Essays on Food Addiction

Avena, N., Rada, P. and Hoebel, B. G. (2008). Evidence for Sugar Addiction: Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake. Neuroscience Biobehavioral Review, 32(1): 20-39.

The nervous system evolves to motivate and reinforces an individual to subconsciously eat sweet foods and other foods that may trigger such addictive behavior similar to that of alcohol addiction. In this research, Avena and colleagues attempt to find whether or not sugar should be included in the ranks of heroin and cocaine that could also lead to a natural form of addiction. Avena and colleagues contend that food addiction may be a plausible explanation to explain how the brain pathways evolved in response to natural reinforcements that are activated in the same vein that pathways for narcotics are also activated. ...

I love food. I love breakfast, lunch and dinner. I like going to a restaurant and ordering a big juicy burger with cheese and bacon and a side of fries. I love that first bite when there is an explosion of flavor that surrounds every part of my mouth. I hate that it is bad for me. I hate that every time I go to grab something to eat I know that there is probably a healthier alternative. I really hate that calories exist. Who wants to sit and count every calorie, every fat molecule and every carbohydrate? I know I don’t ...

Alcohol Addiction

Alcohol depresses the central nervous system thus making an individual dependent on it to perform normally. It is considered to be amongst the easiest solutions towards redeeming oneself from stress and depression. Alcohol abuse is subject to a person’s lifestyle family history, social environment, and emotional health of the person. It is essential to realize that genetic connections are amongst the leading causes to distinct alcoholism. However, other factors such as stress and depression play a key role in the development of alcohol dependence. Although alcoholism and alcohol abuse has been rated the same, it is worth noting that alcoholism ...