Wish I'd said that

Submitted by Michael on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 11:04

I spend a lot of pixels trying to describe food addiction, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not. I just found this on the website of Promis, a treatment center in Britian, and found it clear, direct, and brief:

Food addiction is the use of food substances and processes for mood-altering effect rather than primarily for nutrition and culinary pleasure. Some foods (sugar and refined, white, flour) have a mood-altering effect so that they act as a drug in some people although not in others. Some processes (bingeing, starving, vomiting or purging) also have a mood-altering effect in some people. Remarkably, they feel temporarily relieved of stress when they indulge in these behaviours. The relief may not last long but the memory of the relief does last and therefore the behaviour is repeated.

 There's more; check it out.

I wish I'd said that

Submitted by Ron on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 12:34.

The above definition of food addiction, while it does describe food addiction it also describes the behavior of "normal" people.  Many of these people "... use of food substances... for mood altering effect rather than primarily for nutrition and culinary pleasure."  At least in my opinion.

Speaking at Commonwealth Club

I will be speaking on the topic of food addiction at the Commonwealth Club of California, the oldest public affairs forum in the country, on Feb. 28. I'll be joining a fabulous panel of researchers and clinicians: Nicole Avena of Princeton and the University of Florida, Eric Stice of the Oregon Research Institute, Vera Tarman of Renascent Center of Toronto, abd Elissa Epel and Andrea Garber, both of the University of California at San Francisco. I am very excited to be part of the roster, not to mention to be appearing at such a great institution. Ticket information here; if you come, please stay afterward to say hello.

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