Food Addictions
Courtesy Lifestyle Meals, Collin County LIVING WELL Magazine
What are the most common addictions in our society? You may be surprised to learn they are the addictions to sodium and sugar. That’s right, those pretty white crystals sitting on most people’s kitchen countertop. Not only are they addictive, these two very common everyday products, which many falsely believe to be harmless, are responsible for a majority of health problems we find in our society today. In fact, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and many other medical issues all have been associated with excess sodium and/or sugar consumption.
Sugar and sodium addictions develop in different ways. These substances affect the area in the brain in the same manner as drugs and alcohol; both over stimulate the neurotransmitters until they no longer function properly, tolerance develops and the mind becomes dependent on these two substances to function.
Eating sodium and sugar activate the production of the natural chemicals in your brain called opioids. These chemicals have a morphine-like effect and give your body a feeling of intense pleasure, which the brain recognizes and begins to crave more and more over time. Researchers have proven the areas of your brain that are activated when you crave sodium and sugar are the same areas of the brain that are activated when drug addicts crave drugs. In effect, when sodium and sugar are consumed, the brain gets addicted to the opioids it produces, just as it would to heroin or morphine. Although the effect is bigger when drugs are taken, it is basically the same chemical process. Scientists have discovered, just like drugs, sodium and sugar have the ability of activating an “incentive system” within the brain which helps in reinforcing behaviors.
Refined white sugar is a pleasure drug. If you don’t think it’s true, just put a spoonful on your tongue and observe the instantaneous effects. You’ll experience a warm, comforting feeling. Desserts, chocolate, donuts and other sugar-laden foods are not called “comfort foods” by accident. Sugar addiction is a situation in which people binge on sweet food and find it impossible to go without sugar for too long. Millions of people are addicted to sugar and the worst part is they are not even aware of their condition.
Our current environment exposes us to very large amounts of sodium. Consumers in western civilizations are typically not aware of how much sodium they devour. Much of this is due to the ever-present nature of this substance in our food supply. Moreover, sodium comes in the forms of food people do not traditionally think of as salty. In addition to processed foods, the foods eaten in restaurants or from take-out are heavily laden with salt. Furthermore, we are getting it through heavy consumption of breads, grains and cereal products.
Over the years, Americans have developed a higher tolerance to salt. Most people have no idea how much salt they consume. We have adapted our taste buds and adapted our bodies to crave much, much higher levels of salt than we require for normal body function. However, sodium is necessary for the human body to maintain osmotic balance in the blood. Not only is sodium responsible for the regulation of blood and body fluids but for the transmission of nerve impulses, heart activity and certain metabolic functions. It plays a pivotal role in the mechanism maintaining all of the essential acid/base balance of the body. As sodium goes, so goes the fluid balance of the body. Most Americans consume more sodium than our bodies require each day. On average, Americans ingest approximately two-to-three times the amount recommended by the government per person per day.
The sodium/sugar addict is subjected to a constant barrage of ads for all-you-can-eat buffets, triple-stacked cheeseburgers and candy-topped ice cream. The suppliers of sodium and sugar addiction fixes are able to advertise their goods openly, leading to more demand from addicts who don’t even realize they are craving these substances. We promote eating these addictive chemicals that fast food corporations, restaurants and soft drink distributors want you craving when you see their commercials, billboards and drive-thru signs. These companies want repeat customers, and the best way to do that is to hook them on their “crack.” Food manufacturers bank on it when they load sugar into soft drinks, breakfast cereal, soups, salad dressings, spaghetti sauce, energy bars and even ketchup.
It’s easier to realize the negative consequences of a drug addiction, since most everyone has seen the disheveled drug addict who can’t keep a job and is unreliable and unkempt. But how can you spot sodium and sugar addiction, when the consequences are not immediately apparent? With sodium and sugar addiction, the problem may take years to show up, developing into long-term weight gain, hypertension, elevated blood lipids and diabetes, which are all part of the short-term pleasure versus the long-term health risk associated with these addictions. Ending addiction is not an easy process; it’s not just about will-power alone.
Breaking free from a dependency on sugar is easier said than done. Because the roots of sugar addiction are both physical and emotional, you need a combination of physical and psychological approaches. The less you eat of sodium and sugar, the less your brain will seek these chemicals out. Part of the process in conquering this addiction is changing how we eat. The short-term diets prove ineffectual simply because they do not deal with addiction issues. A person needs a “treatment program” to help adjust their eating habits to a healthier lifestyle. You can’t avoid food, but you don’t have to be a slave to it.
