We live in a world where diabetes and obesity are at an all-time high. In fact, it’s one of the top diseases in this country. How and why is this happening? One way, Food Addiction: Revealing the Truth and Why It Should Matter.

Did you know that 70% of Americans are overweight and 40% are children? This affects one out of every two Americans, 90% of whom have no idea! This is not just because we are overeating. Diabesity is driven by dietary composition from the foods that we eat, not the number of calories consumed.

The old way of looking at our diet was as calories in and calories out. Meaning, we if consume as many calories as we want in a day and also exercise then we’ll have created balance. This is where it’s so WRONG. Well, the changes in our metabolic rate, our storage of fat, and hunger depend on dietary consumption, not the calories. Meaning, our food quality (fat, protein, carbs) affects our hormones and inflammatory cytokines. Those are the biological factors changing brain function and your metabolic rate. SOURCE

The truth of the matter is it’s Food Addiction and Sugar causing chronic health issues. The food industry actually hires scientists to purposely make food addictive. They have taste test institutes where they hire craving experts to make the foods on the shelves addictive. Remember the Pringles commercial, “once you pop, you can’t stop?” Yea, that’s for that reason…to make us addicted to the foods being created. SOURCE

Food Addiction: Revealing the Truth and Why It Should Matter

Unfortunately, we live in an environment of toxic foods. They’re everywhere including schools, fast food chains, grocery stores, processed foods, etc… One of the biggest addictions of them all is the addiction to sugar and flour. So the calories you’re going to find in a bowl of cereal are not the same as eating a cup of broccoli. If anyone has ever told you that all calories are created equal, they’re wrong. And don’t even get me started on marketing in the food industry. I can go on and on about them adding “only 100 calories” on a package of pretzels.

Sugar is an addiction just like crack and just like cocaine. It’s real and the biggest contributor to obesity, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, inflammation, many cancers, and heart attacks. The amount of sugar consumed a year is even scarier. For example, an average of 152 lbs of sugar and 146 lbs of flour is consumed per person per year. SOURCE

Then there’s added sugar. Added sugar is the sugar that’s making us ill or worse… killing us. Not overeating but the overconsumption of sugar is what’s causing diabetes and obesity. 80% of industrial products contain added sugar. Meaning your cereal, soda, fruit juices, crackers, cake, donuts, waffles, just to name a few. Then there is high-fructose corn syrup…another fancy name for sugar that is the biggest source of calories consumed. Your morning yogurt can contain more sugar than a can of coke. SOURCE

Just to put things into perspective, 20 ounces of soda=15 tsp of sugar.

Looking for other clever names for hidden sugar in your foods, check out THIS post I did on Instagram.

The Brain on Sugar

Certain foods trigger the release of dopamine, (AKA: the feel-good neurotransmitter) and this reinforces the repeated desire to consume similar foods in the future. When it comes to food choices, I think we can all agree that our decisions on food are based on more than just nutritional content but on childhood memories, comfort foods, seasonal cravings, and so much more. SOURCE

So, when we eat food that triggers the release of dopamine, it can have a huge impact on determining our dietary behaviors. Sorry kale lovers, I’m not so sure we’re releasing dopamine eating a kale salad LOL compared to how much is released eating a piece of chocolate.

Lastly, our sugar consumption stimulates opioid systems within our brains. These are the same exact biochemical processes involved in drug addiction, crazy right? The behaviors you might expect to see in drug addiction can be replicated with sugar exposure including withdrawals. SOURCE

Obesity and Weight Gain Contributions

Sugar not only plays a role in health issues such as the ones mentioned above, including food addiction. But, changes in our microbiome such as our diet, medications, toxins, birth type, can also lead to obesity. Then there’s inflammation, environmental toxins, genetics, food sensitivities, and so much more that can lead to weight gain. Source

Calorie Restricting can contribute to weight gain as well. Sure, it’ll work in the beginning but then your body will override it leading to increased weight gain. The process of calorie restriction will slow down your metabolism and increase your hunger. Again, it’s not the amount of food you eat, it’s the quality.

Overeating doesn’t make you fat. Being fat makes you overweight. Being hungry is due to the kind of food being consumed and then that is what causes fat. When we eat the wrong types of foods, we start to collect belly fat which can then lead to cravings and slow down the metabolism.

Lastly, there’s insulin resistance which is the fat-storage hormone and also the hunger hormone. When we eat things like refined carbs and sugar, it spikes our insulin, stores fat, grows bellies, cancer cells, and stimulates fat production. SOURCE

How Do We Beat Food Addiction?

A well-balanced diet of fresh real fruits and vegetables. Truly, this is the best thing you can do for your body or your family’s health. Incorporate organic and hormone-free animal products, fresh fruits, and veggies. We can begin crowding out sugar cravings by incorporating healthy fats, fiber, protein, and greens throughout each of our meals. Fat and protein are great for keeping the lining of our stomachs full and slowing down digestion. See THIS post for more info on blood sugar balance.

Keep your gut healthy and happy. Include lots of fermented probiotics and prebiotics. Check out this post HERE for all the details on sources. Eat foods that help lower inflammation, exercise, and daily movement even if it’s 15 minutes a day. You can also help lower the number of processed foods and sugary drinks consumed.

Read your labels, and don’t always trust brand marketing. If a box of cereal says whole grain, more fiber, etc, for example, always turn it over and read the ingredients label. Look for other names of sugar and the amounts of flour contained. Cornmeal, corn syrup, brown sugar, corn all equal flour and sugar which equals…Not Very Good.

Related Blog Posts

Xo,

Natalie

DISCLAIMER: The information provided on Precious Time Blog is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified healthcare provider. Precious Time Blog is not liable for how the information is used and cannot be held responsible or guarantee any results. You alone are solely and personally responsible for the results, and your success depends primarily on your own effort, motivation, commitment, and follow-through. Precious Time Blog is simply serving as a coach, mentor, and guide to help you reach your own health and wellness goals through simple holistic remedies and healthy lifestyle changes.