If you are one of those people aiming for a healthy diet, cutting out junk foods is a good place to start. Although, this is sometimes easier said than done! It is not that we always lack willpower or motivation to eat healthily. But what is it that keeps drawing us back time and again to that bag of chips or chocolate bar? It is like the popular advertisement - No one can eat just one!
It has been found that craving for unhealthy snacks is not hunger-related, it is more like an addiction. Though we know that such foods are not healthy, our brains tend to disagree. The junk food industry is all geared to cater to the craving for their foods, to them it translates into better profits. They invest these profits into modifying their foods and using ingredients that encourage you to come back for more.
Food addiction
Our brain has a reward sensation to help us survive. Things like eating can trigger feel-good chemicals like dopamine and which can make you feel satisfied. When it comes to junk foods, the reward sensation that they cause is huge. This is why you may feel satisfied and happier while munching on chips rather than an apple. But this is only momentary, once the sensation wears off, you feel hungry and craving for more. Very similar to what happens in a drug-addicted state.
The body tries to cope with the excess rush of dopamine by downplaying the receptors. This means, you need more junk food to experience that same rush of feel-good chemicals. Eventually you do not feel satisfied and end up with withdrawal-like symptoms. This is similar to the cycle of drug addiction. Craving for certain foods most often is not linked with hunger. But memories of such foods (loaded with salt, fat and sugar) trigger memories of feel-good sensations, making us go back time and time again for more.
Responding to cues
The food industry knows how powerful these craving cues are. This is why they advertise in prime-time television. The advertisements are everywhere and are geared to produce that response in your brain. This is to satisfy the dopamine rush and is not related to the physical need of hunger.
Why cravings are not good?
We all get the occasional cravings, but managing them is important. For those who can indulge responsibly, not much harm is done. But giving in to constant cravings can lead to overeating and binges. This can lead to drastic health problems when done on a regular basis. Overeating addiction also requires professional help, but we do not take it seriously enough, as we do with drug abuse. The craving cycle leads to ingestion of large amounts of unhealthy foods that wreak havoc. What is more disheartening is that people caught in this vicious cycle think that they lack will power to stop.
Sadly, the junk food industry keeps marketing a chemical cocktail of ingredients that are added to processed foods. Cheese-based puffed snacks are made soft and flaky so they melt in the mouth, giving you the feeling that you have not eaten much. Packaged snacks that are salty and deep-fried come loaded with taste enhancers like lactic and citric acid. The smell and taste of these makes you want to eat more and more!
How can we avoid falling prey to these marketing gimmicks?
Avoid packaged foods with long ingredient lists and hard to pronounce names.
Have more home-cooked meals, your body does not need processed junk.
Prepare healthier versions of junk foods, instead of regular potato chips, try sweet potato chips with less salt.
Avoid eating out too much.
Aim for 3 -4 servings of vegetables and 2 -3 servings of fruit every day.
Drink water instead of soft drinks.
Realize that junk food addiction is a threat to health and needs to be taken seriously.
References
(2018). Retrieved from https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/9-most-dangerously-addictive-junk-foods/diet-soda/
Craving junk food? You’re not hungry—you’re addicted. (2018). Retrieved from https://newfoodeconomy.org/junk-food-overpaying-addiction-hunger/
How Common is Food Addiction? A Critical Look. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-common-is-food-addiction#section6
How Food Addiction Works (And What to Do About It). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-food-addiction-works#section6
http://time.com. (2018). Retrieved from http://time.com/121140/junk-food-may-be-addictive-to-kids/
Junk foods are addictive and are designed to be addictive. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/addictive-junk-foods.php
Junk foods are addictive and are designed to be addictive. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/vegan-whole-food/addictive-junk-foods.php
Snyder, J. (2018). Why is junk food so addictive? |. Retrieved from http://ohthatstasty.com/sound-why-we-eat/why-is-junk-food-so-addictive/
Why Junk Food is So Addictive. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.thedailymeal.com/why-junk-food-so-addictive/101813