• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
live love fruit logo

Live Love Fruit

Eat Vibrantly. Live Vibrantly

About Start Here Work With Me

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • About
  • Health
  • Remedies
  • Recipes
  • A-Z Conditions
  • Fitness
  • Environment
  • Self Improvement
  • My LLF
  • Shop
Category: > Health > How Junk Food Changes our Brain Chemistry and Makes us Addicted

How Junk Food Changes our Brain Chemistry and Makes us Addicted

Mar 26, 2016 Jae Save For Later Print

Last Updated: Oct 27, 2018

448 shares
  • Facebook443
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

How Junk Food Changes our Brain Chemistry

I’ve believed junk foods to be addicting for a very long time.

As a recovering drug addict (sober since January 4th, 2010), I can tell you that the cravings are exactly the same as cravings to drugs of abuse like cannabis or amphetamine.

That’s right, exactly the same.

In this video, Dr. Lustig and Dr. Epel explain how junk food may lead to changes in the biochemistry of the brain, resulting in addiction.

  • Palatable foods lead to dopamine release in the reward area of the brain.
  • Consumption of hyper palatable (very rewarding) foods cause an even greater dopamine release.
  • Over time, this leads to changes in the biochemistry of the brain.
  • The brains of obese people light up differently at the sight of food.
  • Still, when obese people eat food, their reward response is blunted. It is like an “urge that they can not satisfy.”
  • When these changes have occurred, there is a relentless biochemical drive going on in the brain, telling them to eat.
  • If this drive is ignored, withdrawal occurs and the urge becomes even stronger.
  • Junk food consumption leads to both tolerance and withdrawal, which are the hallmarks of physical addiction.

The video is 7 minutes long.

This video confirms what I already believed to be true about junk foods and addiction.

In my experience, the effects are almost exactly the same as addiction to drugs of abuse. The “high” may not be as noticeable, but the cravings and difficulty to abstain are exactly the same.

The only solution that has consistently worked for true addicts is complete abstinence from the substance in question. Now that’s something to think about.

448 shares
  • Facebook443
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Food Education, Health Tagged With: addicted to food, addiction, candy, fried foods, junk food, wellness

Jae

About the Author

Jae M.Berman is a Certified Specialist Sports Dietitian and works as the sports dietitian at University of San Francisco. She is a certified ACSM Exercise Physiologist and has been a personal trainer, yoga teacher and Pilates instructor for ten years.

View Profile

Reader Interactions

Related Posts

  • Is Junk Food Getting Any Better For You?
  • Brain made out of fruits and vegetables isolated on white background
    Boost Your Brain Power with these 8 Healthy Brain Foods!
  • How To Use Peppermint Oil To Stop Junk Food Cravings and Instead Burn Tons of Extra Calories
  • food synergy
    Food Synergy: Powerful Food Combinations
  • Increase Brain Power with these 5 Brain-Boosting Smoothies
  • Junk food addiction and eating unhealthy lifestyle concept with a prison bars shaped made of fried chicken hamburgers and hot dogs processed meat products and french fries as a symbol.
    This Is What Your Food Cravings Really Mean
  • burger in hand with blue protective gloves closeup
    6 Cosmetic Chemicals That Are Added To Fast Food

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Free Ebook

Success! Please check your inbox to download your FREE eBook.

Reduce Chronic Inflammation Naturally!

The Ultimate Guide to Fight Inflammation and Restore Your Health!

21 Ways to Reduce Chronic Inflammation

Recent Posts

visual illustration of toxins stored in fat cells in body

How to Eliminate Toxins From Fat Cells That Are Making You Fatigued and Swollen

foot with demonstrated achilles pain

This One Stretch Relieves Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints, Achilles Pain, and Heel Pain

Neutrogena and Aveeno sunscreens recalled by Johnson & Johnson

Latest Sunscreen Recall Raises Concern Over Chemicals

lemongrass plant in garden

How to Plant Lemongrass to Repel Mosquitoes

Product categories

  • Health & Household
    • Pain Relief
  • Health & Nutrition Books
  • Kitchen Appliances
    • Blenders & Food Processors
    • Dehydrators
    • Juicers
  • Kitchen Utensils
    • Drinking Straws
    • Kitchen Essentials
    • Nut Milk Bags
    • Spiral Slicers & Mandolines
    • Sprouters & Sprouting Seeds
  • Natural Ingredients
    • Green Powders
    • Super Powders
  • Personal Care/Beauty
    • Hair Care
    • Skin Care
Product Reviews

Popular Posts

Man spraying pesticides on tea plants with other side of image showing dry loose tea bags

Pesticides in Tea: Is Your Favorite Tea Contaminated with Harmful Chemicals?

glyphosate in wine

Monsanto’s Harmful Chemical Glyphosate Found In 100% Of California Wines Tested

whole dandelion plant with flowers and roots on cutting board on a table

Dandelions Are Not Weeds! Top 10 Health Benefits of Dandelion

johnson & johnson baby products in pharmacy

Johnson & Johnson Finally Admits: Our Baby Products Contain Cancer-Causing Ingredients

10 Plants That Attract Dragonflies for Mosquito Control

companion planting chart

Use This Companion Planting Chart to Help Your Garden Thrive

France Bans Neonicotinoid Pesticides

France Bans All Five Neonicotinoid Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths

Glyphosate in Food: Complete List of Products and Brands Filled with Dangerous Weed-Killer

whales dying from plastic pollution

Whales Dying From Plastic Pollution Are a Grave Reminder to Give Up Our Addiction to Plastics

illustrated piriformis muscle showing trigger points and radiating pain

How To Get A Deep Piriformis Stretch To Get Rid of Sciatica, Hip & Lower Back Pain

RECOMMENDED

Thank you! Please check your inbox to confirm your subscription!

Want to reduce inflammation and restore your health?

Join Live Love Fruit and we'll show you how!

Footer

Stay Connected!

Follows
  • 313.7k Followers
  • 1.9k Followers
  • 97k Followers
  • 560 Followers
  • 11.5k Followers
  • Home
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Write For LLF
  • Contact

Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.
Content on Live Love Fruit may not be reproduced in any form.
Ads provided by AdThrive. Displayed ads do not constitute endorsement or recommendation by Live Love Fruit.

Copyright © 2012 - 2022 Live Love FruitPrivacy Policy | Terms of Service | Full Disclaimer | Affiliate Disclosure

448 shares
  • 443