Many people believe they struggle with food addiction. Maybe you’ve felt out of control around chips, cookies, or ice cream and wondered, “Why can’t I stop eating? What is wrong with me?” If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
I’m glad you’re here, welcome! I’m Dr. Meredith MacKenzie, a binge eating therapist and intuitive eating coach. If you’ve been told you’re addicted to food, there’s a more compassionate explanation, one that doesn’t involve shame or strict control. If you ever need support or a place to start come find me on Instagram for daily encouragement and real talk.
The Truth Behind the Feeling of Food Addiction
Food can feel addictive, but there’s a reason for that. Let’s break it down:
- Your brain is wired to enjoy eating. When you eat something tasty, it releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical that makes eating rewarding and helps keep you alive.
- From the beginning of life, food brings comfort, safety, and connection. Think of how a baby is fed while being held. Eating isn’t just physical; it’s deeply emotional.
- When you feel hungry, tired, stressed, or low, your brain remembers that food helped you feel better in the past. So you reach for it again.
- In these moments, you’re not just craving taste. You’re craving relief, grounding, or comfort.
- Reaching for food doesn’t mean you’re addicted. It means your body is trying to care for you in the best way it knows how.
- When you let go of judgment and get curious instead, you begin to understand what you truly need.
Food is not the problem. It’s often the clue that points to something deeper.
Still wondering why food feels so intense sometimes? Watch Why Self-Control Isn’t the Answer to Food Freedom to explore why willpower isn’t the problem, and what actually helps.
The Brain’s Reward System and Survival Drives
Your brain is built for survival. It steers you toward things that feel good and away from things that feel unsafe. Food is one of your most basic needs. When you eat something enjoyable, your brain releases dopamine, a chemical that reinforces eating as a life-sustaining behavior.
But your brain doesn’t just respond to taste. It also notices when your body isn’t getting enough. If you skip meals, restrict calories, or stay too busy to eat, your brain sounds the alarm. It sees the lack of food as a threat and ramps up hunger, cravings, and urgency. This isn’t a flaw, it’s your body doing its job to keep you nourished.
Restriction as the Real Fuel Behind “Food Addiction” Feelings
Many people who feel addicted to food are actually caught in a binge-restrict cycle. It might start with “eating clean,” cutting out carbs, or trying to be disciplined all day. But by evening, you’re tired, stressed, or depleted, and end up eating more than you intended. The guilt kicks in, so you restrict again the next day, hoping to get back on track. And the cycle continues.
This isn’t addiction. It’s your body reacting to not getting enough. Over time, hunger builds, even if you don’t notice it. When food finally becomes available, your brain urges you to eat quickly and in large amounts because it doesn’t know when you’ll let yourself eat again. This isn’t about willpower. It’s your body protecting you, just as it was designed to do.
If this cycle feels familiar, check out my YouTube episode on the weekly “reset” trap and why it’s not about willpower, but about the system you’re stuck in.
Unpacking Emotional Eating vs. Food Addiction: Understanding Your Relationship with Food
Emotional eating and food addiction often get confused, but they’re not the same thing. Understanding the difference can help you respond with care instead of shame.
Emotional Eating
- Helps you cope with stress, sadness, anger, anxiety, or boredom
- Often starts early in life as a way to feel safe or loved
- May come from growing up in a home where emotions weren’t talked about
- Can be the only tool you had to feel better or cared for
- Signals that something inside you needs support or soothing
- Emotionally drained and food feels like relief
- Doesn’t mean you’re weak or broken it means you’re human
- Can be met with curiosity instead of judgment
- Offers an invitation to care for yourself in new, supportive ways
Addiction
- Assumes you’re out of control or powerless around food
- Labels your eating as a problem to fix
- Often leads to shame, guilt, and more attempts to restrict
- Misses the real reasons behind why you eat
- Encourages you to cut out certain foods, which can increase cravings
- Ignores emotional and survival-based needs
- Focuses on control instead of care
- Keeps you stuck in a cycle of blame and restriction
Understanding what’s really happening in your relationship with food gives you the power to shift. You don’t need more rules, you need more support, compassion, and curiosity.
Wondering “Why can’t I stop eating?” This blog breaks down what’s really going on, and why it makes sense. Read it here.
The Harm of the Food Addiction Label
Calling yourself a food addict can cause more harm than good. It can bring guilt, fear, and shame. It can make you feel broken, like your brain is the problem.
But food addiction isn’t a recognized diagnosis in most medical or mental health fields. There’s no strong science showing that food acts like drugs or alcohol in the body. What feels like addiction is usually a mix of restriction, emotional need, and a brain doing what it’s meant to do.
When you believe you’re addicted to food, you may try to cut out “bad” foods completely. But this often leads to more restriction, and more bingeing. The cycle continues.
What Actually Heals the “Addictive” Feelings
If food addiction isn’t the answer, what helps? The solution isn’t more control, it’s care. Your body doesn’t need punishment; it needs support. Healing starts when you stop fighting food and start listening to what you really need.
Here are some things that can help:
- Eat enough throughout the day. Regular meals and snacks help your body feel safe.
- Stop restricting. All foods can fit. When nothing is off-limits, food becomes less intense.
- Tune into your emotions. Ask yourself what you’re feeling before or after eating. Be curious, not critical.
- Practice self-kindness. This is not your fault. You’re learning something new.
- Reach out for support. You don’t have to do this alone. A coach or therapist (hello!) can help you heal.
You deserve peace with food. You deserve to eat without guilt. Your cravings are not a sign of addiction. They’re a sign that your body or your heart needs something. Food is not the enemy. And you are not addicted.
Want a simple way to start tuning into your eating without judgment? Download my free Mindful Eating Log to gently explore what, when, and why you eat, no rules, just reflection. Grab it here.
Let’s Rethink Food Addiction and Find a New Way Forward
If the idea of food addiction has left you feeling stuck or broken, know this: there’s another explanation. What looks like addiction is often your body responding to restriction, stress, or emotional overwhelm. You don’t need stricter rules or more control. You need support, nourishment, and care.
When you stop blaming yourself and start listening to your body, food begins to feel less chaotic. Peace comes not from control, but from compassion.
Want a gentle first step? Food Freedom in a Weekend is a simple, doable way to step out of black-and-white thinking and start trusting yourself with food again. One Body To Love, my group coaching program offers a supportive space to step out of the binge-restrict cycle, understand what’s really driving your eating.
If you’re ready for deeper support, my 1:1 coaching offers a safe, non-judgmental space to explore what’s really driving your eating and how to care for your whole self.
You can also explore my podcast and YouTube channel for real talk, education, and encouragement. Not sure where to begin? Book a free discovery call and we’ll figure it out together. However you start, know this: your struggles make sense, and healing is possible.
