Addictive Foods

Rocbola
Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Addiction is, in my opinion, engineered into foods. There are also foods with naturally occurring addictive compounds. This is 2014; think of the technology we have these days. With the massive amounts of research dollars that are used to make foods appealing enough to customers to get repeat business, it's no surprise to see those foods that are addictive being marketed and sold the most.

To see what those foods are, just go through this thread, "Kryptonite Foods": http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1233899-kryptonite-foods

You'll start to notice that the same few foods are being listed over and over again.

My reason for posting this topic is to point out one reason why the "Eat whatever kinds of foods you want, just count calories" approach doesn't work for everybody. It seems to work for some, but many who have had success in weight loss have had to cut certain addictive foods (commonly called "trigger foods") from their diet completely. I am one of those people. (BTW, i never feel deprived, because i replaced my decadent foods with better options.)

For some of us, we have to take this factor into consideration when planning an eating program for sustainable healthy living. I hope this helps someone with food issues like i have been dealing with for years.

What addictive foods have you cut out of your life? What did you replace it with?

Replies

  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    FRUIT!!!!!!!!

    replaced with MEAT!!!!!!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    For me, it was replacing ice cream with banana/almond milk smoothie with a few walnuts. Maybe a few fresh cherries.

    I replaced mayo and other condiments with no-oil hummus.

    I replaced oily salad dressings with mango salsa, mashed up avocado, or dijon mustard.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
    The phrase is 'bliss point'. Yes, our foods are heavily manipulated to keep us coming back for more. But don't assume it has to be engineered in a high tech lab to trigger a binge, for example. Last time I made burritos, I happened across a combo of beans, rice, coconut oil, cheese, veggies, and salsa that literally had me going back to the fridge every hour to stuff my face some more. I ate what was supposed to be around four days' worth of food in less than a day. In fact, it was just what ice cream, cake, cookies, and other junk does to me. Why? All the ingredients except the wrap were healthy and the wrap itself wasn't the trigger. I've eaten burrito wraps before and not gone hog wild. It must have been that I hit some combo of ingredients that bypassed my 'full feeling' and all self control. And I did it to myself, with no idea that I had.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    That's what i'm saying. They know exactly what natural foods get the "I gotta keep eating this" reaction. It's not all artificial lab created chemicals. They take advantage of the naturally occurring substances that occur in some foods. That is why they stuff chocolate and cheese into everything; they know those foods have that reaction because of their naturally occurring ingredients.

    It is also un-naturally concentrated foods, like sugar and oil. Anything that has a higher calorie concentration that what was found in our natural environment gives us a dopamine response beyond our normal experience. Anything that excites the pleasure circuits of the brain is going to be highly sought after.
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    Fage greek yogurt with fruit. I was at the store and bought a bunch for the week. there were like 20 each in my cart. I'd say the creaminess of it plus the fruit that tastes like pie fruit is decadent and satisfies the need for something deserty. it also keeps me kinda full.

    the other thing that keeps me doing well is some kind of fruit, now im onto those little juicy tangerines. So yummy when cold out of the fridge. I did enjoy honeycrisp apples and fuji apples which have the best flavor of all apples.

    the other thing is eggs. In the morning I have a frittata or a Western omelette at the restaurant. it has cheese, green peppers, onions, and ham! it is the best thing next to pizza without being pizza, it has body to it, so it is like eating pizza for me.

    Except the other day, we had flatbread at this one restaurant.. totaly yummy - if you dont want the calories and fat of pizza, flatbread is the way to go. wood fire grilled is the best. cosi has a pretty good flatbread, not sure about the calories and such, but its pretty good. this restaurant was to die for!!!
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    There are things I do that will limit the damage.

    For example:

    I LOVE queso dip. Can't have it in the house or at work because I'll eat it all. SO, I go to Don Pablo's every once in a while and order the kids size of queso dip and count out my 8 tortilla chips.

    I'm a big fan of Olive Garden, but my husband....not so much. I'll go there for lunch and order a kids size fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken. Comes with either grapes or steamed broccoli. BUT I can't get the salad - they load it up with the dressing which has high-fructose corn syrup in it, and is just too costly to the food journal. So I get the Pasta Fagioli soup. Lots of beans for fiber, some meat for protein....MUCH better choice. I can also get salad dressing to take with me and be able to have it in a better fashion at home or work.

