Donald 🐝 Grandy PN

4 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Manufactured Deliciousness

Manufactured Deliciousness


Why you can’t stop overeating 

By Jennifer Broxterman, M.S., RD


You know the feeling: One salty crunch turns into 100, and suddenly you’re licking the cheese dust and wondering: What’s wrong with me? 

Actually, it’s normal to feel like you can’t stop overeating certain things. Today’s hyper-palatable food is creating a modern-day food crisis — one that’s leaving us feeling sick, out of control, and constantly craving more.

It’s happened to us all.

After a frenzy of lustful grabbing and furious crunching, we find ourselves at the bottom of a jumbo bag of chips.

“How did that happen?” we ask fuzzily.

“What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I stop?”

But, before going into the full-fledged self-loathing mode, consider this.

Processed foods are scientifically engineered to be irresistible and easy to gobble up in large quantities. If you can’t stop, the chips are doing their job.

(In fact, someone at Frito-Lay probably got a promotion for that recipe.)

That’s why, in this article, we’ll explain exactly how junk food is designed to make us respond with compulsive, manic, gotta-have-more snack sessions.

Even better, we’ll arm you with three useful strategies for examining your relationship with processed food and taking control of overeating.

Because, if you feel out of control around certain foods, you’re not crazy.

Even healthy eaters feel out of control around food sometimes. Even if we value nutrition and want to take care of ourselves, some foods can make us feel… kinda possessed.

Know what I mean?

You show up to a potluck with quinoa salad goals and find yourself inhaling a plate of chips, cookies, and some chocolate-peanut-butter-marshmallow thing that some devil, um friend, made.

You reach into the freezer to have one spoonful of ice cream and suddenly you’re mining the caramel swirl, then the nut clusters, then the brownie chunks, and then… your spoon scrapes the bottom.

You just want a bite of your friend’s french fry, but you find yourself elbowing her out of the way so you can steal all the fries, plus the burger too.

Even with the best intentions, the pull of certain foods is so strong that it can leave us feeling powerless.

If you’ve felt this, you’re not alone (and you’re not broken).

Certain foods are actually designed to make us overeat.

If you’re overeating, it’s not because there’s something wrong with you or your willpower.

Here’s the truth: There’s a whole industry dedicated to creating food that’s hyper-palatable — food that’s so tasty it’s nearly irresistible.

Your body and brain are responding exactly as they’re supposed to. It’s supposed to feel almost unnatural to stop eating these foods!

But we’re not talking about food like celery sticks, whole brown rice, or baked salmon filets.

(How often do you hear yourself say, “I ate sooo much-steamed asparagus! I just couldn’t stop myself!” That’s right. You’ve never heard yourself say that.)

We’re talking about processed foods.

Processed foods are foods that have been modified from their original, whole-food form in order to change their flavor, texture, or shelf-life. Often, they’re altered so that they hit as many pleasure centers as possible — from our brains to our mouths to our bellies.

Processed foods are highly cravable, immediately gratifying, fun to eat, and easy to over-consume quickly (and often cheaply).

Processed foods will also look and feel different from their whole food counterparts, depending on the degree that they’re processed.


WHY IT’S SO EASY
TO OVEREAT JUNK FOOD
AND 7 WAYS TO STOP

Can't resis hips...cookies...ice cream? It's normal to feel out of control
foods are 0 make us overeat. Here's how it works - and what to dc

MARKETING TRICKS MAKE PROCESSED
FOODS SEEM “GOOD FOR YOU”

Bright colors, Buzzwords like
cartoon characters, ‘organic’, ‘vegan’,
and ‘gluten-free’
create the illusion

often there 1s very little nutritional difference betweer
rganic treat and the conventional one

Swewedi 8 Sone foe 45
Tota Cotabyate Xg Tota Canchyorste 24
[an

Spe 16g

Frotem 55

BIG PORTIONS CONVINCE US
WE'RE GETTING A “GOOD DEAL”

th processed foods, you're often getting more volume
(and more calories). Who doesn't want more for less?

have lots of appetite
1s seem endless

HARDER TO OVEREAT: EASIER TO OVEREAT:

One single food, lke apples A vanety of flavors and textures
to amuse you forever

 

MULTIPLE FLAVORS AT ONCE =
PARTY IN YOUR MOUTH

Long ago, humans prioritized calorie-dense foods to help them survive. Today,
manufacturers use calorie density to create hyperpalatable (and easily accessible) junk food

The anatomy of an irresistible bite
Stimuli Stacking The Big Five

Sugar, fat, and salt aren't that appealing on ther To make it to mass market, processed
own. But combined in the form of a eat (ike a foods must be:
salted caramel browse) they're rresistiole

© Calorie dense, usualy hgh n sugar and/or fat
© ntensely flavored
© \mmeciately delicious, love atfrstbte

© Vetted down easly — the foo most crssoves
0 you mouth
© Easy to eat — no effortful chewng needed

7 WAYS TO STOP

OVEREATING JUNK FOOD

w deliciousness gets manufactured, use these strategies to build
awareness of you havior and control treat consumption.

