Meet the naturopathic doctor

The FDA just issued a warning that the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – including Nexium, Prilosec, Aciphex, Protonix, and Prevacid – may increase the risk of bacterial infection from Clostridium difficile, which can cause severe diarrhea and other gastrointestinal issues.

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It is generally accepted that if you need to lose weight, are stressed out or want to put on muscle mass, you need to hit the gym and hit it hard! While this approach will work for some people, most people’s eating habits and lifestyle choices will cause high intensity workout sessions to have a detrimental influence on their health. That’s because of the effect these sessions have on a person’s nervous system.

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We talk a lot about using amino acid therapy to help correct underlying neurotransmitter imbalances to help people overcome disorders such as depression, anxiety, OCD, ADD/ADHD, trichotillomania, migraines, obesity, fibromyalgia and insomnia. However, recent research has shown that you may be able to fine-tune your mental and emotional states by using the right combination of probiotics.

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We are surrounded by chemicals. In fact, toxic chemicals have been detected in EVERY American tested in recent years. And it’s no wonder, in the US alone, we produce over 500 billion pounds of synthetic chemicals each year – that’ s more than four pounds of man-made chemicals for every person in the country EACH DAY. This post will give you some natural alternatives to use to cut down on you and your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals.

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If you are used to burning the candle at both ends, the thought of slowing down, even to go to sleep, can be daunting. If you are one of those people, it’s time for a reality check. If you ever question whether or not it is important to get enough sleep, just ask yourself this question: Is your health FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE worth getting a few extra minutes or hours of sleep? If the answer is yes, or if you are just struggling to get some more ZZZZs use these techniques to give you the best sleep of your life!

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For many women, perimenopause is accompanied by varying degrees of unpleasant symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, sleep disturbances, dry skin, dry eyes, vaginal dryness, irregular menses, migraines and a whole host of others. These symptoms are due to the extreme variability in hormone levels as the ovaries begin to shut down, signaling the end of the child-bearing years (learn more). This should be a time for celebration, as the mind and body prepare for a new phase of life. However, women experiencing one or more of the symptoms above often feel like they have little to be grateful for. Luckily, many of the ups and downs that are typical during this phase of life can be moderated through proper nutrition.

In fact, what you eat can play a huge role in helping you rebalance your hormones naturally while minimizing the symptoms associated with perimenopause. These dietary guidelines are a natural and easy way to improve perimenopause symptoms.

• Eat soy foods, buckwheat, citrus fruit rind and pulp (not the juice) and ground flax meal in shakes and cereals. They are high in phytoestrogens and will help improve estrogen metabolism and modulate estrogen receptors.
• Avoid potato chips, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, sugar, soft drinks, fruit juices, fried or fatty foods, and salt, all of which slow down estrogen metabolism and elimination from your body.
• Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet to help your intestines eliminate estrogens so they are not reabsorbed into your body. Include plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans, peas).
• Reduce or eliminate red meats because they can elevate estrogen levels. This can also cause menstrual cramps and worsen the inflammation of endometriosis.
• Eat fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, and tuna, which are high in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the pain of menstrual cramps, improve hot flashes and night sweats, improve sleep and eliminate dry skin, eyes and vaginal dryness. You can also use flax and flaxseed oil regularly.
• Avoid dairy products, as they have a negative effect on reproductive health similar to that of red meat. Use soy or rice substitutes, including soy and rice milk, cream cheese, sour cream, and soy yogurt.

Many women find that having a more detailed menu plan works better for them. If you are one of these women, check out the Hormone Balancing Diet. It will provide you detailed recipes and menus to help rebalance your hormone levels naturally allowing you to reduce and even eliminate many of the symptoms associated with perimenopause.

We see a lot of very complex and often times extreme cases at The Natural Path Health Center; many of our in-house clients need a complete overhaul of their health and lifestyle to achieve their health goals. However, a good number of our clients simply need to make some targeted changes in their lifestyle or dietary habits in order for them to achieve the health and vitality they desire. No matter your current state of health, there are a few things we all need to do everyday to establish a firm foundation for optimal health. Let’s look at the most important things everyone can do to dramatically improve their health.

