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Food Addiction: The Body Knows
Are you a food addict?
Do you gain more weight than you lose after every diet?
Can one cookie destroy all your good intentions?
Do you eat when you are disappointed, tense or anxious?
Since its publication, Food Addiction has become a primary resource for food addicts and compulsive eaters. Now it is updated and presented in a revised and expanded edition, with a new chapter on relapse. For a food addict, relapse is an ever present danger which begins in the mind before reaching for that cupcake or other trigger food.
Here food addiction is defined, trigger foods are identified and consequences of food addiction are revealed. A lifetime eating plan demonstrating how to stick with a healthful food plan for the long term is also provided.
"For some people, foods can be as addictive as alcohol," Kay Sheppard explains. "Gummy bears and marshmallow chicks can be vicious killers whose effects can lead to depression, irritability and even suicide. The terrible truth is that for certain individuals, refined carbohydrates can trigger the addictive process. This book is an effort to help you understand and solve the problems of compulsive eating."
Do you gain more weight than you lose after every diet?
Can one cookie destroy all your good intentions?
Do you eat when you are disappointed, tense or anxious?
Since its publication, Food Addiction has become a primary resource for food addicts and compulsive eaters. Now it is updated and presented in a revised and expanded edition, with a new chapter on relapse. For a food addict, relapse is an ever present danger which begins in the mind before reaching for that cupcake or other trigger food.
Here food addiction is defined, trigger foods are identified and consequences of food addiction are revealed. A lifetime eating plan demonstrating how to stick with a healthful food plan for the long term is also provided.
"For some people, foods can be as addictive as alcohol," Kay Sheppard explains. "Gummy bears and marshmallow chicks can be vicious killers whose effects can lead to depression, irritability and even suicide. The terrible truth is that for certain individuals, refined carbohydrates can trigger the addictive process. This book is an effort to help you understand and solve the problems of compulsive eating."
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
63 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 10, 2014
My review will be long but it is necessary. I am a 36 y/o 5'4 woman who used to be healthy and active as a teenager but I let the way of the world and cheap, delicious processed foods derail my life. Upon reaching 240lbs and relying on anti-depressants to raise me from my bed, I knew that I was spinning out of control. Numerous failed fad diets led to feelings of hopelessness and suicide. It was as if a light had been suddenly switched on one day and I began to focus on WHY I was so weak when it came to refusing to eliminate foods that I knew were so destructive to me. I came across this book after reading several praises on Amazon reviews and instantly purchased it and read it immediately. This was almost 13 months ago. I learned what foods to avoid and more importantly, I tackled my weight with a new frame of mind. I was morbidly obese because I had been trying to put a bandage over an addiction rather than recognizing that, that was what had plagued me, an addiction rather than all of the excuses I had been telling myself, such as lack of energy & willpower, no motivation and severe depression. I tackled my addiction, very slowly at first by just avoiding certain foods. I didn't obsess over an eating plan or by counting calories, I just stopped eating foods outlined in the book to avoid. The first month was hell. I was so lethargic that I didn't want to eat anything but I forced myself to eat healthy foods and drive on..within days of changing my perspective on food, the weight began to fall off, a couple pounds here and there, just enough to keep me trucking on. By the end of that first month, my energy levels returned and I was feeling hopeful for the first time in 20 years. I continued to avoid trigger foods and the weight kept going down, WITHOUT any exercise. Within a few months, I was able and wanting to begin walking a few times a week, just a mile or two. My desire to exercise grew more and more to where I ended up just 2 short months ago, an active and happy Crossfit participant! My marriage and friendships have blossomed because I had inadvertently become a new person. Today, I am a strong, 160lb woman who now looks to the future rather than hiding from it. I owe all of this to discovering this book. People who rated it so low, I can only imagine that they were expecting to discover an instant weight loss solution or are in denial about their addiction. Food addiction is a very private journey, one that you should never be afraid to admit to yourself at the very least. This book will stay with me forever and knowing that my misery was due to an addiction, similar to a recovering alcoholic, to this day, I fight the temptation to even have one piece of cake or pie for that could slowly lead me back into the grips of my addiction. Surprisingly, with a cleansed palate & new perspective on food, those sugary, succulent treats are no problem for me to decline. No where in this book does it state that you have to give up celebrations with food or even desserts but it may change your mind as to what selections you choose to enjoy. One example..I loved warm apple pie with ice cream..nowadays if I want to indulge, I will crush up a graham cracker into a bowl, put a scoop of frozen yogurt on it and top it with warm, no sugar added cinnamon applesauce. I am left extremely satisfied without having that familiar urge to eat more as I did while eating real pie. This book changed my life and if your struggles sound anything like mine, read this book!
