A New Reason Why Giving Up Junk Food Is So Hard

September 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Diet tips | No Comments » | Share this article

Part of the reason it can be so hard to change the way we live is because of long-standing routines we have. We really have to want that change, to decide that being fit and active and in shape is something we owe to ourselves and to the people we care about.

And if there’s one thing we’re good at finding, it’s excuses. More than almost anything else (except maybe doing our taxes months in advance), we can find tons of excuses for not eating better or skipping that workout.

Why You Need to Really Work Hard to Avoid Bad Food

One of the main problems we’ve got, especially here in America, is a food culture that’s not exactly the healthiest in the world. We’ve got a lot of processed food, a lot of cheap, cheap calories available, and we lack a pretty strong foundation of basic, great foods that we’re all used to eating that might save our butts once in a while.

We also like science, statistics, and complicated info about our food. And marketing experts know this, which is why all sorts of foods that are fundamentally bad for us are absolutely loaded with health claims these days. Believe me — if a food that you shouldn’t be eating is found to contain an ingredient that somehow, under some ideal circumstance, might reduce your cholesterol? That claim will probably be on the box.

Never mind that we can reduce cholesterol and a whole lot more just by ignoring claims on boxes and eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — things that don’t really have big marketing campaigns behind them. When was the last time you saw an ad for some spinach? Exactly.

So — in this country (and beyond), we have to work hard to get out from under the mixed messages, the crazy products, the obsessions over trans fats/salts/protein/carbs or whatever today’s “boogeyman” is, and really take control of our diets. And this is hard work, work that you really have to pay attention to.

But It’s Even Harder Than You Think!

Ok, so we’ve said that. But what’s this about junk food? Well — it turns out that foods which are loaded with calories and fat are not only bad for us in general, but very possibly even addictive.

“Sure, I knew that already,” you might say. But check this out — a recent study found that the underlying method of addiction when it comes to junk food uses the same neurobiological mechanisms that get people addicted to heroin and cocaine.

This was a study done with rats, mind you — not humans. But it’s still pretty shocking. It turns out that the main feature of addiction is losing control over your own behavior. This is what causes addicts of all stripes to do crazy things in order to satisfy the craving.

What Happened When The Junk Food Was Removed

This is the craziest part — first, the rats were given electric shocks along with bad food, but they stopped caring. Even though it was causing them pain, they continued to eat the high-fat, high carb foods.

Then, they were offered a “better” diet, one that was actually nutritious. What did they do? They stopped eating. They basically preferred to starve themselves rather than eat food that was better for them.

Why You Need to Take Control

Check out the study itself. While this can’t be fully applied to humans, it’s still a pretty shocking cautionary tale for us — we need to control our eating, or it will literally control us.

It’s not just that junk food is bad for us. We know that. But it goes beyond that — junk food does things to our brains that allow us to make continuous bad decisions when it comes to our diets. There are alternatives.

Eat whole foods. Eat real foods. Starting ignoring super-techincal diet claims and get back to cooking with the basics.

Hearing From You

Have you ever felt ‘addicted’ to a food before? Let’s take chocolate off the table here — has any other type of food suddenly made you feel like you were no longer in control of your eating? Tell me about it — leave a comment!