Story at-a-glance **Using brain imaging, researchers confirm that highly processed carbohydrates stimulate brain regions involved in reward and cravings, promoting excess hunger **Previous research has demonstrated that refined sugar is more addictive than cocaine, giving you pleasure by triggering an innate process in your brain via dopamine and opioid signals **Food manufacturers have gotten savvy to the addictive nature of certain foods and tastes, including saltiness and sweetness, and have turned addictive taste into a science in and of itself **Refined carbohydrates like breakfast cereals, bagels, waffles, pretzels, and most other processed foods quickly break down to sugar, increasing your insulin levels, which eventually leads to insulin resistance **To protect your health, I advise spending 90 percent of your food budget on whole foods, and only 10 percent on processed foods
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:03:46 +0000