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Fast food contain Neurotoxins or excitotoxins that are highly addictive.Originally Posted by Taiguaitiaoghyrmmumin
Even though our rational, conscious mind “knows” that they are bad for us, some other part of our brain seems to disagree.
While some people think this is caused by a lack of willpower, the situation can be much more complicated than that.
The fact is… junk foods stimulate the reward system in the brain in the same way as drugs of abuse like cocaine.
For susceptible people, eating junk foods can lead to full-blown addiction, which shares the same biological basis as addiction to drugs of abuse
The problem with modern junk foods is that they can cause a reward that is way more powerful than anything we were ever exposed to in nature.
Whereas eating an apple or a piece of steak might cause a moderate release of dopamine, eating a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is so incredibly rewarding that it releases a massive amount.
This Can Lead to Tolerance and Withdrawal – The Hallmarks of Physical Addiction
When people repeatedly do something that releases dopamine in the reward system (such as smoking a cigarette or eating a Snickers bar), the dopamine receptors can start to down-regulate.
When the brain sees that the amount of dopamine is too high, it starts removing the dopamine receptors in order to keep things “balanced.”
When you have fewer receptors, you need more dopamine to reach the same effect, which causes people to start eating more junk food to reach the same level of reward as before.
This is called tolerance.
If you have fewer dopamine receptors, then you will have very little dopamine activity and you will start to feel unhappy if you don’t get your junk food “fix.”
This is called withdrawal.
Tolerance and withdrawal are the hallmarks of physical addiction.
Multiple studies in rats show that they can become physically addicted to junk food in the same way as they become addicted to drugs of abuse
The problem with modern junk foods is that they can cause a reward that is way more powerful than anything we were ever exposed to in nature.
Whereas eating an apple or a piece of steak might cause a moderate release of dopamine, eating a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is so incredibly rewarding that it releases a massive amount.
This Can Lead to Tolerance and Withdrawal – The Hallmarks of Physical Addiction
When people repeatedly do something that releases dopamine in the reward system (such as smoking a cigarette or eating a Snickers bar), the dopamine receptors can start to down-regulate.
When the brain sees that the amount of dopamine is too high, it starts removing the dopamine receptors in order to keep things “balanced.”
When you have fewer receptors, you need more dopamine to reach the same effect, which causes people to start eating more junk food to reach the same level of reward as before.
This is called tolerance.
If you have fewer dopamine receptors, then you will have very little dopamine activity and you will start to feel unhappy if you don’t get your junk food “fix.”
This is called withdrawal.
Tolerance and withdrawal are the hallmarks of physical addiction.
Multiple studies in rats show that they can become physically addicted to junk food in the same way as they become addicted to drugs of abuse
Of course, all of this is a drastic oversimplification, but this is basically how food addiction (and any addiction) works.
This can lead to various characteristic effects on behavior and thought patterns.
Cravings are a Key feature of Addiction
A craving is an emotional state, a desire to consume a certain food. It should not be confused with simple hunger, which is different.
A true craving is about satisfying the brain’s need for dopamine. It has nothing to with the body’s need for energy or nourishment.
When a craving occurs, it can start to dominate your attention.
It can be very hard to think of something else and it can be hard to remember why on earth you had decided that you weren’t going to eat junk food.
It isn’t unusual to get cravings, most people do get them in some form.
But if you find yourself repeatedly giving in to cravings and eating junk foods, despite having previously made a decision not to, then that’s definitely NOT normal.
For food addicts, these cravings can be so powerful that they cause people to break rules they had set for themselves (such as only eating unhealthy on Saturdays) and constantly overeat despite them knowing that it is causing them physical harm.
It can be almost impossible to eat “in moderation” when you are satisfying an addiction-driven craving.
That’s why it is hopeless for people to just have a small slice of cake or a few M&M’s. It’s like telling a smoker to only smoke 1/4th of a cigarette to cut back, it simply does NOT work.
Over time, food addiction can cause severe physical and psychological problems.
Many people who have been struggling with food addiction for a long time can start hiding their consumption from others, can suffer from depression and have a severely broken self esteem.
This is compounded by the fact that most people don’t even realize that they’re addicted to food and simply think that they’re weak and undisciplined.
https://authoritynutrition.com/how-f...diction-works/
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