Top 8 Food Addictions

Have you ever eaten something - a bowl of ice cream, a piece of cake, a chocolate - and felt hungrier than before? Do you have urges for a particular food and find it hard to satisfy your craving unless you eat that particular food?

If the answer is "yes" to either of these questions, then you have a Food Addiction. Food addiction is a contemporary term used to describe a pathological disorder; the compulsive, excessive craving for and consumption of food. Want to know the top 8 food addictions and their side effects?

1. Tea/Coffee: It is the number one and the most common addiction and very difficult to give up as well. Its side effects include dry sallow complexion, constipation, restlessness and iron deficiency.
2. Chocolates: Every child grows up getting rewarded for being good by chocolates and before one can realize, it becomes fiercely addictive. Its side effects include acne, restlessness, weight gain, mood swings and constipation.
3. Alcohol: All of us know that this social drink makes us antisocial. So be careful before the bubbly becomes the bane of life.
4. Sweets: Ah the sweet tooth can be the most wicked of all the temptations. It comes in many forms like sweet drinks, juices, candy, pastries, cakes, mithais etc. The side effects include severe mood swings, restlessness, enormous weight gain, lipid and cholesterol problems.
5. Cheese: A large number of people, particularly the ones who like dairy products get addicted to cheese. It is one addiction which can lead to a huge weight gain plus is very difficult to overcome because it is a mood enhancer. As a result the person in a low phase is bound to eat cheese. Moreover, it comes in various choices like cheese flavor snacks, cheese cubes, cheese spreads, cheese sandwiches, burgers and of course pizza! Weight gain is the major side effect.
6. Munchies: They come in all kinds like crisp salty biscuits, crackers, chips, rice or corn namkeens etc. Women during PMS are particularly vulnerable to gorging on crispy sweet/salted snacks. Its side effects are weight gain and a lot of water retention.
7. Nuts: If we ask every one who is nuts about nuts, surely half the world would be in the category of nut addicts. The side effects include mouth blisters, gas and weight gain.
8. Ice cream: Actually deserves a separate category due to the fact that even people, who do not eat sweets, strangely gorge on ice cream. The side effects include weight gain and mood swings.

Eating disorders frequently show up along side of other mental health issues, such as depression, alcohol or drug abuse, and anxiety disorders. People who suffer from eating disorders also risk serious and sometimes fatal health complications including serious heart conditions and kidney failure. This is why it's particularly important for eating disorders to be recognized, diagnosed and treated.