Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Guest Post: The Addictive Properties of Junk Food

We can all relate to this feeling: you’re sitting casually watching TV and all of a sudden you have an urge for a late-night junk food snack. It starts small and you tell yourself that you’re not really hungry, that you really don’t need anything else to eat tonight. Then it gets stronger, almost as if the potato chips are screaming at you from the pantry. Ultimately you give in, finish the bag of chips and promise yourself that this won’t happen tomorrow. You may attribute this behavior to a lack of self-control… but did you know that these cravings have an evolutionary component and, in some cases, junk food manufacturers have actually exploited these properties to make them more addictive?
Before we go into the science of junk food addiction, let’s define what I’m talking about when I say “junk food.” Basically, junk food is a food that is high in fat or sugar and low in other nutrients like vitamins, minerals and fiber. Examples could be potato chips, ice cream, pastries, etc.
Now let’s go back to a time where there wasn’t a fast food restaurant on every corner and humans spent most of their days hunting and gathering food. In this era, there was a type of reward system that developed in our brains when we did things to encourage survival. For instance, a neurotransmitter called dopamine was released when we ate, creating a feeling of pleasure throughout our bodies. This let us know that what we were doing was good and encouraged us to keep doing it. Food that was high in fat provided more calories and long-term energy storage and food high in sugar was dense in short-term energy. These types of food were some of the most important for our survival so they released even more dopamine and made us feel even more pleasure.
Today, even though the average American is not at a loss for calories we still have this reward system, causing us to choose higher fat and higher sugar options. Unfortunately, we are no longer choosing foods in their natural state that also have vitamins and minerals and fiber. Instead we are choosing processed food that is actually manufactured to be higher in fat and sugar so that it releases extreme amounts of dopamine in our brain and creates an almost addictive state.
These junk foods cause a hormonal response in our bodies, which causes us to gain fat and ultimately leads to diseases like Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, although high in calories, most junk food is void of other essential nutrients. So even though we may be eating more food than our bodies need, we are starving our bodies of the important vitamins and minerals that keep us healthy.
Remember, your love of junk food didn’t happen overnight so don’t be too hard on yourself if it takes time to break. Focus on choosing foods that make you feel good long-term rather than foods that just give you the initial dopamine rush. You’re going to do great at making healthier choices and quitting your junk food habit!

Guest post provided by Tara Coleman. Tara is a nationally recognized nutrition expert, educator and spokesperson. Visit her website
taracoleman.com

8 comments:

  1. We eat it even though we know it is bad for us.

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    1. That is the truth AND the problem. It has more to do with the fact that you need to get the nasty habit OUT of your diet ROUTINE. That is how you beat that junk food.

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  2. Yep. Fast food is still the number one choice for many people.

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  3. Eating junk food causes a surge of pleasure hormones like dopamine and serotonin, so eating poorly actually feels good … at least for a little while.

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  4. I read that junk food can kill your appetite for eating healthy foods.

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  5. It's the habit that is certainly hard to break. I find it a lot easier if I manage one evening with a healthy eating habit, I find it easier to continue.

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    1. It’s all in your brain. Tell yourself you can and you will. Knowing these foods are killing you is a good start. Fall in love with wholesome foods. Try mixing and matching foods you normally wouldn’t. Like mango and chicken! Corn and shrimp and bell peppers. Get excited and trick your brain

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  6. Could not be more true! It really is addicting. Why can't healthy food be so delicious? Some is, but you get my point. Great post!

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