its junk food consumption, late night eating, or just plain and simply eating more than what's good for us. It can take months or even years before we realize we have a problem, often only noticing it because other health conditions arise like obesity, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, skin conditions, digestive troubles.

Its important to understand that certain foods and behaviors trigger addictions and overeating. Avoiding these problem foods and behaviors will improve our health, promote healthy weight loss, and give us a sense of empowerment and control in our lives.

It feels wonderful to be "in control" of our desires.

Below we will list common trigger foods and how to escape the addiction trap we find ourselves in.

Sugars, processed carbs, animal proteins, and salty fats fire off signals in the brain rich with dopamine and serotonin which keep the brain craving more.

A 2018 study showed that, compared with equally caloric foods containing only fat or only a carbohydrate,  those made with both ingredients activate the striatum, a part of the brain’s reward center that is implicated in addictions.

The most habit-forming foods typically had two things in common—a high-fat content and a high glycemic load, meaning they spike your blood sugar quickly after ingestion. Foods with a high glycemic load tend to be rich in sugars and refined carbs.

Researchers at the University of Michigan studied addictive-like eating in 518 people.

All participants received a list of 35 foods, both processed and unprocessed.

The results below detail which foods were the most addictive.

1. pizza (4.01)
2. chocolate (3.73)
3. chips (3.73)
4. cookies (3.71)
5. ice cream (3.68)
6. french fries (3.60)
7. cheeseburgers (3.51)
8. soda (not diet) (3.29)
9. cake (3.26)
10. cheese (3.22)
11. bacon (3.03)
12. fried chicken (2.97)
13. rolls (plain) (2.73)
14. popcorn (buttered) (2.64)
15. breakfast cereal (2.59)
16. gummy candy (2.57)
17. steak (2.54)
18. muffins (2.50)

Foods that are very high in fat and processed carbohydrates don’t exist naturally. Packaged processed foods are designed by food scientists in a laboratory to be addicting, so that we crave these foods and buy more. 

Foods to Avoid If you Suffer from Food Addiction & Overeating

 1) Coffee- 

Although certain coffees have health benefits (I'm not talking about Starbucks coffees loaded with sugars or boxed milk), there is no question that coffee consumption contributes to food addictions. Coffee drinkers tend to eat more, because people mistake caffeine withdrawal for hunger.

In a sense coffee is like a drug it causes withdrawal symptoms. Better to reach for a healthy herbal tea or freshly squeezed grapefruit juice in the morning.

2) Cheese

Cheese is very condensed, it's like milk on steroids. The high fat content in cheese plus the high casein content can trigger serious addiction in some people. Casein is a protein which breaks down into compounds called casomorphins during digestion. Casomorphins can attach to the same brain receptors as opioids, triggering a small release of dopamine and creating a feeling of pleasure, leading to cravings for more.

Cheese + processed Carbs like the white flour dough in 99% of pizza equals major problems. Hence why pizza is so addicting.

3) Sugar & Artificial Sweeteners

Its quite clear that foods sweetened with sugar especially highly processed sugars made from sugar beets (including white and brown sugar) trigger a blood sugar high causing addiction.

However what most people might not realize is that artificial sweeteners are addicting and actually cause more weight gain than regular Sugar!

Artificial sweeteners can be hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, which can cause a surge of dopamine in the brain.

Artificial sweeteners can be hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, which retrain our taste to crave more and more sweets.

A study found by Whitehouse et al. (2008) found that the sweetness of artificial sweeteners can be as addictive as cocaine because in the act of eating sweet foods, the body stimulates dopamine in the ventral striatum, the area for reward and learning when sweet foods are eaten. Bellisle and Drewnowski (2007) state that artificial sweeteners are 100-13,000 times sweeter than sucrose.

Three studies by Swithers, Martin, and Davidson (2010) displayed that people have difficulties losing weight while using artificial sweeteners. The first study by Swithers et al. (2010) concludes that rats that are fed the artificial sweetener saccharin gain more weight than rats that are fed glucose, a natural sugar!

4) Meat Chicken & Fish

Addiction to Animal Protein is a growing problem due to the popularity of the keto diet and other carb free diet. These diets are detrimental to health when followed long term and many doctors who where staunch promoters of the keto diet had to backtrack and modify their carb free diets to incorporate more carbs, some even backtracked entirely promoting carb rich diets. had to modify their approach to incorporate more carbs.

