Sugar, salt, and fat

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pseudandry
pseudandry Posts: 41 Member
in Motivation and Support
The combination of sugar, salt, and fat creates a flavor profile that doesn’t exist anywhere else in nature. It’s a flavor profile that lights up the reward centers of your brain in a way that real food does not. This encourages over-eating. (From http://rebootedbody.com/carbohydrates/ ) I'd read that somewhere before, but this was a good reminder.

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    While yes, it does light up pleasure centers, so do a lot of things... Petting puppies for example.

    What is wrong with food being pleasurable?
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Have you ever tried sprinkling a little salt on icecream..... OMG! So good
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
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    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Have you ever tried sprinkling a little salt on icecream..... OMG! So good

    Hmmm...and it just so happens, I have EXACTLY the right amount of calories left over in my schedule for 1/2 cup of chocolate ice cream, and I'm very moderate on sodium for the day too....
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    OP, please let us know what you mean by "real food".
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    Chocolate or caramel with salt- yum!
  • pseudandry
    pseudandry Posts: 41 Member
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    Jruzer wrote: »
    OP, please let us know what you mean by "real food".

    I quoted ... But I just took it to mean "naturally existing before being processed." Do you have another take on it?

  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    So greek yogurt, cheese? Not real food?
  • pseudandry
    pseudandry Posts: 41 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    So greek yogurt, cheese? Not real food?

    Hmmmm, cheese doesn't occur naturally in nature; cheese is made. It can be made with only products found in nature, but they have to be combined to produce cheese.

  • pseudandry
    pseudandry Posts: 41 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    While yes, it does light up pleasure centers, so do a lot of things... Petting puppies for example.

    What is wrong with food being pleasurable?

    Nothing wrong with food being pleasurable at all! I posted this under the "motivation" thread because sometimes info like this gives people the (will)power to make better decisions for themselves when they want or need to do so. Personally, I like to have these factoids to use as motivation when confronted with foods that affect my health, so I can pack an apple and natural peanut butter (pleasurable! But still only the salt, sugar and fat that occurs naturally in those foods and not added to the foods) in my lunch instead of a cupcake.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
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    Thick sliced, ridged, dark chocolate dipped, potato chips. Better than dark chocolate dipped bacon.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    If processing turns food into not food, then almost anything everyone eats is not "real" by that standard.

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    The fight over semantics gets hard whenever this topic comes up (as you've noticed, OP), but I do indeed prefer my food to taste good, but not too good. Luckily, a lot of food fits that description. And I feel like I have to add this "disclaimer": I eat everything I like, but not everything at once, and not all the time. Like medicine, food has to be taken in the right doses to be effective and not cause harm.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Dopamine is no longer considered the pleasure drug but rather the anticipation/motivation drug. This changes how we view "rewards". I am pretty sure I get a dopamine rush when I anticipate a run. Am I addicted now to running?

    http://blog.idonethis.com/the-science-of-motivation-your-brain-on-dopamine/
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    pondee629 wrote: »
    Thick sliced, ridged, dark chocolate dipped, potato chips. Better than dark chocolate dipped bacon.

    They sound delicious. And like a great topping on some icecream.
  • pseudandry
    pseudandry Posts: 41 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    The fight over semantics gets hard whenever this topic comes up (as you've noticed, OP), but I do indeed prefer my food to taste good, but not too good. Luckily, a lot of food fits that description. And I feel like I have to add this "disclaimer": I eat everything I like, but not everything at once, and not all the time. Like medicine, food has to be taken in the right doses to be effective and not cause harm.

    I agree. Foods, like medicine, are chemicals that affect our physiology. It's just great that humans have the ability to both know this to make educated decisions and to ignore it to think instead of the pleasures it can bring.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    pseudandry wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    The fight over semantics gets hard whenever this topic comes up (as you've noticed, OP), but I do indeed prefer my food to taste good, but not too good. Luckily, a lot of food fits that description. And I feel like I have to add this "disclaimer": I eat everything I like, but not everything at once, and not all the time. Like medicine, food has to be taken in the right doses to be effective and not cause harm.

    I agree. Foods, like medicine, are chemicals that affect our physiology. It's just great that humans have the ability to both know this to make educated decisions and to ignore it to think instead of the pleasures it can bring.

    Yes, I have come to realise that food recommendations are given for a reason, no, not that we will be "good" and feel "virtuous" for eating "clean foods", but because different food affects us differently. After getting "older" I can feel more distinctly how certain foods impact my mood, satiety and energy level. This makes it easier to make better decisions. I do love the ups of chocolate, but I hate the downs more :s

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