What Causes Fast Food Addiction, and How Can I Break It?

Fast food addictions are common and lead to several health problems. Causes of food addiction include that it is palatable, attractively packaged, contains habit-forming substances and other factors.

Fast food addictions are common and lead to several health problems. Like other addictions, fast food addiction leads you to excessively consume substances you know are harmful to your health and general well-being. Despite names like "junk food" being used for such foods, their popularity endures. Unfortunately, habitually consuming fast food is associated with obesity, heart disease, blood lipid disorders, and other health problems. 

More than a third of Americans consume at least some fast food every day. Fast food addiction leads you to consume such foods, even when healthier options are available. Food addiction also causes you to continue eating when your nutritional needs have been met. 

So, what causes fast food addiction, and how can you overcome it?

Food that is served quickly in a restaurant or other outlet is generally called fast food. It is often available to take away so that you can eat it while walking, while on a bus or train, or even while driving. Fast food is generally quicker to obtain and cheaper than a meal at a traditional restaurant.

Most foods served as fast food are highly processed and rich in salt (sodium), fats, and sugar. Fast food outlets often offer meals that include a main dish, a side order of fries, and a soda. Such a meal is energy-dense and poor in nutrients. Any grains are usually refined instead of whole, and most fats are saturated fats. Sugar and salt content makes the food flavorful but also habit-forming.

Most fast food is highly processed and contains significant amounts of sodium (as salt), sugars, and saturated fats. The sugars may include fructose or sucrose. Processed sugar makes the food addictive and can be toxic to the liver and many other systems. 

A healthy diet can promote good health throughout your lifespan, but consuming highly processed food packed with sugar, salt, and saturated fats puts you at risk of several health problems:

• Obesity
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes
• Some cancers, including uterine cancer, breast cancer, and bowel cancer

Does food cause addiction at all? Caffeine is known to cause dependence in users, but food addiction is defined differently from some other substance addictions. 

If you have a food addiction, you are unable to reduce your eating despite wanting to do so and continue unhealthy eating patterns even after adverse health consequences. Similar to people with substance-use disorders, food addiction is associated with emotional instability and impulsive behavior.

Several factors contribute to fast food addiction:

• Fast food is very palatable.
• It is attractively packaged and presented.
• Fast food meals give the impression of being a complete meal, including a drink.
• Substances like caffeine and sugar are habit-forming.
• The high fat and salt content of fast food may also contribute to habit formation.
• Obese people are resistant to the hormones leptin and insulin, leading to disturbed appetite regulation.

Fast food triggers the reward system in your brain. This includes the release of dopamine, a potent chemical transmitter of the nervous system. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable feelings. Foods high in sugar, salt, and flavor trigger a greater dopamine release. People with food addiction have dysfunctional reward systems similar to those observed in the case of substance abuse disorders.

Fast food addiction may not meet all the criteria for true addiction and substance dependence, but foods with high levels of fat and refined carbohydrates are more likely to cause addiction-like eating behaviors.

Fast food addiction, like other addictions, is hard to break. You may need help from professionals. If your dietary habits are affecting your current or future health, you should talk to your doctor. Since food addictions sometimes coexist with disorders like anorexia nervosa or binge eating disorders, your doctor may refer you for psychosocial support and lifestyle modification programs to ensure you maintain your health and nutrition while overcoming fast food addiction.

The desire to break unhealthy food habits is an important first step. Here are some other steps that will help:

• Keep healthy food available. Buy plenty of fruit and vegetables when shopping. 
• Avoid foods packed with calories, salt, sugar, and saturated fats. Cravings may take place throughout the day, so a lack of tempting but unhealthy foods in your refrigerator can help you break bad habits. 
• Watch out for the cues that trigger your cravings, like television shows and advertisements, and do your best to avoid them if you are struggling with cravings. 

Your doctor may also prescribe treatment to control cravings, impulsivity, and withdrawal. Medicines like naltrexone and bupropion help treat binge-eating disorders and may be useful in cases of food addiction, too.

Governments around the world are making efforts to keep current and future generations healthy. Good nutrition is an important part of such efforts. A healthy eating pattern helps children grow well and prevents chronic diseases. Adults similarly benefit from healthy diets by reducing the likelihood of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and some cancers.

Some broader societal measures may help you in your effort to break the fast food habit:

• Increasing healthy food and beverage choices at workplaces and schools
• Adding healthy food options to vending machines and snack bars
• Establishing retail food outlets that increase access to healthy food options

Fast food addiction is an important cause of poor health. Such food addictions commonly obstruct behavioral weight loss programs. The first step in combating fast food addiction is acknowledging the problem. Getting help from healthcare experts and following their guidance can then help you break the habit and improve your nutrition and overall health.