7 Most Addictive And Unhealthy Foods
We are surrounded by unhealthy temptations every day it has got so we cannot not walk down the street without facing a giant billboard, watch the TV without the interruption of commercials or turn the page of a glossy magazine advertising fast food.
Unfortunately the most frequently advertised foods are the ones that we crave. These are foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat. Highly processed fast food can become a craving and has been proven in the statistics of obesity. Addiction expert Francesco Leri, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Guelph, has produced a study suggesting food addiction is real and can partly explain the current global obesity epidemic. The “Food Addiction” hypothesis suggests that food addiction is similar to drug addiction. Dr. Leri based these results on studies of rats and their response to foods which contained unnaturally high concentrations of sugar, fats and taste enhancers, such as high-fructose corn syrup and foods like Oreo cookies. Dr. Leri investigated the behavioral, chemical and neurobiological changes induced by consumption of “addictive foods” in the bodies and brains of rats. “We are not rats, but our children do not think too much about the impact of sweets on their brain and behavior. There is now convincing neurobiological and behavioral evidence indicating that addiction to food is possible. Our primary objective is to discover biological predictors of vulnerability to develop excessive consumption of high fructose corn syrup ,” says Leri. Basically sugar fuels every cell in the brain. Your brain sees sugar as a reward this makes you keep wanting more of it. If you often eat a lot of sugar you are reinforcing that reward, which can make it tough to break the habit. So what foods were found to be the most addictive?
1) Processed Baked Goods
Eating just one Oreo does not happen!! But why? Many studies have proven that the ingredient, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, found in many baked goods can actually cause reactions that are similar to those made by drug abuse causing us to go back for more and more. When the sweet craving hits try and swap the biscuits or cake for a fruit snack, berries have many health benefits but basically any fruit should curb your sugar craving.
2) Soda With Caffeine
Soda’s combination of high-fructose corn syrup with caffeine is the perfect addictive recipe. How the feeling of an energy comes about is that the caffeine goes directly into your bloodstream and blocks adenosine receptors, stimulating the adrenal gland to produce the chemical adrenaline. Basically your body is being forced into an unnatural state which can lead to your feeling exhausted later. In only one can of Coke there are 11 teaspoons of sugar. Acidic soda can also eat up and erode teeth enamel. So if gaining weight and decaying teeth isn’t enough reason to stop drinking soda studies have proven that the over consumption of soda can cause psychological effects. It has been reported that drinking too much caffeinated soft drinks has actually caused or amplified a patient’s mental disorder symptoms.
3) White Bread
Have you ever wondered why it’s hard to resist the breadbasket when you’re out at dinner? Processed and high-glycemic carbohydrates such as white breads are hard to stop eating and make us crave more. Studies have proven that people who consume more nutrient dense, low-glycemic carbs are less likely to overeat. Good foods to eat are fruit, beans, and whole grains, which release glucose more slowly into the bloodstream, and helps to balance blood sugar and fat storage.
4) Potato Chips
Potato chips are high in salt and fat. When we eat those greasy, fatty potato chips our nerve endings send a signal that travels up to the hypothalamus, better known as the pleasure center of our brains. We eventually overload the pleasure center and crash. Which then causes the craving to intensify. Even the “healthier” chips, like baked veggie chips, are usually high in fat. Alternatively try baked kale “chips” they will help with the craving for a salty and crunchy snack.
5) Highly-Processed Meat
Cold cuts like bacon, ham, bologna, hot dogs and sausages are all crammed full of salt and different harmful chemicals such as sodium nitrates. Many of them also contain tons of preservatives and lots of fat. Specifically, hot dogs and sausages can contain up to 23 grams of fat. You cannot beat fresh meats, like skinless poultry and roast beef instead.
6) French Fries
We all love French fries, especially when we need that salty fix. It is the salt on those fried chips that keep us coming back for more and more. One study reveals that sodium intake creates sensitivity to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s pleasure centers. A connection has actually been found between salt and addiction related pathways in the brain. In fact, the same gene group that regulates your appetite for salt.
7) Ice Cream
Is full of fat, calories, sugar, and more often than not the addictive high-fructose corn syrup. Realistically, we do not eat just half-cup of ice cream, which is the typical serving size for grocery store ice cream brands such as Haagen-Dazs. For example, a half-cup of Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle has 18 grams of fat, 310 calories, and 28 grams of sugar. Most people tend to eat at least one cup of ice cream at a time, that means doubling up those numbers. A healthy alternative is Greek yogurt and fruit or frozen fruit such as grapes or bananas.
The foods on this list are high in calories and have hardly any nutritional value and can be addictive. We have all been guilty of indulging in these foods every once in a while but if you find yourself constantly craving these addictive foods you should consider writing down the situations when you start craving them. Where are you? What time is it? Do you smell something? What do you see? How do you feel? By becoming more aware of why you get cravings this can help you make the necessary changes to your eating habits
Be aware that you don’t always see the word “sugar” on a food labels. It can often be disguised and listed under another name such as: Agave nectar, Brown rice syrup, Dextrose, Evaporated cane juice, Glucose, High-fructose corn syrup, Lactose, Malt syrup, Molasses, Sucrose.
Look out for items that list any form of sugar in the first few ingredients or have more than 4 total grams of sugar. Sugar is a habit that can be broken, why not try and remove these 7 products from your diet and see what happens! Why not challenge a friend or member of your family to join you and kick the habit!