Keep the Body (Chemistry) in Balance
We talk a lot about body chemistry (refer back to one of your first newsletters on Body Chemistry). What we are really talking about is balancing the acid forming foods and lifestyle habits we have with alkaline forming foods and habits.  The three most acid forming foods are coffee, soda/pop and sugar; the most acid forming lifestyle habits are smoking and drinking alcohol regularly. Almost no amount of alkaline forming foods can make up for these habits (especially since the average American consumes 175 lbs. of sugar every year!), so you should limit or eliminate these as much as possible.

Even when you minimize or eliminate these extremely acid forming foods and behaviors, you still need to incorporate plenty of alkaline forming foods, drinks and practices to counteract the hustle-and-bustle of everyday life. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and consuming fresh vegetable juices regularly is a great start. Go for as many colors as possible and change what you eat on a daily or at least weekly basis. Variety is the spice of life! Deep breathing is also very important, as is regular (aerobic) exercise.

Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the most important lifestyle habits everyone can benefit from. There are several Deep Breathing and Stress Management Exercises you can do. You can also do something as simple as taking 10 deep breaths first thing in the morning and last thing at night before bed. I really like to use Post-It® notes or other reminders to help me remember to breathe deeply. For example, if you’re at your computer a lot, put a Post-It® note on your screen that says “Breathe” or use the word “Breathe” as your screensaver; if you’re on the phone a lot, every time you take a call, take a deep breath; every time you hang up the phone take a deep breath; every time you get into your car (as long as you don’t work in a polluted area) take a deep breath – get the picture. Find something that is repetitive in your day and use it to remind you to breathe deeply.

Get Moving
Another way to dramatically improve your health is through regular aerobic exercise – we all know this, but only 10-15% of Americans exercise regularly. We can change that, but motivation is the key. Don’t do something you don’t like – you’re pretty much guaranteed to quit at some point. The flip side of this is that you have to keep looking for things you do like (and hopefully find some things that you love) to do. You don’t have to run a marathon to enjoy the health benefits of regular exercise – 20-30 minutes a day is all you need.

Perform a variety of exercises that excite and invigorate you – have fun!!! Do one exercise for the entire time, or do a variety. If you don’t have 30 minutes, do something for 10 minutes three times a day. Many things count towards exercise, including:

Find a friend and catch up while you take a walk, or take a yoga class together. Make exercise fun and a regular part of your daily routine.

Chew Your Food
What? Did he say chew your food?? Doesn’t everybody chew their food??? The answer is yes, but most people do not chew their food nearly enough. For optimal digestion to take place, we need to chew our food 30-50 times per mouthful; that means the food should be a liquid before we swallow! How many people do you know that take a bite of food, chew it once or twice and then swallow? These are the same people that need antacids, get bloated, tired and/or irritable after eating and usually have gas. We need to slow down, relax while eating and chew our food so the body can digest it and absorb the nutrients correctly.

Here’s why: the simple act of chewing your food helps with digestion in three ways. First, chewing breaks up the food into smaller and smaller particles. This provides more surface area for your digestive enzymes to work on, so digestion is more efficient and takes less energy. Second, the act of chewing stimulates the stomach to produce more stomach acid, which will help digest foods more easily (note: most people that need to take antacids actually produce too little stomach acid or eat too quickly which causes the upset). Third, the act of chewing also stimulates the pancreas to produce more digestive enzymes, so we can get more nutrients out of the foods we eat. Think of digestion like buttoning a button-down shirt. Digestion starts in the mouth, so chewing is just like the first button. If the first button is not done correctly, you cannot button the rest of the shirt properly. In the same way, if we do not chew our food thoroughly, the rest of the digestive process cannot proceed correctly, and we will have problems.

Drink Water
Everybody knows that we are supposed to drink eight 8 oz. glasses of water (= 64 oz.) everyday. What most people don’t know is that the body can only utilize about 2-4 oz. of water every 20-30 minutes. That means that if you slam down four 16 oz. glasses of water throughout the day, you think you consumed the requisite 64 oz. (4 x 16 oz. = 64 oz.) but you really only got 16 oz. (4 x 4 oz. absorbed = 16 oz.) of water and at least four trips to the bathroom. Therefore, ideally you would drink about 4 oz. (or ½ cup) of water every half-hour. I like to have a water bottle on hand throughout the day and take sips from it every chance I get. Make it easy on yourself and have a water bottle at work, at home and in your car. Carry one with you when you travel so you can stay hydrated. Proper hydration is absolutely essential for optimal health.

