Overview
Just as drug addicts crave for the drug they’re addicted to, food addicts crave certain foods in the same way. A large number of people are suffering from food addiction.
Food addiction was recently discovered as a serious problem.
This neurotransmitter is responsible for producing pleasure-inducing hormones whenever taste buds experience a pleasant taste. After becoming used to these pleasure-inducing foods, the brain cannot get enough of this “taste.”
These foods are hyper-palatable and contain high levels of sugar, salt and fat making them addictive.
1. Pizza
According to research from the University of Michigan on how to observe a healthy diet plan, pizza stood out as the most addictive food worldwide. When assessed on the Yale food addiction scale, which is the most widely used scale in determining food addiction, pizza stood as the number one addictive food.
On a daily basis, 13% of people have pepperoni pizza which approximately has 360 calories and 10 grams of fat in a slice. This is not only addictive but also has a very negative effect on your overall health.
However, if you’re following a healthy diet plan, you should try topping the pizza with healthier foods such as shredded vegetables.
2. French Fries
It’s usually hard to resist a couple of French fries due to their irresistible sweet and salty taste. It’s no surprise, its the salty nature of French fries which keeps us craving for more.
The sodium in the French fries facilitates the production of dopamine which activates the pleasure centers of the brain. However, medical practitioners sternly warn the saltiness in the French fries is no way healthy for our body.
3. Soda
We all love soda, don’t we? I was once a soda addict until I discovered all the negative effects it has on my body.
This is not a discouragement if you love soda. It’s just a piece of sober advice from an experienced soda drinker!
Soda is usually loaded with sugar which can increase your risk of obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Also, it has high fructose corn syrup with caffeine which makes it more addictive.
It’s also important to remember, whenever you drink soda, you are taking a combination of sugar and calories which not a part of a healthy diet.
4. Chocolate
This is another class of hyper-palatable food which contains lots of calories which can contribute to a diagnosis of knee pain. According to research by the University of Michigan, out of a scale of 1 to 7, chocolate was the second most addictive food at 3.73.
Chocolates are very addictive.
People who were diagnosed with knee pain treatments admitted to eating large amounts of chocolate in addition to high calorie food.
5. Potato Chips
According to research, potato chips are at the same level as chocolates when it comes to addiction. However, potato chips are a bit different from chocolate since they contain a high level of fat and salt.
Whenever you’re eating potato chips, the nerve endings of your pleasure receptors send a signal to the hypothalamus which overloads the pleasure centers. In turn, this leaves us with an addiction that leaves you craving for more and more chips.
6. Cookies
Do you find yourself gobbling lots and lots of cookies at one moment in time? Are you always having a cache of cookies maybe in your vehicle, house or even hidden somewhere?
Well, you may be suffering from its addiction too! This is sad news for you since cookies are prepared with ingredients such as butter, milk, sugar and flour which are not very suitable for your health.
According to previously mentioned research from the University of Michigan, cookies appear at number four as the most addictive food in the world.
7. Ice Cream
If you are that guy on a quick weight loss plan, you should completely avoid ice cream. This is because, ice cream contains unhealthy components for a quick weight loss plan such as fat, calories and sugar.
Scientific studies show a half cup of ice cream contains 310 calories, 18 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar. Sadly, out of 27 respondents interviewed by a research team from Yale University, 53% of them occasionally had a cup or two of ice cream.
How to Avoid Addictive Food
The first and best way to avoid addictive and unhealthy food is by understanding their negative effects on your health. After this step, you should consider minimizing the amount of food you were previously eating.
Since people who suffer from food addiction tend to eat a lot of food, they should start by reducing the size of the plate which will reduce the amount they take daily.
On the other hand, eating natural foods competes with hyper-palatable foods for the production of dopamine. This, in turn, decreases the amount of receptors that produce dopamine and therefore, the brain is relieved from excess cravings.
Conclusion
Although the foods listed above are the commonly enjoyed ones, they are very unhealthy because they contain high amounts of calories, lack any nutritional value and are very addictive. Therefore, you should be always watchful when indulging ourselves in this kind of foods.
References
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/mental-health-food-addiction#1
https://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/signs-symptoms-and-treatment-food-addiction
https://www.grandparents.com/health-and-wellbeing/diet-and-nutrition/food-addiction
https://doctor.ndtv.com/living-healthy/top-7-most-addictive-foods-heres-how-you-can-curb-your-addiction-1793113
https://www.builtlean.com/2014/01/10/addictive-unhealthy-foods/
How important is reading food labels? Keep yourself and your family healthier by being aware of the facts about these labels.
