How Carbs Can Trigger Food Cravings

Research has shown that certain foods affect the brain in very specific ways as noted in a New York Times.com blog. We in the field of eating disorder treatment have always suspected that high-sugary, high-fatty foods, the kind binge eaters eat most, have a nutritionally addictive quality, not just an emotionally addictive component. These types of foods activate parts of the brain involved in reward and pleasure.

In people with addictions of any kind, such as alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping and cigarettes to name a few, the reward and pleasure center, called the “mesolimbic dopamine system”, is activated and makes one especially susceptible. The mesolimbic dopamine system is a driving force that can create desire for high-sugar and high-fat foods.

Binge eating and emotional eating or grazing are addictive and have the same effect on the brain. Our book “Overcoming Binge Eating For DUMMIES” dives into this controversial topic by breaking down the reasons why bingeing is addictive with specific strategies to overcome it.