Addictions to certain foods can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'needs attention'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose addictions to certain foods, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Food Allergies | 96% | Confirm |
Nutritional Deficiency | 13% | Unlikely |
Low Digestive Enzymes | 0% | Ruled out |
Are there any foods that you eat often and would have great difficulty giving up? Examples include meat, cheese, bread products, chocolate.
Possible responses:
→ No / I could give up anything / don't know→ Probably → Yes, definitely |
When the digestive system fails to properly convert food into nutrients, poorly-digested food particles fail to reach the blood stream and can cause cravings for these missing nutrients.
Specific food cravings can be manifestations the body's attempt to obtain certain nutrients that it is missing. If a person attempts to satisfy their cravings with junk foods (foods with no nutritional value), the cravings will continue.