5 Signs You May Have Sugar or Carb Food Addiction

This week, we want to talk about something that affects so many people, yet is so often misunderstood: ultra processed food addiction, sometimes called sugar addiction or carb addiction.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle with overeating foods like chocolate, chips, biscuits, takeaway pizza and even bread, please know you are not alone-and you are not to blame.

Ultra processed foods are engineered by the food industry to be irresistible. They are packed with added sugar, refined carbohydrates, fats, and salt, designed to override your natural hunger signals and keep you coming back for more. They are designed to give the maximal dopamine response and make your brain light up like a Christmas tree. The problem is the more you have, the more you want-like an insatiable thirst and an itch that can never be scratched.

The fault here lies not with you, but with a system that profits from our struggles.

Recent research, including studies published in Frontiers in Psychiatry and Nutrients, shows that up to 20% of adults may experience ultra-processed food addiction. The signs often mirror those of other recognised addictions.

Here are five signs to look out for:

#1 Loss of Control Around Ultra Processed Foods

Do you find it nearly impossible to stop eating certain foods, even when you’re full or have promised yourself you’ll cut back? This is not a lack of willpower. These foods are designed to make you lose control. Remember the Pringles ad. “Once pop, you can’t stop”.

#2 Intense Cravings and Preoccupation

Do thoughts of certain foods take over your mind, making it hard to focus on anything else? These cravings are a direct result of how these foods are engineered to hijack your brain’s reward system. Many people refer to this as “food noise” and some people are more susceptible to food noise than others. This includes people with trauma, ADHD, and neurodiversity. There is a likely relationship with the gut microbiome.

#3 Eating Despite Negative Consequences

Do you keep returning to your “chosen food”, even when you know it’s affecting your health or mood? You know it's making your gut ache or putting up your blood sugars, yet you feel powerless to stop. The food industry spends billions to make sure you do-they want you to keep coming back, no matter the cost to your wellbeing.

#4 Withdrawal When Cutting Back

Have you noticed irritability, headaches, or low mood when you try to cut out these foods? These are real withdrawal symptoms, similar to those seen in other addictions, and they are a sign of just how powerful these foods can be.

#5 Hiding or Feeling Shame About Eating Habits

Do you ever eat these foods in secret, or feel guilty afterwards? Feelings of guilt, shame, or self-loathing often follow episodes of overeating. You might also eat to manage negative emotions, using food as a source of comfort or to relieve stress, only to feel worse afterwards.

Please know this is a common response to a system that sets you up to feel this way. The blame lies with the industry, not with you.

These signs are adapted from validated tools such as the Yale Food Addiction Scale and criteria for substance use disorders, which have been used in recent research to assess ultra-processed food addiction.

If you see yourself in these signs, remember-you are not weak, broken, or lacking discipline. This food is purposely designed to be overeaten.

Healing begins with understanding, self-compassion, and skills. Willpower is not enough. Learning skills to manage this addiction is vital

We use the DEM framework to manage sugar addiction, and we teach this in our programs, including the 12 week Mind Body Rebalance

• Dial down dopamine
• Enhance emotional regulation
• Memory makeover

The next round starts in a week, and doors are now open for enrolment!

With love and great health

Dr Lucy and Dr Mary XX

P.S. If you feel like you need 1:1 support for this then check out our telehealth platform
 

Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy are the founders of Real Life Medicine. They help women who have been on every diet under the sun, optimise their health and achieve long lasting weight loss without feeling miserable or deprived.

They do this with their 3 step framework that

• Improves metabolism
• Develops mindset skills
• Provides tools to implement it easily into busy lives

With this comes increased energy, vitality and confidence.

You can avoid chronic disease and stop living life on the sidelines!