Did you know that eating junk food can change the chemistry in your brain? A recent article on CNN.com
reports on scientific findings that junk food is addictive.
Addiction
comes in many forms, and food addiction is nothing new. The article
states “high-calorie foods affect the brain in much the same way as
cocaine and heroin. When rats consume these foods in great enough
quantities, it leads to compulsive eating habits that resemble drug
addiction.” Food is made more addictive when it is stripped of its
nutrients, and we end up eating bad food not because we’re hungry, but
because we think we need it.
Morgan Spurlock demonstrated fast-food addiction in his documentary film, Super Size Me.
During his 30 day fast food binge, Morgan began to experience the
addicting effects of subsisting on an all fast food diet; in particular,
he craved his daily fix of fast food at every meal and felt ill when he
did not get it.
Just like drug addiction, this study explains that when eating too
much junk food, we overload the “pleasure sensors” in the brain. The
junk food makes us feel good for a short time, but once the pleasure
sensors crash, we need more and more of the food to feel that sugar
“high” again. Imagine your body needing a certain amount of junk food
just to function normally?
It’s not surprising that processed, chemicalized foods alter brain
chemistry. What’s surprising is that fast food is still the number one
choice for many people. How do we help people overcome fast food
addiction? Awareness is the first step. People need to be informed of
the harmful effects of fast food. Transitioning to a diet of whole
foods is the key to helping a junk food junkie overcome the addiction.
We can program ourselves to become ‘addicted’ to healthy, nutritious foods instead of high-calorie, processed, junk foods. Time, consistent effort, and patience are key. Adding in healthier foods like vegetables, whole fruits and whole grains will eventually crowd out the over-processed, chemicalized junk food. Getting back to foods in their whole form is a great first step to breaking the junk-food habit.