8 Surprising Habits That Trigger Overeating And Junk Food Addiction
Overeating and junk food addiction are interrelated habits that can negatively impact your health. Here’s a breakdown of both:
Overeating
Overeating simply refers to consuming more calories than your body needs. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
- Emotional eating: Using food to cope with stress, anxiety, boredom, or other emotions.
- Mindless eating: Eating without paying attention to hunger cues or how much you’re eating. This can be common while watching TV, working at a computer, or socializing.
- Eating too fast: Not giving your body enough time to register that you’re full.
- Lack of sleep: Sleep deprivation can disrupt hormones that regulate appetite, making you hungrier.
Signs of overeating:
- Feeling uncomfortably stuffed after meals
- Frequent bloating
- Weight gain
- Avoiding social situations because of shame or embarrassment about eating habits
Junk food addiction
Junk food, also called highly processed food, is typically high in sugar, unhealthy fats, salt, and artificial flavors and ingredients. These foods are designed to be hyper-palatable, meaning they trigger the brain’s reward system, making you crave them more.
While occasional indulgence is normal, junk food addiction is characterized by a compulsive need to consume these foods, even when you know they’re bad for you.
Signs of junk food addiction:
- Cravings for unhealthy foods that are difficult to resist
- Binge eating on junk food, even when you’re not hungry
- Feeling guilty or ashamed after eating junk food
- Difficulty controlling how much junk food you eat
- Withdrawing from social activities to eat junk food
How they are connected
Overeating and junk food addiction often go hand in hand. Junk food’s high sugar, fat, and salt content can trigger the brain’s reward system, leading to cravings and overeating. Over time, this cycle can become addictive.
Here’s an illustration of the reward system cycle: