Obesity in the modern age: What are we really hungry for?

We have been talking about obesity for decades. Public health campaigns, documentaries, diets, calorie-counting apps, fitness influencers, and endless headlines — the conversation has been going on for years. And yet, here we are in 2025, and things are not getting better. In fact, they are getting worse.

Statistics suggest that nearly two-thirds of people in the UK are now overweight or obese. But this article is not here to repeat the same warnings. It is not here to offer another solution or ten tips to cut carbs. It is here to ask the deeper questions:

• Why now?
• Why are we still becoming more obese, not less?
• What has changed in our society, our lifestyles, and our relationship with food?

Because this is not just about food. It's about us.

Obesity today: More than just a health crisis

Let's be clear, obesity is a health concern. It is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mobility issues, and lower life expectancy. But in 2025, obesity is not just about what we eat. It is a mirror. It is telling us something about the emotional and psychological landscape of our lives.

Food has always had emotional power. We have always eaten to soothe, to celebrate, to connect. But now, in this modern age, we are turning to food not just for comfort, but for survival in a world where we feel increasingly isolated, stressed, and disconnected.

The addictive nature of modern food

Processed food today is not just high in sugar, fat, and salt; it is scientifically engineered to make us want more. Food companies invest millions to find the exact combination of ingredients that hits our "bliss point" — the sweet spot in our brain that triggers pleasure and reward.

And because we need food to survive, unlike substances like alcohol or drugs, recovery from food addiction is uniquely difficult. You cannot simply quit food. And when the most affordable, accessible, and socially accepted foods are the most addictive, we are set up in a system that feeds addiction more than it nourishes lives.

Obesity as a mental health issue

As therapists, we see the emotional threads beneath eating patterns. Trauma, loss, neglect, grief, shame – these aren't abstract ideas. They live in the stories of our clients. One client gained significant weight after an injury left them housebound and isolated. The physical pain was real, but the emotional fallout of boredom, disconnection, and loneliness became the breeding ground for compulsive eating.

Many clients visit my practice not simply because they are "overweight," but because they feel disconnected from themselves. They eat to comfort, to numb, to fill a gap, and then they feel guilt and shame for doing so. It becomes a vicious cycle:

"I eat because I feel empty. And then I feel ashamed for eating. And then I eat to soothe the shame."

We are not just talking about physical health anymore. Obesity is entangled with our emotional survival mechanisms. And in that, it deserves not judgment, but compassion and understanding.

Technology, convenience, and the loss of movement

Modern life is convenient; perhaps too convenient. We work from home. Food shopping and takeaways are delivered to our door. We don't need to walk to the train station or cycle to work. We don't even need to leave the house to socialise or to feel rejected, ignored, or alone.

Children who once played outside now live on screens. Parents, overwhelmed and overworked, turn to ready meals and fast food not because they do not care, but because they are trying to survive.

Technology has improved our lives in many ways. But it has also stripped away the natural movement, routine connection, and social interaction that once formed the backbone of healthy living.

The breakdown of connection

Food used to be a ritual. Families gathered around the table. Meals were homemade, shared, and not rushed. Eating was not just about sustenance; it was about connection.

Today, we eat on the go. We eat in isolation. Parents are stretched thin, and children model what they see. Meals become moments of silence, scrolling on devices, or stress.

In this breakdown of connection, food becomes one of the few reliable pleasures, a dependable companion in a world that often feels too much.

Shame, stigma, and the need for compassion

There is a deep shame that surrounds obesity. Society is quick to judge and to label someone as lazy, unmotivated, lacking willpower. But when you sit with someone who is struggling, when you hear their story — the trauma, the grief, and the neglect, you begin to see that obesity is not a choice. It is often a response to pain.

We need to stop moralising weight and start understanding it as a symptom. Just like addiction, obesity often starts as a coping mechanism that once helped us survive — until it eventually stops doing so.

If we want to create change, we need to replace judgment with empathy and replace stigma with support.

Education is crucial, but not just in the classroom

Education around food and nutrition is still lacking, even among medical professionals. GPs often receive minimal training in nutrition, despite seeing patients every day whose illnesses are linked to diet.

We don't just need food education in schools; we need it in communities, clinics, therapy rooms, and homes. We need a shift in how we think about food — not just what we eat, but why we eat the way we do.

Food affects mental health. Deficiencies in vital nutrients can deepen anxiety, depression, and fatigue. But we rarely talk about this. We treat the symptoms, but not the cause.

A call for awareness, not catastrophe

This article does not end with a miracle solution. It does not promise transformation through willpower alone. It is not about catastrophising the future or sugar-coating reality.

It's about saying:

• This is happening. Right now.
• Obesity in 2025 is not just a personal issue — it's a societal one.
• It reflects something deeper about how we are living, feeling, and relating to ourselves and others.

Where do we go from here?

We may not have all the answers, but we can start by asking the right questions:

• What is missing from our lives that we are trying to fill with food?
• How can we rebuild rituals of connection, not just around food, but around each other?
• How do we teach our children, and ourselves, to nourish rather than numb?

We cannot change the world overnight, but we can become more aware of what is really going on beneath the surface of our weight, our hunger, and our need for comfort.

Because sometimes, what we are really starving for is not food.

It's connection, care, and belonging.