Why are food addictions bad?
It is well known that food is needed for a lot of physical and physiological processes in the body, but can also be used for its emotional component. Food is social, can mitigate the feelings of stress, and activates the brains “reward” center.
Eating certain foods can trigger the release of pleasure-sensing mechanisms in the brain. Dopamine and endorphin secretion in the brain are considered to be at the heart of many addictive behaviors. For the most part they are referred to as “feel good” hormones. But they are also the “addictive” hormones. Dopamine, in part, is involved in reinforcing behavior. So if you get used to getting up and getting a cup of coffee in the morning, for instance, dopamine makes that a habit. When you arise, it signals you to start the coffee pot. This can be good and bad.
When it comes to addictive behaviors such as smoking, drugs, and eating unhealthy foods, it is obviously a bad thing. According to studies done at Bryn Mawr and other colleges and universities, sugar activates the brain’s reward system similar to how nicotine and cocaine do. Continually overstimulating these receptors by the consumption of sugars effectively trains the brain to continue this habit. Then addictions become more bio-chemical than just will power. The worst culprits today are sugar, processed or fast foods — foods historically low in nutrient density. According to Time Magazine May 2014, “highly processed foods can lead to classic signs of addiction like loss of control, tolerance and withdrawal.”
When the brains behavior mechanism is stimulated, food becomes a dominant motivator for behavior. The brain continually wants the stimulus, but then the Dopamine receptor sites down regulate. That in turn makes the individual desire more of the stimulus, generally resulting in uncontrolled eating. If not, they can get real withdrawal effects, pushing the individual against his/her “will” to eat more, even though he/she tries hard to fight it.
Food addictions, in particular, sugar and highly processed foods, when eaten regularly, can contribute to a host of health problems such as foggy headedness, lack of concentration, impaired cognitive functioning, heart, kidney and liver problems, high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, diabetes, fatigue, and digestive difficulties. In a British study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2010, researchers found that kids that ate a diet consisting of mostly processed foods had lower IQ levels, compared to those eating healthier diets. The more processed foods they ate, the lower their IQ’s dropped. It was also found that eating unhealthy diets predisposed kids to a lifetime of battling food cravings.
However, due to the remarkable ability to change certain dynamics in the brain, we can control cravings. By feeding the brain with certain substances, we can change this mechanism and be in control of our own brain, rather than our brain controlling us. As bad as food addictions are to our health, we do have a choice…we can change our brains’ destiny!
Learn more by attending tonight’s health class, Food Addiction: Causes & Solutions, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: (208) 765-1994.
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Holly Carling is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, Doctor of Naturopathy, Clinical Nutritionist and Master Herbologist with nearly four decades of experience. She is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements in her Coeur d’Alene clinic. Visit www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about her, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Carling can be reached at (208) 765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.