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Have you ever said, I'm addicted to chocolate?

Or, I just can't stop eating these chips.

You might have meant it jokingly, but what if there's more than a kernel of truth to the

idea that food can be addictive?

We live in a nation awash with cheap, easy to get calories, mostly from highly processed

convenience foods.

One recent study found that two-thirds of the calories that kids and teens in the US consume now

come from ultra-processed foods like industrial breads and cereals, frozen meals, and packaged snacks.

In recent years, some researchers have begun to argue that these foods are more than just tempting and tasty. In fact, they argue

some types of food may actually be addictive, hijacking the reward pathways in our brain in a way

similar to alcohol or cigarettes. So what's the scientific evidence that food addiction is real?

And how can some foods trigger addiction? How does food addiction compare

with other addictions, such as to cigarettes and alcohol? Are some people more likely to

struggle with food addiction? And if so, what are the risk factors? Welcome to Speaking of

Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

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