How Big Food conspired to turn you into an addict

Your favorite comfort foods are created to be just as addictive as cigarettes or heroin.... [Click here](1770d7/ct0_0/1/ms?sid=TV2%3AyFBAWdYGU) to view this message in your browser | [Click here](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AyFBAWdYGU) to stop receiving our messages [] [] Al Sears, MD 11905 Southern Blvd. Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411 [] February 23, 2024 [] Reader, Your favorite comfort foods are created to be just as addictive as cigarettes or heroin... You know how hard it is to resist certain insulin-spiking foods that score high on the glycemic index – like French fries, potato chips, pasta, and bagels. But do you know why? The answer has nothing to do with weak willpower. And it certainly has nothing to do with the latest nonsense from mainstream medicine about having a genetic mutation that makes you crave sweet foods. The real reason your brain craves junk food is far more disturbing... In a breakthrough study, researchers at Yale and the University of Cologne reveal that your brain has been trained to crave and consume processed foods by the Big Food corporations that produce them. And if you don’t do something about it, you won’t just gain weight. You’ll leave yourself vulnerable to the Big Five chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, and autoimmune disease. The researchers found that eating these modern carb-loaded concoctions physically rewires your brain so that you subconsciously prefer them over natural, healthy foods.1 The study found that super-processed snacks and desserts activate the parts of your brain responsible for pleasure and reward and also release the feel-good hormone dopamine. Like it or not, you’ve been turned into an addict by America’s food companies. The researchers found that the more carb-heavy and processed-sugary products you eat, the more your brain craves them – and the effect lasts for months after you’ve stopped eating them. You see, the brain's heightened response to these foods among study participants was even greater after eight weeks, which was the full length of the study. But their addictive effects were likely to keep increasing long into the future. That’s bad news because the typical American diet is loaded with carb-heavy, processed foods containing unnaturally high amounts of grains, cheap and unhealthy vegetable oils, dangerous preservatives, and refined sugar. But the problem is not just the harm these foods cause. They also leave your body starving for the vitamins, minerals, live enzymes, and micronutrients you need to ward off disease. And now we know quitting these addictive foods is harder than stopping smoking. The good news is you can retrain your brain by switching to the right kind of primal foods your ancestors ate. You see, your body didn’t evolve to eat fake food. Your primal ancestors evolved to survive and thrive on protein, healthy fats, wild fruits, and vegetables. Today, Big Agra and greedy corporations have turned everything on its head – and they’ve made us addicts in the process. Break free from Big Food’s addictive junk So here are a few easy tips to help you break the habits that are lining the pockets of Big Food and destroying your health. - Severely restrict ultra-processed foods. You can start by reducing processed carbohydrates. That means avoiding products that contain refined sugars and processed grains. Keep grains like wheat, rice, and corn, as well as breakfast cereals, cereal bars, and low-fiber or sweetened foods to a minimum. Instead, eat plenty of above-ground green, leafy vegetables, berries, onions, garlic, nuts, and seeds. Carbs should never make up any more than 5% or 10% of your total calorie intake. - Avoid high-fructose corn syrup. This is one of the most processed and concentrated forms of sugar on the planet. A Canadian study found that HFCS and cocaine stimulate the same brain circuits. But in addition to messing with your brain, high-fructose corn syrup causes fat to build up in your liver. This leads to a dangerous condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Once you cut out corn syrup, your brain’s sugar and carb addiction will be easier to break. - Eat quality calories. Conventional doctors will tell you the key to fat loss is cutting back on calories. But it’s not about the quantity of calories. It’s all about the quality of calories. Eat meals based on protein…as many different kinds of protein as you can get. Protein signals your body to stop eating. Getting enough protein retrains your brain from “store fat” to “burn fat” and rids your brain of its refined sugar addiction. - Eat the right fats. Don’t cut back on fat. Instead, eat the right fats like omega-3s fatty acids, coconut oil, butter, and animal fat. Your body needs these good fats to absorb vitamins and nutrients, and they are non-addictive. But do stay away from man-made fats and trans fats. Your body doesn’t recognize them as food, and when you eat this kind of fat you never feel full. - Eat low-glycemic load foods. High-glycemic foods – which include all processed foods –are loaded with sugars, starches, and grains that cause hormonal hunger and trigger addictive brain patterns. But low-glycemic load foods – those that don’t raise your blood sugar and are also the most nutrient-dense – curb your appetite. Look for foods that fall between 10 and 20 on the glycemic load scale. These include seeds, nuts, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, eggs, berries and fruits, and vegetables. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS --------------------------------------------------------------- References: - E Sharmili, et al. “Habitual daily intake of a sweet and fatty snack modulates reward processing in Humans.” Cell Metabolism. 22. March 2023. alsearsmd@send.alsearsmd.com [Preferences | Unsubscribe](1770d7/l-002e/zout?sid=TV2%3AyFBAWdYGU) 11905 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411, United States