I should note that most non-caffeinated herbal teas also count as water. In addition, you need to drink (and can absorb) more water during and after exercise. Need another reason to drop coffee and soda? Both are diuretics, which mean they cause you to lose more water. The more coffee and soda you drink, the more water you need to drink and the more time you will spend in the bathroom. Do yourself a favor and substitute water or tea for coffee and soda – your bladder will thank you!

Remember the 80/20 Rule
Rules, rules, rules! Relax. When it comes down to it, it is what you do a majority of the time that counts. That’s where the 80/20 Rule comes in – it states that it’s what you do 80% of the time that counts. That means you can (and should) indulge yourself in your favorite foods and drinks from time-to-time, even if they aren’t the most healthy thing for you. Literally speaking, this would translate into 3 meals a week or one entire day every week where you could stray from your normally healthy eating and living habits without much change in your overall health. Said differently, you can have your cake and eat it too, just make sure you have humble-pie most of the time and live as though you will be alive and vital for a good, long time.

Key Points

• Minimize/eliminate soda/pop, coffee and sugar
• Eat many vegetables, fruits, and vegetable juices
  • Eat as many colors as possible
  • Eat a variety of foods
• Breathe deeply throughout the day and/or perform deep breathing exercises
• Get 20-30 minutes of exercise daily – do something you love!
• Chew, chew, chew your food (until it is a liquid)
• Drink water throughout the day (shoot for ½ cup every ½ hour)
• Keep it in perspective and follow the 80/20 Rule

Illness and disease can be very complex with multiple symptoms and underlying root causes. Restoring health is a process that often requires professional guidance. Maintaining health is easy, as long as we follow some simple ground-rules. Heading into 2012, use these basics to set the foundation for lasting, life-long vitality and optimal health!

Most of us will have some physical pain throughout our lives (i.e., we fall down, injure ourselves playing sports, etc.). Everyone is also familiar with the typical sensations that go along with those injuries – heat, soreness, swelling and pain. These natural responses by the body to physical injury help with the healing process. However, over time, chronic inflammation can be bad for your health. Luckily, Mother Nature has given us many ways that we can help our body in the healing and recovery process and minimize the pain and discomfort that accompany them.

Controlling Inflammation Naturally

Safe, natural and effective methods of controlling inflammation have become a primary focus of research in chronic auto-immune and inflammatory conditions, largely due to their necessity and the serious side effects associated with prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) including ibuprofen.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the correct balance are needed to maintain a healthy inflammatory response. Typically, we eat diets that are high in omega-6 essential fatty acids (i.e., corn, safflower, sunflower and soybean oils) saturated fats (i.e., animal protein and dairy products), hydrogenated fats and/or partially-hydrogenated fats and oils. These fats increase the production of pro-inflammatory compounds and intensify chronic inflammatory conditions. Omega-3 essential fatty acids – including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA) – promote anti-inflammatory responses and ease chronic inflammation. Omega-3 EFAs are found primarily in fresh, cold water fish (salmon, tuna, halibut, and mackerel), leafy green vegetables and flaxseed oils. Therefore, balancing a typically omega-6 rich diet with omega-3 fatty acids can be an effective way to shift the balance toward anti-inflammatory compounds and can provide a foundation for relief in chronic inflammatory disorders.

EPA-DHA Complex can provide omega-3 essential fatty acids necessary in cases of inflammation and pain.

Phytochemicals found in herbs, including ginger, turmeric, cayenne and boswellia demonstrate many pain and inflammation reducing properties. Here is a sampling of data supporting the use of these powerful, natural compounds:

• Ginger – patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and muscular discomfort were given ginger; more than 75% of the arthritic patients and all the patients with muscular discomfort reported improvements in pain and swelling.
• Turmeric – curcumin (the principal compound in turmeric) showed significant improvement in joint swelling and relief from morning stiffness when compared to phenylbutazone (an anti-inflammatory drug) in a double blind trial.
• Cayenne – capsaicin (the principal compound in cayenne) has shown marked ability to suppress inflammation, decreasing pain and inflammation in joints and muscles.
• Boswellia – boswellia is an Ayurvedic herb that has shown significant reduction in joint pain, swelling, and morning stiffness, while improving general health and well-being in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Inflavanoid Intensive Care contains all four of these compounds and has demonstrated ability to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with acute and chronic injury or inflammatory conditions.

