That conspiracy of fat and sugar, and salt too

We are hard-wired to want to eat fat (it was in short supply and is a store of energy for those hard times), sugar (the only source was honey - dangerous - and fruit - seasonal) and salt, which keeps you from dehydrating - where would you find salt if there weren't any shops?

So it is not surprising that salty, fatty, or sugary, fatty foods hit the spot. Nor is it surprising that the food industry knows this and beguiles us with just this sort of food, with the added bonus of flavour enhancers to get the juices going. And it does prove quite addictive. You may remember seeing Super Size Me? "The film documents this lifestyle's drastic effects on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being, and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit."

Well, Dr Kessler, who used to head up the US Food and Drugs Administration, has found that fat, salt and sugar cause a dopamine rush, similar to other addictive products. "The food industry has been able to figure out the bliss point, the optimal combinations of fat and salt, fat and sugar, fat, sugar and salt that you think tastes good, but when you look at the science, we now know that those ingredients stimulate, they activate the brain's circuitry". So the food industry is deliberately targeting those addictive centres in our brains, when they design and advertise their processed foods.

And the food industry is also active in the diet foods industry. They have it both ways.

If you are overweight, you are dealing with some powerful opposition. Understanding it and supporting yourself with hypnotherapy, will get you back in control.


www.carolinebrowntherapy.com