    Sometimes I'll go on a food run for work for lunch...I'll see a dessert I really want some of, but don't want the whole thing. As soon as I get back, I set it at the middle of the table and say that everybody gets a bite. That way, there's none left over, and everybody gets 1-2 bites of something yummy (if they want).

    I don't do these all the time - just because I'm just trying to "simmer down the craving" at the time.

    But the idea is, to put myself in a position where I can still have some things that I really like, just in a controlled environment.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Addiction is, in my opinion, engineered into foods. There are also foods with naturally occurring addictive compounds. This is 2014; think of the technology we have these days. With the massive amounts of research dollars that are used to make foods appealing enough to customers to get repeat business, it's no surprise to see those foods that are addictive being marketed and sold the most.

    To see what those foods are, just go through this thread, "Kryptonite Foods": http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1233899-kryptonite-foods

    You'll start to notice that the same few foods are being listed over and over again.

    My reason for posting this topic is to point out one reason why the "Eat whatever kinds of foods you want, just count calories" approach doesn't work for everybody. It seems to work for some, but many who have had success in weight loss have had to cut certain addictive foods (commonly called "trigger foods") from their diet completely. I am one of those people. (BTW, i never feel deprived, because i replaced my decadent foods with better options.)

    For some of us, we have to take this factor into consideration when planning an eating program for sustainable healthy living. I hope this helps someone with food issues like i have been dealing with for years.

    What addictive foods have you cut out of your life? What did you replace it with?

    LOLLERCOASTER
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
    I don't think it's a matter of particular foods so much as the ingredients, specifically salt, sugar, and fat. It's what we crave, and in nature is in limited supply. We evolved to find and/or hunt limited resources. We weren't supposed to have salt, sugar and fat literally falling out of McDonalds drivethru windows.

    Whether you call them addictive foods or kryptonite foods, you're not going to hear about many foods that don't have a high concentration of salt, sugar, and/or fat.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    In just to say that it's in our physiology to "hoard" calories. Our bodies haven't caught up yet evolutionary wise to how we (in the last 70 years or so) are able to "moderate" sensory perception to calorie intake. Give any animal access to unlimited amount of food (without having to hunt for it) and they too will get fat. Maybe in another million years or so. Till then, people will use what strategies they need to to try to keep their calorie intake under wraps.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    'Addiction' has been debated here, many, many times.

    There is a book about hyperpalatable foods, which is what I believe you are talking about. It's still just a theory. And, I read the book. It's interesting, but it didn't give me any revelations on how to beat my 'addictions.' :blushing:

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/compulsive-overeating-and-how-to-stop-it
  • Semt3x
    Semt3x Posts: 23
    Tell ya what, might just be me, but Nutella is preeeeeeeeety damn addictive no?
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    ^Exactly.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
    Pringles. I have not bought any since starting MFP. They are my MAJOR trigger food and I just know, at this point, would cause me to eat the entire tube (the little tubes would just make me crazy for more) and then binge on other foods. Maybe someday, but not yet. I have replaced them with other crispy crunchy things, like Jacob's Oddities Crackers (112cal) and Walkers Pops (100ish cal). Not the same but keeps me satisfied. For the most part I do enjoy treats all the time within my calories (I have ice cream every day) but Pringles are one thing I don't let myself near.

    Oh, Nutella. About 4 weeks ago, I looked in the Nutella jar (a MASSIVE jar my mother bought before I started eating well) to see how much was left. Within minutes I had consumed about 400 calories straight out of the jar. Yeah, not buying Nutella anymore. I have the same problem with Marshmellow Fluff but that's not widely available here so it's not really an issue.
  • tealgrove
    tealgrove Posts: 36 Member
    Sugar pure and simple. I crave it and I am most definitely addicted to it.

    So as much as I possibly can, added sugar is out of my diet. I make almost all my own food and I have adjusted recipes to remove the sugar.

    If I binge....it will be on SUGAR!
  • pandagirl813
    pandagirl813 Posts: 84 Member
    I LOVE queso dip. Can't have it in the house or at work because I'll eat it all.

    That is exactly how i feel! Its definitely on my top 5 favorite foods list. When my family goes out to eat once a month (if we choose mexican, and only if they dont serve the crappy stuff from a can) we always order queso. I try to eat it really slow to limit myself, but it seems like the waiter is purposely waiting for me to finish before he brings the food out. Before i know it im sitting there mindlessly inhaling it and then BAM its gone. Its my one weakness and i haven't found anything that can replace it.

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