In addition, proteolytic enzymes, including bromelain, papain, proteases, trypsin, chymotrypsin and pancreatin, have demonstrated significant reduction in pain and inflammation and faster recovery rates in cases of inflammation by improving circulation to the damaged area.

Vascuzyme is a select blend of proteolytic enzymes that can dramatically decrease inflammation and speed healing in cases of acute trauma and accidents as well as chronic inflammatory conditions.

Repairing the Damage

Glucosamine sulfate is a fundamental building block for joint tissue. Studies show that it can significantly reduce joint pain, tenderness and swelling as well as increase mobility. Studies show that although glucosamine sulfate (1500 mg/day) is slower acting than ibuprofen, the improvements with glucosamine sulfate were more consistent and progressive, leading to significantly lower pain scores after only 8 weeks.

Chondroitin sulfate has also been shown to aid in cases of joint inflammation by inhibiting the breakdown of joint tissue and promoting healthy tissue synthesis.

Chondro-Flx provides therapeutic amounts of glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate to help repair joint and tissue damage.

Supporting Proper Gut Integrity

Tissue injury due to long term inflammation or use of NSAIDs can propagate chronic inflammatory conditions. Therefore, restoring the health of the gut is often an essential component to eliminating chronic inflammation. Three compounds have proven particularly useful:

• L-Glutamine – supplementation of L-glutamine helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal lining and promotes optimal immune responses. Glutamine supplementation with NSAIDs showed significantly lower damage to the gut as compared to NSAID use without glutamine.
• Deglycyrrhizinized licorice (DGL) – DGL enhances the stomach lining and has been shown to reduce aspirin-induced stomach lining damage and accelerate gastric ulcer healing, making it especially useful for those recovering from NSAID use.
• Aloe vera – aloe vera promotes faster healing in the gut and provides immune support.

Glutagenics provides these three compounds in an easy to take powdered form to quickly and effectively support proper gut integrity, which also provides added protection for those using or recovering from NSAID use.

An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

What you eat can have a dramatic impact on how you feel. You can speed recovery and reduce pain by eating foods that speed up the healing process and eliminating foods that will slow it down. Here are some general guidelines for you to follow:

1. Eat more sulfur-containing foods, including asparagus, onions, garlic, green leafy vegetables, non-acid fruits, whole grains, oatmeal, brown rice and fish – these compounds are needed for repair of bone, cartilage and connective tissue and also aid in calcium absorption.
2. Eat fresh pineapple frequently. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain that is excellent for reducing inflammation (note that most of the bromelain is in the core of the pineapple); must be fresh, as freezing and canning destroy the enzymes.
3. Eat some form of fiber daily – ground flaxseeds, oat bran, rice bran, legumes, etc.
4. Reduce the amount of fat in your diet. Do not consume milk, dairy products or red meat.
5. Avoid caffeine, citrus fruits, paprika, salt, tobacco and everything that contains sugar.
6. Avoid nightshade vegetables (bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and white potatoes); these foods contain a chemical called solanine that interferes with enzymes in the muscles and can cause pain and discomfort, especially in those with arthritis.
7. Do not take iron supplements. Supplemental iron can increase pain, swelling and joint destruction. Consume iron rich foods instead – blackstrap molasses, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, fish, lima beans and peas.
8. Eat an alkaline diet. When the blood increases in acidity, pain and inflammation also increase. Have at least 50-75% of your plate contain alkaline forming foods.

If you injure yourself, you can dramatically speed your healing and recovery by using the guidelines above. If you suffer from chronic pain, use these guidelines to reduce your pain and facilitate healing. If you have osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis, or if you are particularly interested in joint health, please see our Joint Health Department for more information.

