What do you think?
Rate this book
Processed Food Addiction: Foundations, Assessment, and Recovery
Obesity and eating disorders have stubbornly refused to respond to treatment since the 1990’s. This book organizes the evidence for a possible answer, i.e., that the problem could be one of addiction to processed foods. In a Processed Food Addiction (PFA) model, concepts of abstinence, cue-avoidance, acceptance of lapses, and consequences all play a role in long-term recovery. Application of these concepts could provide new tools to health professionals and significantly improve outcomes. This book describes PFA recovery concepts in detail. The material bridges the research into practical steps that health professionals can employ in their practices. It contains an evidence-based chapter on concepts of abstinence from processed foods. It rigorously describes PFA pathology according to the DSM 5 Addiction Diagnostic Criteria. It applies the Addiction Severity Index to PFA so that health practitioners can orient themselves to diagnosing and assessing PFA. It contains ground-breaking insight into how to approach PFA in children. Because the book is evidence-based, practitioners can gain the confidence to put the controversy about food addiction to rest. Practitioners can begin to identify and effectively help their clients who are addicted to processed foods. This is a breakthrough volume in a field that could benefit from new approaches.
- GenresHealth
480 pages, Paperback
Published April 1, 2020
37 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 15, 2023
!!! Trigger warnings for eating disorders and trauma!!!
So a true believer recommended this book to me because they think it is THE ANSWER.
Spoiler alert - it's not. But it is an answer, and it may work for you. It's a restricted eating plan (aka a diet) and, if you can stick to it, you'll almost certainly lose weight and have improved health.
This is a also book designed for medical / nutrition practitioners and not the lay reader. It's mind-numbingly dull and repetitive quite often, even for the nerdy like me. Some paras are so full of citations as to make them nearly impossible to read. But if nutrition science is your jam, read on.
It is better than many books on dieting out there. The science is real science and, while it may be arranged so that you draw the same conclusions as the authors, you can just as easily read it with your objective-ish googles on (no-one is objective). They're not lying to you - where the evidence is inconclusive, not replicated by other studies, results mixed, small sample sizes etc they say so (leading to a lot of quibble words like may be, could be, is suggestive of - but that's science). I also randomly fact checked some of the articles cited online and they don't misrepresent the information in those either. The authors also state their affiliations - I gotta say if someone is selling something (and Dr Ifland is: an 'abstinent' prepared meal service), I approach with caution and scepticism. In this case, I don't think my scepticism is warranted.
I am sure some people are helped by this information. But not everyone. Books like this wouldn't exist if sticking to restrictive eating plans for life was easy. Also, can't help thinking they are tackling the symptoms and not the disease here - if you will, the 'what' people are overeating and not really the 'why'. Why do some people develop disordered eating patterns when people in the same location with access to the same food don't? The Ch 10 case study was illustrative (but painful to read someone's years of trauma). There's some 'why' in that chapter at least, and I think the problem with this book is their premise of food addiction over-emphasizes physiological processes.
Which is partly why I dislike some of the terminology used - what, for example, is the 'Western' diet? Is there even a monolithic diet in the USA, let alone all the regions included in the 'Western' world? The USA, Italy and Greece each have a 'Blue Zone' where people live the longest and healthiest lives on the planet. And 'food addiction'? It's not food that's the problem, it's only certain types of food that are craved (although their list of possible food demons is quite extensive): food, it's no surprise, is actually essential as air. Also 'Western' diseases: if you check where the highest prevalence of diabetes is - it's Egypt and Pakistan. Heart disease - Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. While diabetes, cancer and heart disease are on the rise in high income countries, it's far worse for lower income countries.
I don't think this book contributes enough for the time you will have to devote to reading it.
So a true believer recommended this book to me because they think it is THE ANSWER.
Spoiler alert - it's not. But it is an answer, and it may work for you. It's a restricted eating plan (aka a diet) and, if you can stick to it, you'll almost certainly lose weight and have improved health.
This is a also book designed for medical / nutrition practitioners and not the lay reader. It's mind-numbingly dull and repetitive quite often, even for the nerdy like me. Some paras are so full of citations as to make them nearly impossible to read. But if nutrition science is your jam, read on.
It is better than many books on dieting out there. The science is real science and, while it may be arranged so that you draw the same conclusions as the authors, you can just as easily read it with your objective-ish googles on (no-one is objective). They're not lying to you - where the evidence is inconclusive, not replicated by other studies, results mixed, small sample sizes etc they say so (leading to a lot of quibble words like may be, could be, is suggestive of - but that's science). I also randomly fact checked some of the articles cited online and they don't misrepresent the information in those either. The authors also state their affiliations - I gotta say if someone is selling something (and Dr Ifland is: an 'abstinent' prepared meal service), I approach with caution and scepticism. In this case, I don't think my scepticism is warranted.
I am sure some people are helped by this information. But not everyone. Books like this wouldn't exist if sticking to restrictive eating plans for life was easy. Also, can't help thinking they are tackling the symptoms and not the disease here - if you will, the 'what' people are overeating and not really the 'why'. Why do some people develop disordered eating patterns when people in the same location with access to the same food don't? The Ch 10 case study was illustrative (but painful to read someone's years of trauma). There's some 'why' in that chapter at least, and I think the problem with this book is their premise of food addiction over-emphasizes physiological processes.
Which is partly why I dislike some of the terminology used - what, for example, is the 'Western' diet? Is there even a monolithic diet in the USA, let alone all the regions included in the 'Western' world? The USA, Italy and Greece each have a 'Blue Zone' where people live the longest and healthiest lives on the planet. And 'food addiction'? It's not food that's the problem, it's only certain types of food that are craved (although their list of possible food demons is quite extensive): food, it's no surprise, is actually essential as air. Also 'Western' diseases: if you check where the highest prevalence of diabetes is - it's Egypt and Pakistan. Heart disease - Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. While diabetes, cancer and heart disease are on the rise in high income countries, it's far worse for lower income countries.
I don't think this book contributes enough for the time you will have to devote to reading it.
July 12, 2023
"Processed Food Addiction: Foundations, Assessment, and Recovery" by Joan Ifland felt more like an academic textbook than a practical guide for individuals battling addiction to sugar and processed foods. The book delved into complex theories and research, but failed to offer tangible solutions or relatable experiences. As someone seeking practical advice and support, I found it lacking in actionable steps and relatable anecdotes. It read more like a compilation of studies rather than a resource for individuals struggling with addiction. Disappointingly, it missed the mark in providing the informative and relatable content I was hoping for. There is a much better book that I found titled Bright Line Eating by Dr. Susan Peirce Thompson. That is certainly the book I would recommend.
February 15, 2026
I am a Registered Dietitian. I read this book/ took test for my CEUs. This was a painful read. It was very repetitive. It could easily been 1/4 the length & found it did not provide any new information.
February 2, 2019
tons of research -- important work.
October 4, 2021
Technical, like a text book, with many pages not interesting to me. The paragraphs that do interest are captivating.
February 5, 2021
Many good books on how to get off sugar. This one is simple and easy to understand with plenty of science.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews