A New York law student with a cheese addiction is entering a $6,000-a-week rehabilitation program to help him overcome his obsessive urges, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Adela Kojab, 27, talks about her struggle with cheese addiction and her journey to recovery. During Kojab’s junior year at New York University, her appetite got out of control and she started consuming large amounts of cheese, which she believes was a financial decision to cope with stress. Ta. according to to the New York Post. Mr. Kojab described his ordeal and said how he bought the cheapest blocks of white cheddar and parmesan cheese.
“I would just walk into Morton Williams or Whole Foods and buy some cheese, and I would literally eat a chunk of cheese with my hands,” Kojab said, according to the New York Post. “That was the only thing that made me feel a little better.”
Gouda, bad and ugly: Cheese-addicted New York City law student sent to nearly $6,000-a-week rehab facility https://t.co/2i8jTisUlW pic.twitter.com/qbvU3n3v9H
— New York Post (@nypost) May 18, 2024
The situation escalated to the point where she was consuming about 5.5 blocks of cheese a week along with Parmesan potatoes, and when she tried to make a salad, it only included lettuce as a garnish for the cheese, the paper said. Reported. Dr. Neil Barnard, author of “The Cheese Trap,” believes cheese addiction is caused by high levels of fat, salt, and casein. Casein acts like an opiate on the brain, giving cheese the nickname “dairy crack.”
Mr. Kojab, president of New York University’s Zionist student group Realize Israel, was facing increased stress from campus politics and activism. The combination of stress and unhealthy eating habits caused her to gain 172 pounds, stop her menstrual cycles, and increase her risk of type 2 diabetes, among other serious health problems, the newspaper reported. (Related: Man arrested for allegedly assaulting police with cheese: report)
In this June 30, 2008 file photo, Cecilia Oestreich flips cheese being pressed at Consinder Bardwell Farm in West Pawlet, Vermont. In conjunction with the special feature FARM-USA/CHEESE REUTERS/Brian Snyder
After her family intervened, Kojab sought help from Hilton Head Health in South Carolina. Hilton Head Health is a health retreat that costs at least $5,820 a week. After entering her rehabilitation facility, she learned to manage her diet, count calories and choose healthier snacks, the outlet reported.
Despite her progress, Kojav admits that her condition occasionally flares up during stressful times, such as the recent anti-Israel protests at her university.
“I’m dabbling a little bit, but it’s not the same,” she said, according to the New York Post. She says, “When I’m really stressed, I eat a block of cheese, but that doesn’t happen very often.”