Houston, we have a problem

Not only do sweet foods increase dopamine levels, but over-consumption of sweet foods can actually cause a breakdown in brain chemistry. According to a study published in Nature Neuroscience, “common mechanisms may underlie obesity and drug addiction.” (3) Researchers found that when animals were given a diet of high calorie foods, there was a significant reduction in the activity of their dopamine receptors. This is very similar to the affect that cocaine or heroin has on the brain. (3)

What does decreased receptor activity mean? It means that the brain becomes tolerant to dopamine signals. This is similar to what happens when you go to a concert. When you first get there, the music seems very loud. But as the concert goes on, you get used to the noise level, and it no longer seems as loud as it did when the band started playing – you become tolerant to the noise level. That’s exactly what happens with dopamine in the brain. If you are constantly eating or seeing sweet, high-calorie foods, your dopamine levels are always high, just like the music at the concert is always loud. Your brain gets used to the high dopamine levels and starts tuning them out. The signal does not seem as strong anymore. This means that you will need more dopamine to feel any effect, just like the music would have to be turned up for you to notice any change in volume.

For someone with constantly high dopamine levels, more and more sweet, high-calorie foods are needed to get the same kind of pleasure. This sets many people up for a catch-22 situation – they remember how great something a certain food made them feel and expect it to bring them the same amount of pleasure. However, when they eat the food they aren’t as satisfied as they expected to be, so they eat more and more in hopes of regaining that original feeling (or ‘high’). This often becomes a cycle of constantly elevated dopamine levels, leading to decreased dopamine receptor response, causing decreased pleasure and constant attempts to achieve more pleasure (by raising dopamine levels even higher) by eating more and more super-sweet, high calorie foods. (4) This should start to sound a lot like addiction.

Sugar addiction

Studies have shown that people with addictive-like eating behaviors – which includes addiction to sweet, high-calorie foods, insatiable cravings and binge eating – have greater brain activity in regions associated with substance dependence and abuse. They also have increased activity in their reward circuitry and less activity going on with inhibitory regions of the brain (5). This means that they are more prone to seek out pleasure-inducing experiences and less likely to be able to stop themselves in the process. Their reward systems are being triggered at a higher rate than people who don’t have addictive-like eating behaviors, and they are less able to keep themselves from acting on their desires.

Some professionals have questioned whether sugar addiction, and addictive behavior in general, is due more to willpower or genetics. We know that there are a decreased number of dopamine receptors in the brain in both drug addicts and in obese people. The question is whether the decreased number is due to the brain trying to compensate for the abnormally high levels of dopamine or just because those people were born with lower levels of receptors. (2) The evidence to date seems to indicate that it could be a bit of both, with the compensation piece playing a much larger role. For instance, research has shown that the more obese a person is, the fewer dopamine receptors they have (2). This seems to suggest that the brain has built up a tolerance to the high levels of dopamine. Regardless of cause, a person with a decreased number (or function) of dopamine receptors would require more stimulation than the average person to feel the same amount of pleasure, putting them at greater risk for addictive behaviors. (6)

Withdrawal

The final criterion for addiction is evidence of withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms from sugar addiction can occur within a few hours to several days after discontinuation depending on the person and severity of sugar use. Carvings, often moderate to severe, are the most common withdrawal symptom; people often also have an increased appetite, especially for sweet foods. However, some people have much more severe symptoms, including depression, anxiety, mood swings and an extreme drive to continue eating sugar despite the significant harm it is causing them. People that experience these types of symptoms usually have very low levels (or very low functioning) of dopamine receptors due to years and years of sugar use. Once the sugar is discontinued, there is not enough dopamine to help them feel ‘normal’ and they can feel like their world is crumbling around them. This is why many people need guidance and support to help them break their sugar addiction.

The final part of this three part series will detail how you can break your sugar addiction and free yourself from the daily cravings and binges that can thwart even the best-laid intentions.

Sources

1. “Can sugar be addictive?” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 16 Jan. 2006.
2. Leutwyler Ozelli, Kristin. “This is your brain on food.” Scientific American Sep. 2007: 84-85.
3. Daniells, Stephen. “Food addiction: Fat may rewire brain like hard drugs.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 29 Mar. 2010.
4. Gardner, Amanda. “Compulsive Eaters May Have ‘Food Addiction,’ Study Finds.” healthday.com. Health Day, 4 Apr. 2011.
5. Gray, Nathan. “Food addiction has similar brain response to drug addiction: Study.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 5 Apr. 2011.
6. Hyman, Mark MD. “Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”
7. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Animal study suggests existence of sugar addiction, says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 11 Dec. 2008.
8. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Sugar addiction ‘unlikely in humans,’ says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 9 Jan. 2009.