July 15, 2015
There is no food addiction. There is only an eating disorder. I have recovered from bulimia, I know. No use to experiment around with the symptom, whatever it is. Go fix the inner problem. Because using food as a coping mechanism won't change if you stop eating sugar and white flour. You may lose weight, but you'll be just shifting symptoms (you can welcome another kind of eating disorder, say anorexia or bulimia, or orthorexia, or exercise bulimia)...
Don't read this book if you want to recover.
I read it about 10 years ago. God bless, I didn't believe it was a solution for me. I'm now 8 years free from an eating disorder.
Don't read this book if you want to recover.
I read it about 10 years ago. God bless, I didn't believe it was a solution for me. I'm now 8 years free from an eating disorder.
April 2, 2018
I’m going to start by saying that this book is fantastic. For those who do not suffer from food addiction however, it will seem heavy-handed and out of touch (don’t even read it unless you bring an open mind, otherwise you will scoff at it as I would have done if I were to have read this 4+ years ago). For those of us with a very real food addiction (and more research supporting the phenomenon is emerging all the time), I’m not going to lie, it’s a hard read. It's confronting being faced with the reality of your addiction and, whilst you know you have to do the work to control it, it's not something an addict wants to hear. And NO ONE wants to realise that they have an addiction/problem in the first place. When you're reeling from the shock of that realisation, it's no longer a cathartic read like reading a traditional diet/cook book usually is (I always feel healthier just reading them!) but rather a cold dose of reality and a wake-up call. Thankfully the book has a guide, which is quite practically written and relatively healthy. If it were to be more recently revised (last revision was 1989 that I can find), I’m sure that it would change its low-fat advice. Then it would be a very healthy and more easily-followed diet (I highly recommend the GAPS diet in place of the diet in this book). And be prepared; it really is a total lifestyle change. One that would not be easily maintained over the long-term too. The problem lies in the fact though that any bending of the rules will always bring with it the real danger of relapse (something I can personally attest to). This book has also given me a deeper understanding of addiction in general. I have renewed empathy for anyone who experiences it in any guise. My only other grievance is that I don’t like the theological references in the book. I’ll tolerate them being present in a patient’s personal testimonials/stories, but I don’t like it when God is referenced in the core of a non-fiction book that is not about spirituality. It’s not too OTT, but I would have much preferred it not being there at all. Of course, for some readers, this won’t be an issue and could even be a positive. But I don’t think theology belongs in a diet book, especially one attempting to be scientific-based.
On the whole, this is an eye-opening book and a must-read for anyone who suspects that they, or someone they know, may have an unhealthy relationship with food/weight. It is also a good read if someone close to you suffers from a diagnosed eating disorder, with this caveat: the book does not delve deeply enough into the psychological aspects of such disorders. I cannot emphasise enough that anyone suffering from an eating disorder of any kind should seek professional counselling and medical advice. There will always be complex emotional and psychological issues underpinning things, and no diet will deal with those. But understanding any underlying physical addiction will always be a helpful piece of the puzzle to recovery.
On the whole, this is an eye-opening book and a must-read for anyone who suspects that they, or someone they know, may have an unhealthy relationship with food/weight. It is also a good read if someone close to you suffers from a diagnosed eating disorder, with this caveat: the book does not delve deeply enough into the psychological aspects of such disorders. I cannot emphasise enough that anyone suffering from an eating disorder of any kind should seek professional counselling and medical advice. There will always be complex emotional and psychological issues underpinning things, and no diet will deal with those. But understanding any underlying physical addiction will always be a helpful piece of the puzzle to recovery.
December 30, 2014
I read this on the heels of realizing I'm addicted to food. While a lot of the book deals with bulimia, it was still applicable to someone like me who has only ever had thoughts of bulimia. I would recommend it if you're looking to understand why food isn't making you happy though you firmly believe it will. There are suggestions about food choices and even a meal plan. I ignored the stuff about fat being bad. (It's funny how fat being unhealthy is so ingrained she didn't even discuss it. Just assumed you shouldn't eat butter, cheese, nuts, etc. The book is a little old, so.)
December 2, 2007
Explains Food Addiction in a very helpful way. I am in a 12-step recovery program to lose weight, and this book helps my recovery. I borrowed it from the library, but plan to purchase one to have at home to reference.
December 20, 2013
My problem is that with all the illnesses and addictions I have (anxiety, depression, compulsive shopping, overeating), I always fall somewhere in the middle. That makes it hard for me to be helped by books like this one. I have eaten so much fast food this year (I'm talking lunch and dinner and sometimes breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that I finally wanted to find a way out of this madness. My addictions are eating out (linked with spending money), and pizza and ice cream. I had an epiphany one day when I realized that I couldn't just eat part of a pint. I knew I would always eat the whole thing. I was telling myself that I couldn't deprive myself my entire life. But then it clicked: I'm addicted to this and the way it makes me feel. I will never eat just a little bit of a Ben & Jerry's pint. That's the food I have been abstaining from. Pizza is more difficult, because my fiancé's family eats tons of it here. Or at least once weekly. I was so proud the other night, however, when I only had three pieces and a popsicle for dessert. This is HUGE progress for me. I prefer reversing the addiction in my brain rather than abstaining from "trigger foods" the rest of my life (as this book suggests).
