Sugar. Chocolate. Meat and cheese.
We KNOW these edibles can be fattening and loaded with calories.
And when some of them are mixed together, they can be deadly to healthy diets.
Yet somehow in the face of stress, we are driven - against our better judgement - to overindulge.
It's not your fault
What you may not know is that the very foods you crave trigger
biochemical reactions in your body that deliver a feel-good cascade.
Now, this can be a good thing or it can be problematic. Our
'craving' for carbs is nothing to be denied because it is a nutrient
absolutely essential to our survival. Carbohydrate also boosts brain
chemicals such as seratonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a central
role in your moods, sleep, and other functions.
No wonder you get cranky when you cut your carbs.
The problem lies with foods that overstimulate specific centers in
the brain causing a hyperactivation of these pathways. And guess
what. Modern food technologies that have delivered to us the wonder of
highly concentrated edibles that easily trip the pleasure cycles of the
brain pathways can draw us in like an addiction.
A biochemical cascade that gets us hooked
When you eat a highly concentrated, high sugar, high fat food, here's what happens.
A nerve impulse is triggered that goes to the base of your brain.
This causes the release of opiate chemicals - "cousins of heroin and
morphine". These in turn trigger the release of dopamine, the "feel
good" biochemical.
Now wonder we turn to them in times of stress.
We then associate the taste of these foods with the pleasant effects they have on the brain. We feel helpless before them.
Understanding this phenomenon is the first step toward extraction from the grip of highly addictive foods.
Take sugar and chocolate, for example.
Fat, sugar, and chocolate, when presented together as they almost always are - in desserts, ice cream, candy, and pastries
- present the perfect recipe for manufacturing and maintaining body
fat stores. Without much trouble, they can stand solidly in the way of
successful weight loss.
Which is why this biochemical cascade problem can be stand solidly in the way of our weight loss and body shaping goals.
Chocolate is the most craved food
Between you and me, can you see what's going on here? In some
foodstuffs there hides a drug store that carries a whole arsenal of
pleasure cycles.
Chocolate, for example, brings us an extra rush of pleasure because
of its ability to stimulate opiate receptors in the brain. The same can
be said for other high fat, high sugar combinations.
No wonder we're rendered helpless in the face of that Dove Bar - our experiential memory pulls us in.
Watch this informative and enlightening video by Dr. Neal Barnard, author of Breaking the Food Seduction, to find out just why certain foods are so darn irresistible if not downright addicting.
You'll hear:
- How the same emergency room drug used to stop the effects of heroin
and morphine also stop the appeal of chocolate, rendering a neutral
response in human subjects.
- Sugar and "the magnetized baby" phenomenon
- Biochemical pathways in connection with cheese and meat.
In addition, Dr. Barnard provides the easy solution: a
plant-strong diet, and
a clean break with foods high in excito-toxins for 21 Days - enough
time to set new patterns of taste. Just like we do in my Body Transformation Booty Camps.
Opiate activity in "innocent" food?
Caso-morphines in your milk and cheese?
Dopamine and endorphin cascades?
Sheesh, no wonder we hanker after these foods so much. Dr. Barnard
explains why. Ignorance may be bliss, but it really doesn't help us in
the long run, does it?
Let me know what you think of this video presentation by leaving your comments in "Leave a Reply' HERE.
Tell a Friend! 
there was a momentous occasion and special celebration in our house. One of our beloved pets, Mr. Love Dove (left, gazing out the living room window and the snowscape), just turn 27 years old. He's amazing! 
Happy Birthday!
Lani Muelrath, M.A, is devoted to empowering women with the tools they need to realize and live the healthy, energetic body ideal of their dreams.