Many people feel like they are ‘addicted’ to sugar. New research is providing clues as to how this may happen and what can be done about it. In this three part series, we will look at the reasons why some people can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to sugar/sweets and exactly what you can do to break the sugar addiction cycle.

There has been a lot of research and disagreement in the health/medical world lately about sugar and whether or not a person could be truly “addicted” to it. Sure, we all like to eat sweets, and sometimes we find ourselves craving and overindulging in sweet treats. But there are people who have an insatiable sweet tooth; people who “can’t live without chocolate” or it ends up affecting how they feel, their mood and their actions. Could these people actually be addicted to sugar? New research indicates that they could.

Sugar Addicts

First, some background. Medically speaking, an addictive substance is something which induces a pleasant state or relieves distress, leads to adaptive changes in the brain that triggers tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings and causes dependence to such an extent that abstaining is difficult (1). Using these criteria, it doesn’t sound so far-fetched that sugar addiction could exist. People are usually happy after they eat cake or some other treat. Some people will eat sweet things to relieve distress; think stress eating or eating chocolate to ease PMS symptoms. And, there are people out there who have such intense cravings for sweets that willpower is literally not enough to abstain – they have to have something sweet every day or they have a very, very bad day. So what are these ‘adaptive changes in the brain that trigger tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings’? The answer lies with brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

“I gotta have that!”

Before we get into the science of neurotransmitters and brain responses, we need to talk about some biology and evolution. Back when humans were hunter-gatherers, food was not always in abundance. You could go through a food-drought at any time, so our bodies were designed to build energy stores out of excess calories whenever possible. That way, when there was an unexpected period of time without enough food, we could survive off of what our bodies had stored as fat. Sweet, sugary foods are often high-calorie foods. So when we are presented with something sweet our body says, “That tastes good. Eat a lot of that so I can build up energy stores for the food-drought.” We are biologically wired to enjoy and seek out sweet, high calorie foods because from an evolutionary standpoint, they provided us the best chance to survive a food-drought. We can’t help it.

However, in today’s world we very seldom (never!) experience a food-drought, as there is an abundance of food (and processed goods that slightly resemble food) wherever we go. This causes our own instincts to lead us astray and be drawn to sweet, high calorie foods when we, from a biological standpoint, don’t need them.

Now, on to brain chemistry. When we eat sweets, our brain levels of dopamine increase. (1) Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. In essence, when our dopamine levels are high we feel happy. Dopamine also tells you to get into action to achieve a goal that will bring a reward or pleasure (such as eating a cookie). It motivates us to do things that bring us pleasure and it is a very powerful neurotransmitter. This means that the signals it sends can be very hard to overcome with willpower. (2)

It gets worse. Research shows that we don’t even have to eat these high-calorie foods to rev up our motivation to have them; all you have to do is see a high-calorie food and your dopamine levels will rise. (2) This means that just looking at a picture of an ice cream sundae will get you thinking about how much you want to eat it and wondering where you can get one – right now. For others, simply thinking about a food can elicit a rise in dopamine and increase their desire for immediate gratification. For many people, this urge is enough to make them feel like they have to act on it, so they run out and get the food or some other high-calorie alternative.

Marketers know this; why do you think that every TV, billboard or magazine ad has beautiful pictures of tantalizing high calorie foods? They know that just by seeing those ads, you’ll want that food, and want it now. This is also the reason so many fast food ads run at night and during sporting events – people see them and order.

This is just part of the story however; the next post will detail how eating sugar and highly sweetened foods can actually change how your brain processes information, making you crave and eat more, setting up a cycle that is hard to break.

Sources

1. “Can sugar be addictive?” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 16 Jan. 2006.
2. Leutwyler Ozelli, Kristin. “This is your brain on food.” Scientific American Sep. 2007: 84-85.
3. Daniells, Stephen. “Food addiction: Fat may rewire brain like hard drugs.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 29 Mar. 2010.
4. Gardner, Amanda. “Compulsive Eaters May Have ‘Food Addiction,’ Study Finds.” healthday.com. Health Day, 4 Apr. 2011.
5. Gray, Nathan. “Food addiction has similar brain response to drug addiction: Study.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 5 Apr. 2011.
6. Hyman, Mark MD. “Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”
7. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Animal study suggests existence of sugar addiction, says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 11 Dec. 2008.
8. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Sugar addiction ‘unlikely in humans,’ says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 9 Jan. 2009.