This book is highly repetitive. I did like that the author, Kay Sheppard, has struggled with food addiction herself. It helps that she knows what she's talking about. But this book deals with binging and purging, something I have never done. Believe me, when I was younger I tried to make myself vomit. But I learned quickly that I'm not one who can do that. I actually have a major gag reflex, so it seems like it would be easy, but it doesn't work that way. I only vomit once a year, if even that, and only if I'm majorly sick. Usually I just get a cold that's over within a couple of days. Nor have I ever eaten an entire cabinet of food (though I did eat four bowls of Lucky Charms one day when I was younger and super hungry). I've never stolen money for food. I don't have to hide my eating habits from others. But, of course, I've received comments on my weight gain from excessively eating out and also been told that I need to stop eating so much junk. I didn't like that I was so dominated by mealtimes. And I find it hard to watch TV/movies without food in front of me. So I have a problem, an addiction, clearly, but it's not bad enough as to make me the intended audience for this book.
I am disappointed, because I hoped this book would help me more than it did. It is worthy of note that Sheppard treats food addiction as an addiction and not as a weight problem to be fixed by diets. I'm glad she recognizes that food CAN be an addiction and it DOES overtake people in a way that it doesn't with others. Her solution is abstinence from all trigger foods. Now, for those of you who have been taught abstinence as an effective form of birth control than you know that it ISN'T. For me, with my lifestyle and where I currently live, maintaining a diet of, like, extremely limited dairy, very few meats, and nothing but vegetables (as she recommends) would kill my entire spirit not to mention frustrate everyone around me. Again I'll say, it shouldn't be one extreme or the other. Why can't we figure out how to beat this in our minds? Why doesn't she teach portion control? Sheppard takes the approach that all sugar, all wheats, and all flour will cause a person to binge. I won't deny the validity of this in some cases. But I'd venture a guess that most people who are addicted to food have a very specific relationship to it (duh) so it's usually the same comfort foods one goes back to over and over to binge on. In my case, as stated, it's pints of Ben & Jerry's and pizza (most often Papa John's). Portion control and self-control in these areas is often not possible for me. I know that ice cream makes me want more ice cream, even if it's not in a pint. I don't know how to order a small anything off any menu. So maybe I should abstain from all ice cream and pizza as a solution. But completely eschewing dessert? I'm headed to the Disney College Program next semester, and outlawing any food that actually tastes GOOD is not a possibility. I think it's more constructive to realize you have an addiction but also to begin seeing food as FUEL for your body and not something you eat while you watch TV or whatever. Not something you go out and buy because you are alone and you need comfort (as I tend to do when I have money). But I believe we have to learn to beat this in our heads and not just by our actions. Who says that the addiction gene has to continue living there? If the only solution is abstaining then it will always come back in full force. In fact, Sheppard even includes a testimony at the very end about a girl who tried the abstinence program but quickly relapsed and only recovered from food addiction once she found God. Hmmm.
If you are in advance stages of food addiction despair, this book might prove useful to you. More often, though, like any addict, you have to find it in yourself (or outside) to quit. I finally decided to be more aware recently of my portions and what I put in my mouth. I am practicing mindfulness and getting rid of the compulsions - I am attempting to think before I eat or decide to go and get fast food. I am reversing old patterns, which is TOUGH - it's a constant push and pull. But I'm not going to sacrifice sugar, wheats, and flour for the rest of my life. I want to live a full life, not a life devoid of something. I wouldn't feel in control of myself, I would feel like it's just another plan of avoidance. I don't hide or avoid my feelings, and that's not why I eat the way I do. If you don't ignore emotions to begin with (and, in fact, you feel too much), I wouldn't think you'd need to be on such a strict diet regimen. My problem is not learning control. It should be acknowledged that this has to be learned and practiced. Complete abstinence of anything often leads to disaster.
This book is highly repetitive. I did like that the author, Kay Sheppard, has struggled with food addiction herself. It helps that she knows what she's talking about. But this book deals with binging and purging, something I have never done. Believe me, when I was younger I tried to make myself vomit. But I learned quickly that I'm not one who can do that. I actually have a major gag reflex, so it seems like it would be easy, but it doesn't work that way. I only vomit once a year, if even that, and only if I'm majorly sick. Usually I just get a cold that's over within a couple of days. Nor have I ever eaten an entire cabinet of food (though I did eat four bowls of Lucky Charms one day when I was younger and super hungry). I've never stolen money for food. I don't have to hide my eating habits from others. But, of course, I've received comments on my weight gain from excessively eating out and also been told that I need to stop eating so much junk. I didn't like that I was so dominated by mealtimes. And I find it hard to watch TV/movies without food in front of me. So I have a problem, an addiction, clearly, but it's not bad enough as to make me the intended audience for this book.
