It was love at first bite, and I am still in love. No, this isn’t going to be some cheesy article on why I love vampires. This article is about my love and addiction to food. Food is one of my weaknesses.

Yes, I have a kryptonite, and it’s most likely covered in caramel, has cheese or it’s fried. Food for me is probably the equivalent of someone’s addiction to drugs, gambling or any other type of addiction. Once I’ve got food on my mind there is no changing it until I get some food. In class I’m the student whose stomach you hear growling loudly as the instructor rambles on.  I find food to be the most important part of my day. It doesn’t matter if it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I cherish each meal and bite.

I couldn’t imagine my life without food. Of course, we all need food to live but could you imagine if you just ate for nutrients. Holidays would never be the same.

Yes we all celebrate holidays for certain reasons, but one of my reasons is the food. I mean, what would Thanksgiving be like without a giant roasted turkey, cooked golden brown to perfection with a side of mashed potatoes and brown gravy.  The Fourth of July is Independence Day but just imagine it without the delicious barbecue ribs, burgers and chicken.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Christmas and the meaning behind it, but I also love the Christmas cookies that are decorated in colorful icings, and sprinkles that bring sweet burst of flavor to my mouth.

I eat all kinds of food and I don’t get very picky as long as it’s delicious. I even invent my own special meals from Oreo pancakes to chocolate burritos drizzled in chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

In my free time when I am not eating food, I spend time looking at pictures of food. This is usually what some people call food porn. I get on Pinterest or Instagram looking at pictures tagged as food porn.

I look over all the delicious pictures of just baked cinnamon rolls with white icing melting off of them or cheesy covered pizza with all the right toppings. I get hungry just thinking about it let alone looking at it. So I guess you can call me a food porn addict.

I’m sure it’s no surprise that I work at a restaurant where I get to feed my addiction and have the freedom to fantasize about food.  I can’t even watch The Food Network or any type of cooking show because I’ll get too hungry and I’ll have to have food.

The only problem my love for food presents is that most of the food I love is bad for me.  All that delicious fried-ness is actually not healthy and it’s making me unhealthy.  I recently encountered some health problems that pointed to my unhealthy addiction. My doctor and a nutrition specialist told me that I had eaten so much bad food my kidneys couldn’t process the waste.

But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst part was I had to be put on a diet. A diet is a word I never wanted to hear, but while I would love to keep eating all my favorite foods, I don’t want to end up in a hospital. While I know I can’t cut out all the foods that bring me pleasure, I have learned to enjoy my favorite foods in moderation.

I’m sure I will never get completely over my food addiction, but I have gone to get help and I’ve cut back on my food porn searching, a little. But the next time you’re at a restaurant, beware, I may be looking at your food and fantasizing about it.