Fish is a particular problem , as I believe that MSG is injected into fish, along with red dye to make salmon look nice and pink, and fish are exposed to pharmaceutical drugs in water.

Sushi is very addicting as MSG is a common additive in Japanese cuisine. MSG is also present in high levels in Soy sauce.

I have personally seen many kids addicted to sushi, because of the MSG.

Contrary to public opinion fish is not a health food.

Avoid cheeseburgers, fried meat or chicken, the combination of oils/cheese and animal protein is very addictive.

If you are over 40 or suffer from a chronic health condition, best to avoid animal protein. However, if you do not have a chronic health condition, then best to consume meat without added oils or cheese. Boil meat or chicken in water with some spices added for flavor, make a soup (do not add prepared spice soup mixes which are full of MSG and chemicals).

5) Chocolate

Chocolate is incredibly bitter, so chocolate makers add a ton of sugar and fat to make it palatable. The combination of fat and sugar trigger addiction.

6) Salt- Avoid common table salt

Salt consumption releases dopamine causing addiction. We need salt but it depends which type.

Avoid common table salt , stick to high mineral salt like high quality sea salt or better yet try our Alkaline Bamboo Salt which is a mineral powerhouse

7) Soft Drinks

Soft drinks are full of high fructose corn syrup (ADDICTIVE) or artificial sweeteners both of which trigger addiction and weight gain.

8) Processed Carbohydrates

Processed carbohydrates are considered addictive because they rapidly raise blood sugar levels triggering a surge of dopamine causing food craving. 

Avoid white flour, all pastas (very easy to overeat pasta), white breads, fluffy breads, packaged cakes, processed foods. 

Almost all packaged and processed foods contain white flour or addictive additives like sugar, table salt, or artificial sweeteners, or "natural flavors" which could be chemicals to enhance flavor which ultimately trigger addictions.

Only eat true 100% wholegrains. 

If you’re determined to overcome food addiction for good, it’s not only crucial to avoid trigger foods, but also essential to focus on eating nutritious, wholesome foods.

Adopt a diet rich in low GI whole grains Kamut and Einkorn (no processed or refined carbohydrates), buckwheat, healthy fats like real  Heirloom Olive Oil  and avocadoes, and plenty of fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables.

It is very hard to get addicted to Fruits and green vegetables, especially raw fruits and vegetables which have a high fiber content and have a lot of bulk, meaning they are incredibly filling, they also contain very hgh water levels, which means that a very high portion of what you are eating is just water, and you wont gain weight.

Incorporating low glycemic index foods into your diet can be particularly beneficial. These foods release glucose slowly into the bloodstream, preventing spikes in blood sugar levels, thus preventing the quick dopamine releases which fuel addiction.

Bread was a staple food since Biblical times for a reason. If made properly, bread has the potential to contain up to 70% of your daily nutritional needs. Unfortunately most of the commercial breads out there are toxic. Avoid the addictive properties of most breads and instead opt for ancient grain wholegrain Breads.

To learn more about our special Ancient Grain Einkorn breads click here

If you’re determined to overcome food addiction for good, it’s not only crucial to avoid trigger foods, but also essential to focus on eating nutritious, wholesome foods.

Adopt a diet rich in low GI whole grains Kamut and Einkorn (no processed or refined carbohydrates), buckwheat, healthy fats like real  Heirloom Olive Oil  and avocadoes, and plenty of fresh and cooked fruits and vegetables.

It is very hard to get addicted to Fruits and green vegetables, especially raw fruits and vegetables which have a high fiber content and have a lot of bulk, meaning they are incredibly filling, they also contain very hgh water levels, which means that a very high portion of what you are eating is just water, and you wont gain weight.

Incorporating low glycemic index foods into your diet can be particularly beneficial. These foods release glucose slowly into the bloodstream, preventing spikes in blood sugar levels, thus preventing the quick dopamine releases which fuel addiction.

Bread was a staple food since Biblical times for a reason. If made properly, bread has the potential to contain up to 70% of your daily nutritional needs. Unfortunately most of the commercial breads out there are toxic. Avoid the addictive properties of most breads and instead opt for ancient grain wholegrain Breads.

To learn more about our special Ancient Grain Einkorn breads click here