By Cliff Walsh
The average American probably doesn't realize that some foods, particularly those laden with sodium, sugar, and fat, can be addictive. To most, it's just a tasty treat. Unfortunately, this combo can impact the chemicals in your brain, stimulating its reward center, causing us to want more.
We each have what's called a bliss point, which is our ideal level or combination of sugar, salt, and fat that gets our brain juices flowing. Food manufacturers are well aware of this bliss point and spend a great deal of time uncovering and targeting the average person's ideal level. It leads to short-term satisfaction and unconscious eating. The only thing healthy about this are the profits that food manufacturers earn from hitting the bliss point.
There is some research that you might find interesting. Researchers increased the fat, sugar, and salt intake of a number of rats. They noted that the rats' pleasure centers were triggered as a result. What's more, it was surmised, based on a variety of factors, that the rats suffered from withdrawal symptoms upon conclusion of the study. While there are always critics of animal studies when extrapolating to humans, it is certainly something to think about.
When we continuously choose to eat these unhealthy ingredients, it changes our brains and we can become conditioned to overeat. The combination of choosing nutritiously-poor foods and overeating them is a recipe for disaster, more specifically, obesity. What's more, the sugar and salt often act as preservatives, creating a convenient product with a long shelf life, so they're readily available for overindulgence.
Food industry execs, along with Madison Avenue advertisers, don't play nice either. They spend millions of dollars attempting to establish an emotional connection between you and their product. They want you to consider their product a comfort food. Have you ever watched a commercial where an overweight actor was inhaling a greasy cheeseburger? Of course not. They're always good-looking, fit people. These companies are very good at bypassing your conscious brain to make tie their product to feeling good.
Although food companies do not set out to make us fat and unhealthy, it is an unfortunate byproduct of them trying to sell more products to us. It is up to us to be aware of the forces that be and take steps to keep from overindulging. The best option is to avoid having unhealthy, processed foods in the house. It also pays to be prepared when you go out. Take healthy snacks like fruits, vegetables, and nuts out with you. Sweet fruit, in particular, can also help solve sugar cravings. There's a reason why it's called "nature's dessert". Give it a try.
