Recognizing, overcoming unhealthy food addictions

The expert baker and actress Blake Lively is addicted to cupcakes! On Instagram, she declared she has a craving for Sprinkles, saying, “Why can’t I quit you?” Model Gigi Hadid is obsessed with Grasshopper Pie — and when she can’t get to her favorite ice cream shop for a dose, she says she “just Postmates pints of it to my apartment.”

Nothing special here, apparently. A poll by researchers at the University of Michigan Medicine found that 44% Americans age 50 to 80 have at least one symptom of food addiction and 13% are very addicted — and it’s not driving them to eat fruits and vegetables! It’s highly processed and junk/fast foods with empty calories and added salt, sugars, syrups and unhealthy fats that they’re fixated on.

When asked how they experience their cravings, 24% of those polled said that at least once a week they had such a strong urge to eat a highly processed food that they couldn’t think of anything else. And 19% said that while they often try to cut down on or stop eating these kinds of foods, they always fail. The urgent desire to eat these unhealthy foods is particularly strong among folks who are lonely, overweight and in fair or poor health.

If you want to overcome a food addiction, consider a 12-step program like Overeaters Anonymous or try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reach out to friends and family for support, volunteer to help others (it’s so healing) and read “The Great Age Reboot” for a no-fail plan.

Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.”