We need food to survive but, if we are not careful about our eating habits, then it might do us more harm than good. Few food items give us pleasure within the first bite, and we can’t stop eating them once we start. The food items that are most addictive are high in fats and cause a spike in the blood sugar levels. Read on to find out more:
1 Ice Cream
Ice cream contains high levels of fat, sugar, and salt. The body gets used to such amounts that it doesn’t feel satisfied with a small serving. When we consume high amounts of sugar, our body releases a chemical called dopamine which regulates the brain’s reward centers, which results in recognizing the behaviors resulting in pleasure.
2 Potato Chips
Chips contain high salt content that makes our taste buds satisfied. Since they are easy to get our hands on, and are a convenient snack, we get addicted. Apart from its saltiness, the sound that it makes when we eat, makes us feel gratified.
3 Cheese
Cheese has a high saturated fat and sodium content that makes us feel unsatisfied when we don’t eat enough. It contains a substance called casomorphins which makes people go into withdrawal without it. The only thing you can do is to limit the intake of cheese in your diet.
4 Pizza
No person is satisfied with just a single slice of pizza. Pizza contains fat and sugar, which stimulate opiate and dopamine receptors which makes us carve for it when we go without it. We should limit the amount because it causes a lot of damage as our blood vessels get restricted, and tissues become inflamed. Rather than the processed crust, we can make the use of cauliflower crust.
5 Doughnuts
Doughnuts have a high content of sugar, fat, and calories which activates the brain’s pleasure centers. They affect the brain just like the cocaine which makes it highly addictive.
6 Popcorn
Popcorns contain salt which fills us more than potato chips. They also activate the pleasure centers of the brain because of our love for salty foods. This reason is enough to justify why we finish our popcorn within the first 20 minutes of the movie.
7 Chocolate
We turn to chocolate when we are happy and sad. We believe that it elevates our mood. It produces endorphins which are responsible for making us happy. Eating chocolate makes us crave for more.
8 French Fries
French Fries are highly processed foods which contain fat and starch. Its saltiness, crunchiness, and flavor make us difficult to resist them. Rather than frying them, we should opt for baking them.
9 Breakfast Cereal
Who knew that breakfast cereals could prove to be addictive? The sweet ones are made up of refined flour and sugar which is not only addictive but makes us want more since they don’t contain any nutrition. We consume a lot of sugar within the first bowl and end up having two-three more because we don’t feel satisfied.
10 Fried Chicken
We all love KFC, don’t we? But these golden, crispy fried food are addicting. People who frequently eat fried food develop heart diseases. Having them baked is a better option than frying.
11 Diet Soda
Diet Soda contains artificial sweeteners that cause harm to the hormones and thus making us crave more. Frequent consumption can cause many digestive problems like bloating, gas, and many others. To get the sweet taste, we should opt for flavored mineral water.
12 Muffins
A key ingredient is white sugar. They have a high content of sugar which makes us over-consume it because our body feels accustomed to its regular consumption. This increases the load on the liver and causes inflammation in the arteries.
13 Cheese Burger
Many fast food restaurants serve cheese burgers which are unhealthy as they contain a high amount of saturated fats. Their over consumption can lead to many diseases like kidney failure, diabetes, and other health conditions. It’s better to make your own burger with healthy ingredients.
14 Cookies
Sugar and fat go hand in hand. Both of them have been proven to be addictive. Higher intake of these can cause harm to the body leading to many diseases. Your best bet is to bake your own cookies as you have control over the ingredients.
15 Cake
A slice is not enough. The high content of sugar releases dopamine which activates the brain’s pleasure centers and makes us crave for more. The only thing we can do is learn to say no, or we can bake our cake with healthy ingredients and icing.
16 Peanut Butter M&Ms
These fun size milk chocolates have a high content of sugar, fat, and calories which affect the brain. They cause a load on the liver and inflames the arteries and swells them up. Their consumption should be minimized.
17 Wheat
Most of the bread like bagels, pasta, and pizza have carbohydrates which are equal to the consumption of sugar. It releases dopamine, a happy feeling, and our body craves for more.
18 Coffee
If you drink coffee, then you know that caffeine is addictive. The more you drink, the more you will suffer from its withdrawal symptoms. You can try detox tea which is healthier.
19 Bacon
Bacon is one of the unhealthiest food you can have. It’s processed meat and chemicals like sodium are added to preserve it which leads to high blood pressure. You should have control over its consumption because once it’s introduced in your body, you will start craving for more.
20 Gummy Candy
Gummy candies have high sugar content. It releases dopamine which is a pleasure chemical. This chemical makes us crave for more candies which are harmful to our body. Apart from having many dental problems associated with it, it has many health problems too. Their consumption should be reduced.