I am disappointed, because I hoped this book would help me more than it did. It is worthy of note that Sheppard treats food addiction as an addiction and not as a weight problem to be fixed by diets. I'm glad she recognizes that food CAN be an addiction and it DOES overtake people in a way that it doesn't with others. Her solution is abstinence from all trigger foods. Now, for those of you who have been taught abstinence as an effective form of birth control than you know that it ISN'T. For me, with my lifestyle and where I currently live, maintaining a diet of, like, extremely limited dairy, very few meats, and nothing but vegetables (as she recommends) would kill my entire spirit not to mention frustrate everyone around me. Again I'll say, it shouldn't be one extreme or the other. Why can't we figure out how to beat this in our minds? Why doesn't she teach portion control? Sheppard takes the approach that all sugar, all wheats, and all flour will cause a person to binge. I won't deny the validity of this in some cases. But I'd venture a guess that most people who are addicted to food have a very specific relationship to it (duh) so it's usually the same comfort foods one goes back to over and over to binge on. In my case, as stated, it's pints of Ben & Jerry's and pizza (most often Papa John's). Portion control and self-control in these areas is often not possible for me. I know that ice cream makes me want more ice cream, even if it's not in a pint. I don't know how to order a small anything off any menu. So maybe I should abstain from all ice cream and pizza as a solution. But completely eschewing dessert? I'm headed to the Disney College Program next semester, and outlawing any food that actually tastes GOOD is not a possibility. I think it's more constructive to realize you have an addiction but also to begin seeing food as FUEL for your body and not something you eat while you watch TV or whatever. Not something you go out and buy because you are alone and you need comfort (as I tend to do when I have money). But I believe we have to learn to beat this in our heads and not just by our actions. Who says that the addiction gene has to continue living there? If the only solution is abstaining then it will always come back in full force. In fact, Sheppard even includes a testimony at the very end about a girl who tried the abstinence program but quickly relapsed and only recovered from food addiction once she found God. Hmmm.
If you are in advance stages of food addiction despair, this book might prove useful to you. More often, though, like any addict, you have to find it in yourself (or outside) to quit. I finally decided to be more aware recently of my portions and what I put in my mouth. I am practicing mindfulness and getting rid of the compulsions - I am attempting to think before I eat or decide to go and get fast food. I am reversing old patterns, which is TOUGH - it's a constant push and pull. But I'm not going to sacrifice sugar, wheats, and flour for the rest of my life. I want to live a full life, not a life devoid of something. I wouldn't feel in control of myself, I would feel like it's just another plan of avoidance. I don't hide or avoid my feelings, and that's not why I eat the way I do. If you don't ignore emotions to begin with (and, in fact, you feel too much), I wouldn't think you'd need to be on such a strict diet regimen. My problem is not learning control. It should be acknowledged that this has to be learned and practiced. Complete abstinence of anything often leads to disaster.
July 15, 2017
Very concise and pertinent
Sheppard's approach to the cycle of obsession, compulsion, and overeating is a logical and scientific explanation of food addiction. Sugar, wheat, and flour abstinence has resulted in a loss of craving and a healthier body and mind. Best of all, a food plan that doesn't involve hunger!
Sheppard's approach to the cycle of obsession, compulsion, and overeating is a logical and scientific explanation of food addiction. Sugar, wheat, and flour abstinence has resulted in a loss of craving and a healthier body and mind. Best of all, a food plan that doesn't involve hunger!
July 20, 2019
Must read for anyone struggling with food addiction. Kay Shepard understood the brain science of food addiction before it was a thing.
Practical information easy to understand and relatable for anyone who has a hard time with overeating
Practical information easy to understand and relatable for anyone who has a hard time with overeating
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August 14, 2020This book and the food plan has saved my life and my health. I had been big most of my adult life and crazy about food. I'm not crazy anymore and have direction in my life.
January 25, 2025
The summary is: pretty much don’t eat anything
April 13, 2010
I have always said that I am additction to chocolate, that it is like a drug for me and if I eat 1 bite, I am gone. This book describes it exactly but recommeds that I give up all sugar, carbohydrates, processed foods. I dont think I could live without these. I do need to make a change though for my health.
April 15, 2009
I read this during my eating disorder exploration, a subject I'm very interested in as a therapist. This book is about obsessive eating and how it may be more physical than mental and what can be done to be more in control.
January 18, 2014
Read this for a project I'm working on related to nutrition and I found the science behind it to be intriguing and kept my interest
October 22, 2008
Very helpful, written by a Rollins graduate.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews