“Food addiction” or “addictive eating” is not yet a disorder that can be diagnosed in a clinical setting. The abundance of fast food, junk food advertising, and the highly palatable ingredients of many processed foods can prompt us to eat whether we are hungry or not. Yet patients often ask health professionals about how to manage their addictive eating.These health providers generally acknowledge their patients' addictive eating behaviours but may be unsure of suitable treatments. Typically, food addiction occurs with foods that are highly palatable, processed, and high in combinations of energy, fat, salt and/or sugar while being low in nutritional value. These include:However, few of the available self-help support groups include involvement or input from qualified health professionals.

Source: Economic Times November 25, 2021 10:36 UTC