Last night Ryan and I enjoyed al fresco sweet Italian chicken sausage with peppers and onions for dinner and I used leftovers to make a sausage, onion and pepper hoagie for lunch today.
Here’s the food preparation process from last night…
Freshly Chopped Green and Red Peppers and Onions
Ryan Slicin' Onions
Ryan is the onion slicer in our house. They make me cry!
We put the peppers, onions and sliced chicken sausage in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring half-way through.
Sausage + Peppers
The leftovers made an excellent lunch today!
Sausage, Pepper & Onion Hoagie
Monday's Lunch
Addicted to Food???
Many people claim they are “addicted to food.” Whether they are addicted to the food itself or the feeling they derive from eating the food is often debated.
Do you feel like you’re addicted to food? Do you know someone who is?
I don’t believe I am addicted to food, but I will admit that when I start eating ice cream or certain other indulgent foods, I sometimes feel a little out of control. I consider these foods my “trigger foods” and I know myself enough to know that one little “taste” simply will not do. I know that once I take one bite of ice cream or break a teeny piece off a freshly baked cookie, I’ll immediately go back for more.
A recently published study examined two groups of rats. One group was fed junk food while the other group was fed a healthy diet.
Results from the study showed that the rats eating junk food continued to compulsively eat the calorie-dense food even when they knew they’d receive an electric shock (Those poor rats!). Those eating the healthy foods stopped eating when they knew a shock would occur.
Interesting, huh? I’m not sure if this really applies to people, but it’s pretty interesting nonetheless.
For more details on this study, click here to read my latest Examiner article.
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I’m like you I don’t believe that I’m addicted to food but there are certain foods I have a hard time putting down if I start to eat them.
Thats a very interesting study!! I think I agree with the junk food rats cause if they shocked me after having a chocolate chip cookie I’d probably take the shock again for another bite haha!!
I agree that it’s an interesting study, and I think it could apply to many people…like you and many others, only small bite of ice cream just isn’t enough! I don’t believe I’m addicted to food, though-or the feeling I may get from eating.
Anywho–it’s definitely something to think about when reaching for the treats!
i saw this study this morning on Jezebel too!!
i definitely see how addicting our modern diet is. companies know this and cleverly market products that we simply can’t get enough of.
with me personally, i have trigger foods that include CAKE, COOKIES, BROWNIES and all things sweet. i am trying hard at mindful eating in moderation but it’s not always easy so for the most part i keep oreos and cake boxes and cookies out of the house because having 2 cookies almost always turns into 5 or 6 or 7 haha.
ps ryan = adorable
biscuits are my trigger food. its my only one, really!
I think there’s a difference between feeling a little out of control around certain foods and being addicted to them, or eating them compulsively. I know that people with official binge eating disorder feel truly compelled to eat – as in they cannot stop themselves even when they try. There is literally a “high” of sorts that comes from eating certain foods or large amounts of food. That being said, I think that most of us probably have certain foods (cookies, anyone???) that are extremely difficult to eat in small portions, so we all have to be careful!
Absolutely people can have a food addiction! I love food and I struggle with many foods that I can overeat very easily. For me, the first step is being aware of my tendency to overeat and just watch myself. I’m not always perfect, but I try to stay on track!
A tip on onions, if you put them in the fridge for a while before cutting it helps with the tears!
I do think people are addicted to food, so many have a strong emotional connection to it and rely on it for comfort.
Thanks for that tip…I am going to try that because I bawl like a baby when chopping onions!
I’m like you– I have specific trigger foods (usually high in sugar) that leave me feeling a bit out of control.
I actually talked about this in a post a little while back….my mom has a food addiction. She has dealt with binge eating/compulsive overating her entire life. It used to be so bad we would come home from school and she would be passed out in a food coma (literally…which is why I HATE that everyone uses this to describe ‘fullness’ in the blog world).
She is doing well and over the last two years lost 150 pounds by abstaining from sugar and flour–her drugs of choice. One bite of real sugar and it would send her right now that path again.
Anyway just an anecdotal way of saying, yes I do believe people can be addicted to food!
thank you for sharing this, therese! i’m so glad you mom was able to make such positive changes in her life. 🙂
I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to food, but I have trigger foods –fries, pasta.
The study is interesting, but I think different people have different ideas about what they consider junk food to be.
That is a VERY interesting concept!!!
Like you, I have foods that I know I have issues with. I still enjoy them but I’m careful about how much I allow in my house 🙂
I don’t feel that I’m addicted to food either, but to the sensation that it gives me. I’m a huge emotional eater. Food triggers really happy memories for me and I continue eating past the point of fullness to keep those memories alive. I don’t keep any of my “trigger foods” in the house anymore so when I’m bored or angry or frustrated, I either have to settle for fruits and vegetables or deal with my emotions. Kind of uncomfortable, but I hope that one day I will be able to deal with my emotions without the aide of food.
Brownies and ice cream for me! 🙂 It tastes so good!
That’s a really interesting study. I think we all have our “addiction foods”- for me, it’s anything in a big container that I can eat a lot of without making a dent (mixed nuts, ice cream, PB jar). I think eating trigger foods can definitely cause us to overeat, though!
Yeah, I believe that the chemicals and additives in a lot of processed foods are addictive – that’s why I do my best to stay away from them and eat as much real, raw food as possible. That’s how I’ve lost over 100 pounds and am maintaining it. It works for me. 😀
But that’s sad about those rats. 🙁
Very interesting stuff! Junk food is oh soo good, but dang, it really sucks 🙂
There have definitely been times in my past where I felt addicted to food. Namely, sugar. I would seek it out and have that out of control feeling while eating it, but couldn’t stop. I cried so much during that time. Thank goodness I don’t deal with that anymore.
I am not addicted to food but I also have trigger foods. I don’t bring them into the house, if I am really craving something then I try and find another healthy substitute or go out and get it. Which usually isn’t convenient, or it’s not worth it.
Hmmm, I think I’m definitely addicted to the feeling eating gives me. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what I’m eating… I just need to eat to fill some kind of void. I definitely have my trigger foods like cereal and chocolate. I am not one of those people who can just have a square of chocolate and be done. I eat the whole darn bar!!
That is very interesting Julie…I don’t know if I am addicted to food but once I find a new food I like I tend to eat it over and over until I am sick of it. Like when I first realized I liked roasted brussel sprouts I ate them almost everyday for like 2 months then I was just DONE with it. Now I am slowly starting to crave them again.
I rarely keep ice cream in my house for that reason… I just keep having more “bites.” If I’m really craving ice cream, I’ll stop for a cone somewhere. I tend to overdo it with cereal too, so I just stopped buying as much of it!
I totally agree, I’m not addicted but I have certain trigger foods where I know just one little bite won’t do it. Your leftover hoagie looks awesome! Sausage, onions, and peppers is one of my favorites!
Very interesting article! I actually read a book called “The End of Overeating” by David Kessler that is all about the addicting power of food. I definitely believe that sugar and fat have an addictive affect on certain types of people, and they are just as powerful as drugs! Pretty scary, huh? I guess that’s all the more reason why we should stick to healthy eating and know our trigger foods!
effect** (typo!)
Sometimes I wonder if I am addicted to food.. I really am addicted to Naturally More PB but I think that is because it is so delicious and I love it. If that were the case for everything I could say I am addicted to my family because I love them?
Hmmm
.. I wear contacts so they shield me from the onions powerful tear effect