On Food Junkies

Vera Tarman and Phil Werdell's new book Food Junkies is worth a read for anyone having difficulty staying on a food program or diet. They "categorize of  the corresponding behaviors of these conditions as problems that occur within the normal eating, emotional eating, and food addiction spectrums."

This book is worth a second read and a good study for any one who is new to the struggle against food addiction. 

What it all comes down to is that "food addiction" and "emotional eating" must be beat before problems of "normal eating" can be addressed. OK. They ignore all the temptation (low impulse control),  chemical physical conditions (hyperinsulinema, excess ghrenlin, stress issues), unrelenting cravings, irrational desires, baiting, willful overeating, and the like.  Fair enough, the book does not claim to address the obesity/general overeating problem.

It points to the usual suspects, sugars, wheat, gluten, dairy proteins and unnamed fats. It talks about the usual hormone suspects, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, insulin, leptin, D2 sensors. There is not much new here for the likes of me who has read most of there references. It is a wonderful summary for someone who has just realized that they could be a food addict. The take home is simple. "Quit eating any and all addictive foods." Ok, simple enough directions. Identification of the foods and doing it is not so simple.

Now the maladaptive behaviors of eating disorders next with the simple advise of fix the maladaptive issues with a proper solution/belief system or behavior. OK.