Remember the times when you harbored such a strong hankering for French fries, soda, chips, pizza, or chocolates in the middle of the night, only to lie in sheer remorse the morning after? Indeed, there are some guilty pleasures we can’t get enough of! However, it is not your fault. No, it’s not just to make you feel better, but the bitter truth.
Earth shattering science from the National Institute on Drug Addiction has proven that certain food groups can hijack the reward recesses of your brain and induce sharp cravings for more. To put it in a nutshell; food addiction is real! Here are the 8 most addictive foods that you find impossible to put down once you start munching:
1. Doritos: It’s no secret that once a bag of Doritos is popped open, you are hard bound to finish its entire contents! It’s no surprise since the recipe for these popular snacks was created so that no flavor is allowed to overpower another. This lack of a dominant flavor tricks people into feeling less stuffed than they are, and makes them continue munching. In addition, a precursory scrutiny of the label reveals that it incorporates monosodium glutamate (MSG), the addictive compound that is notorious for waking up the appetite and making food taste more enticing!
2. Pizza: Dripping with oil, and slathered with mounds of gooey cheese, pizza tops all lists of the the most addictive foods. In fact, according the Department of Agriculture, almost 13% of the U.S. population consumes pizza on any given day. That’ makes 1 in 8 Americans.
3. Chocolates: Chocolates have always been construed as a decadent indulgence. Research conducted at Drexel University revealed that people experienced pleasure and craving when munching on chocolates, which parallels the feeling people glean when they are on drugs or in love. Talk about Addiction!
4. French Fries: According to experts, once you start eating a starch and fat laden, highly processed food, it is impossible to hold back. Similarly, French Fries have been ranked as one of the top most addictive foods, associated with addictive and problematic eating disorders.
5. Oreos: Who can resist the crunchy, creamy, little bundles of joy that are Oreos! However, according to an animal study in 2013, Oreos are even more addictive that both morphine and cocaine combined! Since these cookies have such a strong influence on the pleasure center of the brain, you can never just eat one!
6. Ice Cream: The same creaminess that lures you in can be your greatest undoing! Seeing what ice cream is- a mixture of milk and cream-, you can realize how loaded it is in saturated fats. Calories, sugar, and fat laden foods have a strong influence on triggering the pleasure centers of your brain, and this particular creamy goodness is unfortunately loaded in all three. In fact, eating ice cream regularly can wreak havoc on your diet.
7. Soda: We red-blooded Americans love our soda! In fact an average American drinks about forty gallons of it within a year. If you do the math, how many calories would these bring?
8. Cake: Red velvety, Rich and heavenly chocolatey, vanilla swirl—we melt like marshmallow at the mere mention of cake. In fact, if you have a leftover slice lying in the fridge, you are bound to tip toe down to the kitchen to get it in the middle of the night!
