According to the Yale Food Addiction Scale, ice cream is the second most addictive food, right after chocolate. Your cravings can hit their peak in summer when frozen desserts are one of the not-so-many ways to survive the heat.

Why do we have food addictions?

Average ice cream is rich in fats and sugar. The combination of these nutrients can affect our brain, its reward systems, and the centers of pleasure as much as shopping, gambling, or alcohol. Ice cream stimulates the release of dopamine. Our brain likes it so much that it makes us eat more and more of a specific product, like ice cream. So, food addiction develops.

Food addiction is considered a bit controversial topic. For example, some researchers state that it doesn’t form because of some specific elements in the addictive substance, like with drugs or alcohol. It is rather an addictive type of behavior when we can’t control how much we eat and can’t give up the substance no matter how much it affects our health or social relations.

How do you know if you have a food addiction?

Food addiction and other eating disorders, like binge eating, have much in common, they share some symptoms and might be mixed up by some people. This is why you should consult your health provider to get a correct diagnosis.

To see if you’re in a risk group, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you eat much more of your “addictive substance” than you’ve planned?
• Have you been eating so much ice cream that you feel physically sick because of how full your stomach is?
• Have you tried to give it up but have never succeeded?
• Do you give up some important actions like work, studies, hanging out with your friends, or a gym session to have more time with ice cream?
• Do you hide packages from the eaten ice cream so no one can see how much you’ve eaten?
• Are you ready to make some big steps, like going go to another part of your town, just to find your favorite ice cream?

If you’ve answered three or more of these questions with “Yes,” the chances are, you might need some professional help.

Steps to take to deal with ice cream addiction

Important note! Consider these steps only if you were diagnosed with a food addiction by a certified dietitian. These recommendations will not work and might even harm you if you have other eating disorders, like orthorexia, bulimia, or a binge eating disorder.

With a disclaimer being made, let’s dive into some recommendations to fight your food addiction.

Psychologists treat food addiction as any other type of addiction. This is why most of them recommend their patients to abstain from the “substance” entirely. To justify this approach, imagine that it is not ice cream but vodka. Would you offer a drunkard to “Just keep it in moderation and drink just a glass of red wine once a week”? Of course not.

No one says it’s gonna be easy. This is why there are several techniques on how to persuade yourself to abstain from ice cream.

Write a list of all the pros and cons of ice cream addiction

The problem with ice cream is that it is high in calories, fats, and sugar. Just have a look at what do 100 grams of average ice cream contain.

• 298 calories
• Fats: 21,6 grams (10 grams of saturated fats)
• Carbs: 22 grams (among them sugars: 17 grams)
• Protein: 4 grams

Gorging on ice cream for a long period of time can make you gain weight and develop problems with insulin sensitivity. It can disbalance your diet and lead to a deficit in some essential micronutrients.

Avoid triggering situations and places

If you’re used to eating ice cream while watching your favorite series, download some episodes of the show you like and watch it while walking on a treadmill.

If a cafe near your office serves the best of the best chocolate ice cream, don’t go there. Find another place to have lunch.

Explain the situation to people who usually buy you ice cream as a treat. Ask them to stop indulging your sweet tooth for some time.

Be careful with substitutes

Frozen berries might be perfect to substitute high-fat ice cream, however, this might be not enough for your brain. Sometimes people trying to abstain from one sugary treat choose another dessert. So, you give up ice cream and start eating cakes or croissants instead.

Don’t make “for now on and forever” pledges

A piece of advice always given to drugs or alcohol addicts is to take one step at a time. Tell yourself that today and only today you will stay sober. Repeat this pledge tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow. Somehow, our brain agrees with this approach and doesn’t sabotage your endeavors as frantically as if you told: “I will never have this substance again!”

Summing up

Food addiction is an eating disorder that adds to the obesity problem a lot. As some of its symptoms look like those of a binge eating disorder or bulimia, you have to consult a certified dietitian to be diagnosed. Your health advisor will work on the psychological and sociological reasons behind your addiction to help you deal with it forever. Don’t be afraid to ask for psychological help, as food addiction is a condition that requires professional assistance.