Hello Barbara, I can understand your concern for your friend. Fast food addiction is not uncommon. The mechanism that is working for her is when she eats junk food, the reward center in the brain is excited and secretes dopamine which makes her feel so good that she has to go for that food again and again like an addiction to cigarette or alcohol. High-sugar foods can do this, too. There are some ways that she can apply to restrict her intake of junk food. There will be some trigger foods for her thinking about which would induce cravings in her. She has to make a list of those food items and put a ban on them. She can find the places that serve healthy food in the area. When she feels to go to fast food joint, she can just go to these places and eat healthy. In addition, you can make a list for her about pros and cons of eating fast food. Make copies of this list and put them everywhere. In the cupboard, purse, kitchen etc. She will bump into them time to time, sometimes while eating junk food and will catch the note reminding her of the mistake she is making. Do not force her for dieting. In fact, put dieting on hold for 3-4 months. Have a goal of just stopping intake of fast food and dieting can be started later. This will help her to have wide choice of food items to help getting off junk food. If nothing works, a mental health professional pr psychiatrist can help with counselling sessions and prescription medicines. I hope this answer helps you. Thank you for using HCM for your concern. Let me know if I can answer any follow up questions. Best, Dr. Viraj Shah