Foods that combine fat and carbs, like pizza, activate the brains' reward system in a way similar to drugs of abuse.
A fascinating new study reported by NBC News:
I'm not surprised. Your thoughts?
It has been shown in other studies that people who are more prone to addiction with drugs and alcohol also abuse food more often than average. It would be nice to to know if binge eating (like this article) and binge drinking are related. It seems that we understand more and more about our compulsions and addiction every day. If only we were better at addressing the problem.
I had pizza for lunch. Boss orders in every Friday.
That being said I typically eat what I'm craving, and it typically ends up being a single food group. For instance I'll crave fruit (Mmmm berries!!) and have my fill of them, or I'll be craving meat or cheese and I'll eat that. Sometimes I'll get a craving for toast and I'll have 3 or 4 slices - home made bread even better!! (Not my home, but someone's).
I end up eating a balanced diet, but over the course of the day, not in one sitting.
I do it because I've learned to trust my body's cravings, but I've since heard that there is some science to backup this method of eating. Something to do with the body being better able to deal with one thing at a time rather than a lot of different things to process.
Don't know if there's any truth to that or not.
But sometimes I also crave a sub or pizza... or ya know, cheesecake.
The science sounds reasonable so bring on the cheesecake...without the broccoli !?
So I need to enroll in rehab for my burgers and pizza addiction?
Not necessarily true. Fat decreases the absorption of carb or sugar calories, which is why drinking skim milk can make you fat because there is no fat to prevent or slow the absorption of the milk protein and carbs.
Pizza is a triple header of lectins with a splash of Roundup for a chaser. American wheat crust(gluten)(WGA), commercial cow dairy(caseomorphine #1) and tomato sauce, a high lectin food, which for some immediately triggers a migraine, nausea and a stomach ache. Roundup effects hormones and is known to cause cancer. Meet me at dominoes tonight!!!
And here we go with moderation again. A little bit of poison is still poison. So poison in moderation is OK?? Let me know how that works out for you?
I never enjoyed pizza until I removed the carcass from the recipe. All of a sudden a thin crust with gobs of spinach slathered in olive oil with tomato sauce, slivers of garlic, broccoli/cauliflower florets, mushrooms, tomatoes, black olives & hot peppers with a sprinkle of cheese. What a difference no cadavers makes. Just amazing.
I am, by nature, an ectomorph and have to work to gain body weight. Which I do through weight bearing work-outs and sensible dieting (mostly organic, vegetarian (often home grown) - aside from wild seafood). I also learned that gluten can actually cause people like me to have a lower weight than normal. Gluten can cause a inefficient absorbtion of nutrients. Gluten-free foods can increase the efficiency and absorb more nutrients from foods. All this has helped. To me this is a lifestyle not a diet. Soda's have been out for decades and I can't handle any dairy so maybe I am lucky. Little alcohol, never smoked (my dad died at 67 and his lungs were full of cancer), as little processed food as possible. All in all pretty anal as far as eating goes.
@JackPedigo
Ditto. I also have a classic, ectomorph body type. Although I have lifted weights for 42 years, I'm still small and lean.
@LiterateHiker Some people call it "athletic and toned'. 42 years? Did you start in elementary school? lol I have been doing this for 48 years but with all your hiking you are way ahead of me in the stamina dept.
@JackPedigo , I am 64 years old. At age 21, I fell in love with hiking after moving to Washington State from Michigan.
In graduate school, I worked full time as a YMCA program director.
Also was weightlifting, running, swimming laps, stretching, downhill and cross-country skiing.
@LiterateHiker I got into hiking in the military. They weren't exactly voluntary. My military life was a joke (I could write a book - a comedy). When stationed in N. Turkey I found myself with a lot of extra time and a friend showed me how to use the speed bag (I really like eye-hand coordination activities). From there it went on to weights and racquetball. I was 22. I did some hiking in Germany (Volksmarching is a big deal there) and then Wash. and joined the Mountaineers. However, it is a past time for me not a passion. YMCA (not YWCA)?
I think it's taking responsibility away from adults about their eating. Instead of portion control it's the excuse that their brain can't stop because the food is like a drug.