NOTICE YOUR CHEWING

It's easier to overeat when Also consider:
food is easy to chew. A fun
experiment: Compare how
many chews it takes to

* How long it takes to
eat each food
* How satiated you feel

swallow processed vs
afterwards

whole foods
© How much you want

to keep eating

i WHOLE FOODS
PROCESSED FOODS c -25 chews
-10 chews

EVALUATE YOUR PANTRY

To change the way you grocery shop and eat, first become aware of what
kinds of food you buy - and why you buy them.

g —C A How many junk foods marketed as ‘health foods” can you find?
®, * How many celebrity endorsements do you see?
* What self-care promises do you find?

o List the number of treat foods you have in your kitchen

LOOK FOR HABIT PATTERN

 

  

Habits are powerful, for better or worse. When we have a habit of using food
for reasons other than physical hunger, it can lead to overeating

 

NL
pe tmcoen TN

 

REWARD ~~ BEHAVIOR

First, identify your triggers
A trigger can be a
Feeling

Time of day
Social setting

Place

 

Thought pattern

 

 
   
   
   
   
   
 

what am I feeling?
What time ts (+7
who am T with?
where am 7

what thougirts am T having?

This self-knowledge will help you prevent triggered eating in the future.

FIND FEEL-GOOD HABITS
THAT SUPPORT YOUR GOALS

Once you know your triggers, disrupt the cyc reward

by replacing eating with an activity that supports your

Most effective stress relievers:

Exercising and playing sports

Reading

Listening to music

Praying or attending a religious service
Spending time with friends and family
Getting a massage

Walking outside

Meditation

Yoga

Creative hobbies

 

These habits boost neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA, and oxytocin,
which calm down the stress response and induce a feeling of wellbeing

PUT QUALITY ABOVE QUANTITY

    

   

Processed foods use cheap ingre s, making it possible to sell

large quantities at a low price.

Whole foods provide high quality

  

nutrition, and you only Jumbo sizes might seem like a deal
payne because they offer high quantity, but
eventually you may pay a “health tax”
in the form of fat gain, metabolic
problems, and poor health.

 

Use the “traffic light” system to put quality first

Make your own list of red, yellow, and green light foods

“Red” foods are “no-gos”
that you tend to overeat,
make you feel sick, or don't
help you meet your goals.

“Yellow” foods aren't the
worst choices, but if you eat
too much of them you might

have regrets.

1 “Green” foods are nutritious
» i) and make your body and

CBN 25,0) mind feel good. Eat these
J whenever you want.

Your list may be unique to you - 1.e. chocolate chip cookies
might be “red” for you, but “green” for your friend

 
 
 

SLOW DOWN

If changing the foods you eat freaks you out, allow yourself to eat

 

whatever you want, but slowly and mindfully

 

ZZ

V/ Sit at a table and Vv Eatin a calm environment Vv Put your utensils
use real dishes. with no distractions down between bites.

 

(5
V/ Set aside atleast 20 v/ Choose whole, fier-rich Vv Eatto 80
minutes per meal foods that take time to chew percent full

BE NICE TO YOURSELF

Self-criticism and crash dieting may work in the short term, but they usually
sabotage your goals in the long term. Approach your overeating with.

KINDNESS

Work with yourself

HONESTY instead of against

How are you really With yourself

behaving around this attitude
food? The more of support and

non-judgment, you're o CURIOSITY

accurate you are at
perceiving yourself, cre Lis ipove Explore your habits
the better you can | with openness and
support yourself to nterest, not
change. criticism


Donald Grandy

Sport & Nutrition Coach   

dongrandy@gmail.com


*This content is strictly for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. All viewers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. All viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any lifestyle program.



Comments

Donald 🐝 Grandy PN

4 years ago #3

#3
Thanks for your comment Joyce \ud83d\udc1d Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
Oh so very true and awesomely laid out Donald \ud83d\udc1d Grandy PN. I've been a junk-food hog for much of my adult life. I did a 180 last year but still find it difficult. I find myself chanting, "Eat To Live; don't live to eat" much of the time. I've been inhaling food for so long I have little use for the use of teeth--chewing. I read that most processed food has little in the way of fiber to improve shelf life. We need 30 to 40 grams a day, and processed food only gives us 3 to 4 grams. It's profit over people personified. Fortunately--I found a great store not far from me that has most of what I need. I am trying to school my youngest-soon-to-be oldster in the ways of proper nutrition. But we are so brainwashed into believing it's our taste buds that need to be satisfied that we neglect the needs of our bodies and our microbiome. My oldest touts the scarcity of ingredients as a triumph--and when I try to explain it's the "ingredients" in the ingredients that are the problem, he looks at me like I have two heads. Biochemistry and plant chemistry do not register at all. We need to redevelop our curiosity factor to help ourselves to health.

Donald 🐝 Grandy PN

4 years ago #1

#1
Thanks Robert

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