Fatty Processed Foods Trigger Addiction, Brain Damage
Although there are many surprising culprits behind obesity and weight gain, recent research may reveals some shocking information every overweight person should know about. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that junk food has a brain-altering effect which makes you eat more of it. High-fat processed food consumption causes damage to the hypothalmus part of your brain – an area responsible for levels of hunger, thirst, and the body’s natural rhythms and cycles.
The researchers not only found evidence that further supports processed foods and sugary drinks as being highly addictive, but also that once someone falls into the trap of consuming these foods and becomes obese, their bodies want to stay that way. As a natural fuel storage regulator, your body uses a process called energy homeostasis to keep weight normalized. But once obesity hits, that process is thrown off and your body wants to stay in that new state. This makes it very difficult for obese individuals to keep the weight off after successfully shedding the pounds. Needless to say, avoiding obesity altogether would definitely be the wise choice.
While the information helps you to realize why losing weight may have been difficult, this kind of research is vulnerable to being used as a free-pass excuse for those already overweight. Increasing obesity rates are not a result of unintentional weight gain and difficulty with losing weight but rather an unhealthy lifestyle being manifested for years. The average American diet is made up of chemically-laced fast food and a great deal of calories are obtained purely from soda or snack foods.
There are many reasons for the decline in national and international health; junk food, a sedentary lifestyle, and psychological influence ignited by mega-corporations are just a few. But even with all of these outside influences, it is ultimately up to you to be thin or fat. You are the decision maker and captain of your own life. Choosing to live the unhealthy or healthy life you live is a decision made by you, and can be changed at any point in time. Just as you have the power through thoughts and beliefs to cause self-healing, you also have the power to choose how you will present yourself to others each and every day.
 | Mike is the co-founder, editor, and researcher behind Natural Society. Studying the work of top natural health activists, and writing special reports for top 10 alternative health websites, Mike has written hundreds of articles and pages on how to obtain optimum wellness through natural health. |
Wheat, gluten and milk and dairy (lactose) intolerance can also contribute to leaky gut syndrome. Brown rice is good for the health in a diet and can be sprouted.
Good article but you failed to mention that free glutamate (MSG and all the MSG substitutes) added to our processed food is primarily what is behind this. Not only does it cause all these problems with the endocrine and nervous system but it allows manufactures to use cheap ingredients. The addition of MSG makes your brain think it tastes good and is good for you. The FDA caters to the big food corporations. It does not protect the consumer.
look up Dr Russel Blaylock, he has some good vido-ed talks that show up on the web.
diet also causes a lot of crime, mental illness, and many of the childhood disorders, that now get the children hooked on dr given mental drugs.
and all of these problems are even before considering what altering food in the form of GM does, or even worse what eating food with agent orange, or roundup on it.
if the mice studies are right within the next 2 generations most of the GM food eating countries will be diseased, close to unable to breed, and all so 2 corporations can control the food supply. welcome to hell.
Responding to Martin – great that you mentioned Dr. Russel Blaylock. I'm finding his book Excitotoxins, The Tastethat Kills to be very informative and easy to follow. Also, Truth in Labeling (www.truthinlabeling.org) has information and references to studies which explain how junk foods/MSG/Aspartame other additives cause damage to the hypothalamus and obesity. And, they can help you figure out how to eliminate MSG and other additives from your diet.
This should be shared with every US consumer and we will see change.
Amazing research thanks
Very interesting article. "Fatty foods" I assume mainly means foods fried in the wrong kind of oils, or fat dense meats like pork, and depending on how prepared, chiken and beef.
"Processed foods" is just about every food in a can, or frozen entres, or mylar bag or boxes at the grocery story. That sounds like about 99 percent of what is on the shelves at the store.
I was living on frozen dinners and canned chili and such for quite a while. I gained quite a bit of weight though I was not frequenting fast-food places. I started having urticaria (hives) after eating and the foods I was eating were the same foods that I had consumed for many years (Hormel canned chili as one example). I trued to observe what I may be allergic to and came to conclusion it was annato, natural yellow dye in cheeses, as well as Red Dye 40 and all the other yellow, green, red and blue synthetic food dyes. But still that did not explain my sudden allegies to all of these things which I had been consuming for years.
I wrote to my friend, Bill Sardi, health journalist. He told me I should read up on "leaky gut syndrome" and suggested I take Betaine HCL with meals as well as Vitamin A. Also advised to move to natural non processed food.
I did follow his advice and have not had a hives attack in a long time.
I just relate this story to indicate my conclusion that long-term consuming of processed foods can not only make you fat but can cause "leaky gut syndrome" and horrible attacks of hives that last about two hours and totally prevent one from taking a chance of eating out at any restaurant, since even the best of restaurants use processed foods.
Great comment. I agree with this article as well, and the fatty foods are certainly processed garbage as the article mentions — it pays to eat well.
You people should get hundreds to hand out leaflets about this stuff at shopping centers.