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Crack Cocaine Of Food?
People who have never had excess weight or eating disorders do not understand the power of processed foods. There are scientists who only job is to figure out how to design food so you crave more of it. The science has even gone as far as knowing what colors/designs the packaging needs to have to make it more appealing. the working on the wrappers, the calories labeled on the front in bold, these are all factors that trick you into eating more. So what is the biggest offender in creating this craving for food? I'm glad you asked.
Sugar and salt. Those are the two biggest triggers for processed foods. Sugar is unlike any other ingredient. In fact, it is the one thing our bodies absolutely do not need to function. Our bodies are efficient machines and know how to produce glucose on demand. We don't have to add it into our diets. But sugar is also different in the respect that it triggers dopamine receptors in our brains in the exact same fashion as cocaine does. MRI scans have revealed that our dopamine receptors behave exactly the same way on cocaine as it does on sugar. As we consume sugar, we get addicted to the responses in our brain. To continue to get those responses, we have to consume more and more sugar. It's a vicious cycle that we get trapped in.
But what about salt? Ever wonder why you crave chips and crackers? Our adrenal glands need sodium to function. Our minds have learned over time that these salty foods contain sodium so we crave them. When we eat foods high in sodium, we retain water. So how do these two work in conjunction to derail our eating habits? Enter the star pupil of combinations.
Soda. beverages such as Coke, Pepsi and every other sugary beverage have a one two punch for our bodies. These beverages contain huge amounts of sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup. But corn syrup by itself is sickeningly sweet and we could not handle the taste by itself. Enter salt. Salt is a great equalizer in taming the syrup. But it is also a deadly combination. When we consume too much sugar, we become dehydrated. The high amounts of sugar cause your kidneys to expel water to get rid of the sugar. When you lose water, you crave salt to store more water. By having a beverage that has both, you will drink more. And don't forget the caffeine added in as an extra measure to ensure your thirst is never satisfied.
So as we drink soda, we consume large amounts of sugar, we consume large amounts of salt and caffeine. Our bodies develop a tolerance for the sugar so we have to drink more to get that "high" signal to our dopamine receptors. We dehydrate so we drink more and the vicious circle continues to go round. Is it any wonder we have such a huge problem with diabetes?
Diet Calendar Entry for 05 January 2017:
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1482 kcal
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Fat: 58.45g | Prot: 114.67g | Carb: 126.36g.
Breakfast: Maxwell House Breakfast Blend, Egg, Oscar Mayer Selects Smoked Uncured Bacon. Lunch: Turkey Light Meat (Cooked, Roasted), Mozzarella Cheese (Whole Milk), Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice. Dinner: Reddi-wip Original Dairy Whipped Topping, Fresh & Easy Pineapple Chunks, Broccoli, Nature's Place Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast. Snacks/Other: Utz Pork Rinds, Meijer Starlight Mints, Roasted Salted Cashew Nuts, Green Giant Fresh Baby Cut Carrots, Celery. more...
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