I'm close to middle age now so it's hard to say what my health will be like in 40 years but I feel as healthy and strong as I've ever felt eating an omnivorous diet.
I don't lack for energy, I don't take any medication, I eat processed food several times a week, I don't drink or smoke, I exercise regularly, I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, I have a low body fat percentage, I eat A LOT of carbs everyday and have no issue maintaining my weight, I'm happy and look forward to each day, etc.
If clean eating, veganism makes you feel good, happy and healthy, awesome!
I think I may try veganism for a few weeks in the near future as a trial for myself. See if it makes me feel even better.
@Michael_D,
You are right about portion control. For 25 years, I have used a small salad plate for meals.
"After dinner, we salivate for dessert like Pavlov's dogs," my siblings and I joked. My late mother had a sweet tooth. After dinner, she routinely served vanilla ice cream with Hershey's chocolate syrup.
Portion control. Instead of making 2-4 dozen cookies, I buy one, exquisite, dark chocolate chip cookie, once in a while.
My current go-to dessert is a 20-calorie, delicious and creamy:
Cocomels coconut milk caramel, vanilla flavor.
My vegan hiking partner, Karen, turned me on to these caramels. Made with coconut milk, they are gluten free, vegan, non-GMO and made without dairy.
@LiterateHiker - l think I'm salivating a little bit now. That all sounds delicious!
So.... cut out all of the good stuff in order to gain maybe two or three extra years at the end of my life of the privlege of consuming more joyless, tasteless, textureless food.
Thanks, but I'll pass. Think I'll keep on enjoying that yummy pepperoni pizza and kick the bucket with a cut off of a porter house steak in my mouth at the age of 82 instead of a piece of kale in my mouth at 85.
Your choice. But the good stuff is retraining the brain & eating real food from many cultures. When they amputate your legs from diabetic ulcers that refuse to heal.....remember the cause. A poor diet of corporate food, high fat animal cadavers, high fructose corn syrup pop and mass quantities of starch ie bread, cake, donuts blah blah blah. Have fun. 'Bye 'bye.
You mean like chocolate wrapped in bacon?
Any decent ice cream?
Spare me.
I can limit my intake of these reasons for living on earth.
Like anyone has asked for an extra serving of kale and sadness.
Is why I follow a vegan diet, that works for me.
My mother was considered an exercise fanatic and a health nut. Mom raised us on low fat, healthy food. I took it to a new level. Thanks, Mom!
At age 22, my youngest sister got skin cancer. I was 27. That was a wakeup call and the last year I had a tan. Since then, I have worn sunscreen every day, year-round, on my face and neck, and a wide-brimmed hat while hiking and gardening. That's why my skin looks good.
So, I have never smoked, avoid alcohol and never drink soda pop. Also, don't eat deep fried food, fast food, hamburgers, donuts or pizza- high fat, processed, sugary junk foods that Americans love. I enjoy organic fruits and vegetables as much as possible.
My dad died of cancer at age 51. I was 24. Immediately I eliminated from my diet preserved meats with cancer-causing nitrites and nitrates. Bacon, ham, pepperoni, salami, etc. Once a year, I enjoy a rib-eye steak when finding morel mushrooms in the spring. Sauté the morels with olive oil, butter and garlic: WOW!
Instead of buying processed food, I cook from scratch at home.
Bottom line: a healthy lifestyle gets results. Exercise and enjoy eating healthy, whole foods. Protect your skin from the sun. Drink lots of water
I've been a vegetarian for 15+ years, and I go through periods of strict dietary plans (whole, raw, plant-based). I can stick with it for weeks or even months at a time, and I find I feel a lot better when I eat that way — with increased energy, fewer aches, enhanced mood. Regardless, your lifestyle is clearly working wonders; you look exceptionally healthy and fit, and far younger than your years would suggest.
@resserts
Thank you for your kind words.
In 2017 I set a personal record by hiking 326 miles with 63,210 feet of elevation gain. Hiking is a transcendent, uplifting experience for me. In the winter, I keep going on snowshoes and micro-spikes.
Since age 21, I have been regularly hiking, weightlifting, running and stretching. Endorphins are my drug of choice.