Ask Our Expert About Food Addiction

We now have another expert to help answering questions!

Do have a hard time controlling cravings for food - in particular sweet or processed food? Do you experience lack of control over your eating?

Starting an LCHF diet and eating when hungry reduces food cravings. For a lot of people this is enough to get any problem under control. For others it's a good start, but not enough. This can be due to an addiction to food.

We recently published an interview with Bitten Jonsson, RN, about this. She's been trained in helping people with addictions and she's got decades of experience doing it. She's also been battling her own addiction to food to get it under control.

A lot of people loved the interview but also wanted answers to more questions. Bitten Jonsson has now agreed to answer questions from our members (free trial one month) every week. Ask your question here:

Ask Bitten Jonsson, RN, About Food Addiction

Here are three of the first questions and answers:

Questions and Answers with Bitten Jonsson, RN

Bev: Hi Bitten - thank you for your insights into sugar addiction - I really enjoyed your interview and I recognise my own struggles in your descriptions!
Do you have any advice about dealing with saboteurs - people who are determined to make you break from your plan and succumb to sugary desserts? I am very strong almost all of the time, but will be going on holiday later this year to various European countries with a friend who is good company in all respects except that she loves her sugar and carbs and can't bear me not to have them when we eat together. It isn't enough for me to simply say no - she makes it her total focus for the duration of the holiday to 'break' me, buying me sugary snacks, ordering desserts I do not want and so on. She is a very controlling around food and is the only one I just cannot win with!

Dear Bev, I know very well about those saboteurs. In my experience most of them have a problem with sugar/flour themselves but are not willing to change it and or let go of denial. Others are plain ignorant. The way you address it she is the first category !My advice to you is to firmly adress this with her, say something like: "name" I really like your company and to travel with you BUT i have made a choice to eat in a new way to increase my health and if you continue to be a "food pusher" I will not travel with you. I ask you to respect my choice. You can keep eating what you want but no sugar/flour around me." I would go to such length as to not be with her at all if she would not respect my choice. A real friend would. Good luck Bev. Bitten

Jenny: Hi Bitten. Thank you for sharing all your great information. I can see clearly thus is a important part oFor my jigsaw. Howevermy biggest hurdle is me. I never seem to be able to get started . Your insight would be appreciated. Jen

Jen, this is always the case, let me tell you a story, in the Indian culture the parents teach their children a story about the Red and Blue dog ! they say there is a fight going on in our head between those two and when the Red dog rules we think, feel and act in a selfdestrutive way. The big Q is what makes the Red dog "win". The answer is : the one you "feed"/ nurture/give energy. I would recommend that you read Dr Vera Tarmans new book "Food Junkie". The trick is to "fool" Red dog by saying to it and repeat often during the day, just for today, for the next 24 hours i will eat LCHF. then plan in advance what to eat the next day and anytime you are on your way to skip the plan repeat. just for today I will eat in this new way. the the next very important thin is to talk to peers, other people that struggle with this very same dilemma and support each other to stick to it for a day at a time. Some selfhelpgroups are Overeaters anonymous and Food Addicts anonymous. So knowledge, strategies and support are key ingredients in starting this new lifestyle. Good luck Bitten

Agnese: Hello, Bitten! I believe I am sugar addict, when i eat a sweet things i cannot stop i will eat until there i nothing left, I love everything sweet, but when for some time i have restricted sweets I can control myself, but then comes then time of the month - pms and all the control just seems impossible, fromone day to the other it seems like i am a different person and these are the times i relapse ( and also on vacations, so that s why i am actually scared to go on vacations, especially if those two things happen at the same time). I have gone almost one year without sweets on a Paleo diet and then i relapses and for two years just could not get out of it again. Now i am on my second month of LCHF and just went through a bad pms craving week, I controlled it with dark chocolate, but I almost didnt get through with that. Today is again the fist good day but i am already scared about the next month.

But my question is have you any suggestions about pms cravings, its so bad that i could run during a storm to the nearest shop and buy any sweet thing that they have, even something i dont enjoy if nothing else is there. Or maybe pms cravings and sugar addiction has nothing to do with one and the other? I am 28 years old, 173cm and 75kg.

Thank you!

Agnese, they do trigger each other very much. I recommend that you read "Female brain gone insane" by Mia Lundin. It is a very good book in explaining PMS and other hormonal rollercoasters. My advice is to stick to your meal plan, no dark chocolate, it can worsen the triggers. It is not only the sugar that trigger us addicts it is also and ingredient in cacao called "amandamide" that can trigger us to go on a binge. When you feel the beginning of PMS eat small meals every 2-3 hours thoose days in order to curb volatile bloodsugar wich is what happens. Do not forget coconut oil as a snack and if you take a tablespoon of Glutamine powder in half a glass of water it will curb cravings even more. next time will be better. Bitten

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