Food Addiction: my experience, the evidence, and a path forward”
In a nutshell
My recent experience of straying from a low-carbohydrate diet reminded me of how easily our biology can be hijacked by modern, processed foods and made me reconsider the concept of food addiction
The scientific evidence is growing: high-carbohydrate and ultra-processed foods can trigger addictive-like responses in the brain
Changing what we eat isn’t just a matter of willpower; it’s about aligning our lifestyle with the biological systems we’re built on. Without this alignment, no amount of discipline or effort will lead to lasting change
I recently deviated briefly from my usual low-carbohydrate diet. For a two-day, strenuous mountain biking trip in Scotland, I significantly increased my intake of sugars and starches. While this change noticeably improved my physical performance, it also triggered strong food cravings - during and after the event. These cravings reminded me of my life eight years ago, before I changed my diet, and were strikingly similar to the nicotine cravings I experienced before I quit smoking many years earlier.
Until now, I’ve shied away from writing about food addiction because I wasn’t fully convinced it was real. However, this recent experience, along with conversations with friends who struggle to lose weight, prompted me to dive into the literature.
In this article, I’ll cover:
Evidence for food addiction
Treatment approaches
How easy is it to change what we eat?
Evidence for Food Addiction
Many studies provide compelling evidence for the addictive nature of high-carbohydrate meals. I’ll highlight just three here:
A 2013 study of 12 overweight and obese men found that high-carbohydrate foods, like bread, milkshakes, and potatoes, triggered increased hunger and cravings soon after eating [1]. Scans revealed that these foods stimulated reward centers in the brain in ways similar to addictive substances. The takeaway? High-carb foods can induce cravings that lead to overeating and fat accumulation.
A 2022 study, involving mostly (91%) women from the UK, North America, and Sweden, examined individuals who self-identified as addicted to ultra-processed foods [2]. Over a 10-14 week period, participants reduced their carbohydrate intake and received counseling. The results showed significant reductions in food addiction symptoms, body weight, and improvements in mental well-being.
A 2025 follow-up study confirmed that 12 months later, participants maintained reductions in food addiction symptoms and continued to report better mental health [3]. However, the authors also noted a high relapse rate, a pattern often seen in other forms of addiction.
Treatment for Food Addiction
The 2013 study [1] suggested that reducing consumption of processed grains (bread, pasta, cakes), potatoes, and concentrated sugars can help prevent overeating and obesity. The 2022 and 2025 studies [2, 3] reinforced this, showing that replacing ultra-processed carbohydrates with low-carbohydrate, whole foods - what I call “real food” - can be effective. This is essentially what I did back in 2017.
What is “Real Food”?
For me, “real food” is what comes from the ground, rivers, oceans, and pastures. How much of each is a personal choice. I’m an omnivore: I eat plenty of animal meats (including organs), fish, shellfish, dairy, and above-ground plants. I aim to keep my carbohydrate intake between 150–200g daily.
There’s a wide spectrum of diets, from all-meat (carnivore) to all-plant (vegan), with many variations in between. Real food can be minimally processed through cooking and fermentation, which retain its natural complexity and nutritional value.
What isn’t real food? Seed oils and industrially processed products like most breads and pasta.
How Easy Is It to Change What We Eat?
In my experience, it’s not straightforward, it takes effort. I appreciated one fellow’s perspective, which mirrors mine. Despite following all the usual diet and exercise advice, he found himself gaining weight (as I developed heart disease). His wife’s words hit home:
“You can’t out-exercise your bad diet anymore.”
He dove into research and concluded, as I have, that we must align ourselves with nature—or, as he puts it, with our biology. He eliminated processed foods and adopted a low-carbohydrate, real food approach.
His insight resonates deeply with me:
“…if your biology is out of alignment, no amount of motivation will stick. You’ll white-knuckle your way through 30 days and fall apart on day 31. You’ll blame yourself, but it was never about discipline—it was about inputs. Your body doesn’t care how badly you want to be healthy; it only responds to what you actually do, and whether what you do matches the signals it was designed to expect.”
I admire his common-sense approach. Recognize the problem. Acknowledge that it’s not about discipline - it’s about running your biological system on the right inputs. As he puts it:
“My problem wasn’t that I lacked discipline—it was that I was running a biological system on a completely mismatched operating model. My lifestyle was mismatched with my physiology, and the decline in metabolic health was the inevitable consequence…”
Summary
My recent experience of straying from a low-carbohydrate diet - and the resulting cravings - reminded me of how easily our biology can be hijacked by modern, processed foods. It also made me reconsider the concept of food addiction.
The scientific evidence is growing: high-carbohydrate and ultra-processed foods can trigger addictive-like responses in the brain, leading to cravings, overeating, and poor metabolic health. Studies show that cutting back on these foods and focusing on real, unprocessed food—whether animal- or plant-based—can help reduce food addiction symptoms, improve mental well-being, and support sustainable weight management.
But this isn’t easy. Changing what we eat isn’t just a matter of willpower; it’s about aligning our lifestyle with the biological systems we’re built on. Without this alignment, no amount of discipline or effort will lead to lasting change.
References
Lennerz BS, Alsop DC, Holsen LM, Stern E, Rojas R, Ebbeling CB, Goldstein JM, Ludwig DS. Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2013;98(3):641-647. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.064113
Unwin J, Delon C, Giæver H, Kennedy C, Painschab M, Sandin F, Poulsen CS, Wiss DA. Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2022;13:1005523. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1005523
Unwin J, Delon C, Giæver H, Kennedy C, Painschab M, Sandin F, Poulsen CS, Wiss DA. Low carbohydrate and psychoeducational programs show promise for the treatment of ultra-processed food addiction: 12-month follow-up. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2025;16:1556988. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1556988