I’m hungry.
Those words are repeated millions of times are all over the world. But it’s the action we take after thinking them that matters most.
Hunger, in general, is not a bad thing. If you haven’t eaten since lunch, and hunger strikes as you grow closer to dinner time, it’s just a signal that it’s time to fill your body with food. How do you fill your body when it asks? That’s what matters most.
Have you ever gone to the movies and eaten an entire box of candy, only to feel hungry enough to go out to dinner afterward? That’s because sugar isn’t food. It doesn’t nourish you. And it won’t fill you up. Therefore you’ll still be hungry no matter how much you eat because your body is still screaming “I want something good.”
Sugar, salt, and fat. They are the three things our body craves. Give it some and your body reacts in a similar way as if you took in recreational drugs. It says “more.” You crave it.
Food cravings stimulate certain parts of the brain, like dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine controls your pleasure and well-being, while serotonin increases your feelings of comfort while reducing your pain. Ultra-processed foods move in and change the way the pleasure center in the brain works, altering what it tells your body it needs.
Real food is very different than manufactured or processed foods. With processed foods, the chemistry has been changed. Sugar, salt, and fat are sometimes added in extreme quantities. And when it enters your system, it triggers your brain and targets the pleasure center. It brings you joy at the moment and comforts you like an old friend. But because it has no real nutritional value, it leaves the rest of your body wanting more.
Chocolate chip cookies. Potato chips. Cheesecake.
Broccoli. Brown rice. Hummus.
Even just reading the food items above, one set triggers your brain in a much different manner than the other. That’s because sugar, salt, and fats in processed foods stimulate your brain in a similar way as the effects of drugs. Just hearing the words make you say “yes please.” Food manufacturers know this.
In nature, sugar, salt, and fat don’t exist as it does in processed foods. Beets, apples, even sugar cane are not addictive foods. It’s the processing we do to it after we harvest it that begins to change the chemistry that impacts us the most.
We take away the good stuff through processing - the minerals, vitamins, fiber and nutrients our body craves. And what’s left causes the problems - chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, cancer.
What’s the solution? Watch what you eat and continue to learn about the good foods your body likes. Eat foods as close to how they are produced in nature and avoid overly processed foods. Your body will thank you.