Food Addiction is Real

Ever wondered what makes certain kinds of food irresistible? What makes a snack so perfectly savory or sweet that before you know it the whole thing’s gone and you’re feeling very bloated?Sugar on the tongue triggers the release of opiates in the brain. And when I say opiates in the brain, it is like the runners' high.You know, when a person is out there on the sixth mile and they really start feeling good. It's because opiates that are hiding in their brain cells are released to get a burst of bliss. Now, the taste of sugar takes the system hostage and gives you a little bit of opiate release. Then it turns on DOPAMINE. Dopamine is the pleasure chemical in your brain. It’s your brain’s reward system. And the whole idea is, whatever you just did do that again! That's a really good thing! DairyNo food group has been studied more for opioid activity than dairy, especially cheese. The protein in dairy, CASEIN, is digested into smaller chemical compounds and there is a family of active agents called casomorphins. The desire for cheese can be blocked by the same medicines used to reverse drug overdoses in emergency rooms!We eat five times as much cheese as a few decades ago, often with every meal of the day. Big Food knows that dairy drives the desire for more dairy and larger sales. People who are trying to be vegan report the hardest food to give up is cheese; weaning slowly off of cheese like a drug may increase success.MeatThe blood in meat contains chemicals that activate opioid receptors. When meat eaters were treated with a drug used to block opiate receptors, ham consumption fell by 10%, salami by 25% and tuna by 50%.Wheat and riceGliadin is a protein in wheat that has opiate activity and is sometimes referred to as gliadorphin. There is also a protein in rice that produces similar effects. So, if you can't stop reaching for the bread bowl, it's probably because of this bliss chemical ambush.Sugar and fatA study in rats showing a preference for Oreo cookies, used for their high sugar and fat content, that was similar to providing the rats with cocaine and morphine. Actually, prior studies in humans had already shown the opioid-like effects of mixing sugar and fat (think: donut) that could be reversed with narcotic blockers.        Americans are eating on average per person 70 lbs more meat, 30 lbs more cheese and 30-50 lbs more sugar than we did a century ago. Is it any wonder we have an obesity and diabetes epidemic?Over a decade ago researchers studied what happened when you gave a three-month-old baby a sugary treat while staring in their eyes. When a group of people entered the room including the adult who fed the baby sugar water, the baby scanned and focused only on the “sugar dealer,” demonstrating how early in life sugar addiction can be identified.If you eat broccoli, quinoa, oranges or strawberries, this doesn't happen. These are not foods that stimulate a huge opiate response in the brain. And nobody ever binges on these foods. You never hear someone say they are addicted to broccoli.  But how many people open up a pint of Haagen Dazs and your spoon hits the bottom and you think, uh-oh, I just overdid it!  This is not your fault. Okay? These are foods that are triggering the opiate machinery, they stimulate overeating, they stimulate bliss. This is not you. This is not a question of morality.And if you think about it, it makes sense. You know, when you're stressed, when you're depressed when you're lonely when you have been betrayed. That is not a time when we steamed broccoli. Nobody ever went to 711 at nine o'clock at night to buy cauliflower. We don't do these things. We go there for something that will make us feel good. And the part of the brain that responds to these drug-like foods is the same part of the brain that responds to intimacy. And when intimacy is wrenched away from us, bliss foods take it place. Does this make sense?    The most important thing is the next generation. If you look into schools, back a generation ago, there wasn't a lot of childhood obesity. But we're now in completely uncharted territory because kids are eating in a way they never did before. And that's really got to be our target. You've got to turn this around. If you turn on the TV half the commercials now or snack foods. The other half of the commercials are for medicines to undo the effects of the snack foods.

So what can you do?Avoid temptation by not having so many items at home or in the office loaded with dairy, meat, refined wheat, sugar, and fat.Replace them with blood sugar stabilizing foods like beans, nuts, seeds, whole fruits, and whole grains.Start the day with a healthy breakfast.Rely on support from friends and family to not bring “crack” like foods over can help. As Michael Pollan said, “eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions. Also, please share this with anyone you think might benefit!