Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar -- Physically Addictive

susanswan · December 2011

http://www.veglov.com/2011/11/chocolate-cheese-meat-and-sugar.html

One of my MFP friends forwarded this link to me. It tells me some of what I already know plus a lot more. Interesting 40 minute lecture about:

Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food additions. Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods. A plant-based diet is the solution to avoid many of these problems. Neal Barnard is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

neanderthin · December 2011

A conspiracy theory always makes for good headlines.

rrrbecca11 · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

Le_Joy · December 2011

Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances.

Even if something is addictive you can still use willpower to stop doing it....

_VoV · December 2011

Willpower can only go so far. There's a *whole* lot of deliberate tinkering with the US food supply to make much of it nearly impossible to resist. Food processors want you coming back for more, so they make it highly palatable and they make sure the taste doesn't linger too long, so you want more immediately. Just check out this recent 60-Minutes piece called 'The Flavorists': http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57330816/the-flavorists-tweaking-tastes-and-creating-cravings/?tag=currentVideoInfo;videoMetaInfo

And if that doesn't convince you, check out the book 'The End of Overeating' written by former compulsive eater, David Kessler (former FDA chief). It has hard science, documenting how the cards are stacked against us for sustained moderate eating--thanks to food manufacturers who want to sell more product. New technologies, such as PET scanning, show how our brains react to certain foods. The more areas of the brain that light up, due to highly addictive combinations of tastes, textures, and food chemistries, the more we want.

Generally, steamed broccoli doesn't have the same reaction.

susanswan · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

I think he is a professional "nay-sayer" anyway. Sometimes people just love to hear themselves talk! People are allowed to have different philosophies, but just because I am not an Atkins fan doesnt' mean that I have to try to convince those who love the plan that they are in the wrong camp. It's a free country last time I checked. I just prefer to eat cleaner with less sugar, saturated fats, white flour, processed food, more green veggies, and have fewer animal products and I feel SO much better in every single way. THAT cannot be disputed. I'm not interested in a debate and I don't really care if anyone goes along with this or not. Just putting it out there for those who have not heard this yet and would like to know more.

To Verging on Vegan - That was a great article, too. More proof for the pudding.

VVEXVVEX · December 2011

Very interesting stuff.

Thanks Susan!

ElizabethRoad · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

One person is not "proof" of anything. You're an anecdote.

RonSwanson66 · December 2011

Barnard is a quack with an agenda, nothing more. (FYI, he has no formal training in nutrition - he's a psychiatrist).

The Scientific Evidence

There is no solid evidence in support of this theory. Dr.
Barnard cites a particular reference from 1981 to sup-
port his claim that meat, cheese, milk, and chocolate are
particularly addictive. The reference he cites as evi-
dence did find morphine-like substances in cow's milk
as well as in human milk. However that article also
states that similar morphine-like materials may be
found in common plant-derived foods, such as lettuce,
and may be ubiquitous dietary components . Thus,
if meat, cheese, milk, or even chocolate are addictive
because of the “opiates” they contain, apparently plant-
derived foods should be considered addictive as well.

Since Dr. Barnard refers to his own research on this
topic, one might reasonably expect to see a myriad of
references to that research in the book. ...
, a computer search of the scientific literature since 1992 (via Medline) did not turn
up any other published studies related to food addiction that included Dr. Barnard as an author.

...

The paper by Drewnowski, et al. that Barnard cites was
published in 1992.69 The studyÂ’s purpose was to deter-
mine if opioid receptors in the brain, the type that medi-
ate the response to drugs like morphine and heroin,
were also involved in the response to highly palatable
foods.

...
As psychiatrist Dr. Sally Satel
has noted, the term "addictive" has been used so much
it has become virtually meaningless.

..

Although Dr Barnard cites some valid scientific studies
in his tome on addictive foods, he seems to interpret
them in ways that support his own agenda—primarily
one of demonizing foods of animal origin. Although Dr.
Barnard refers repeatedly to studies he and colleagues
have conducted, the studies have not yet appeared in the
published, peer-reviewed scientific literature."

From Good Stories, Bad Science - A Guide for Journalists to the Health Claims of "Consumer Activist" Groups -
by Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
Director of Nutrition, ACSH

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=13216680999119286087&hl=en&as_sdt=0,38

morelesspls · December 2011

I'd also check out Forks Over Knives (it's a documentary) if this topic interests you.
And just because I always think of one when I think of the other- watch Food Inc. if you haven't already, pretty interesting.

RonSwanson66 · December 2011

I'd also check out Forks Over Knives (it's a documentary) if this topic interests you.

Vegan propaganda supported by poor science.

" “The China Study” is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products. This presents readers with a strongly misleading interpretation of the original China Study data, as well as a slanted perspective of nutritional research from other arenas (including some that Campbell himself conducted)."

http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

Edit: From the same author a critique of the movie itself:

http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/

rrrbecca11 · December 2011

I'd also check out Forks Over Knives (it's a documentary) if this topic interests you.
And just because I always think of one when I think of the other- watch Food Inc. if you haven't already, pretty interesting.

Forks Over Knives is so inspirational and informative. Along with 'The China Study', it gave me the impetus to finally cross completely over to vegetarian, though I had been vacillating for years and had only eaten poultry and fish for the last 2-3 years. I have never felt better. I was already what I consider very healthy, but now I feel there is no limit to the good health I can attain in this life, and my spirit feels lighter too. :-) Additionally, following a whole foods plant-based diet is so much better for the environment, and that is a concern we all can relate to.

rrrbecca11 · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

One person is not "proof" of anything. You're an anecdote.

My dictionary defines anecdote as "a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature." Since you don't know my back story (i.e. my short account), but only heard my claim (which is not the same thing), I don't think I fit the description of an anecdote. A whole foods, plant-based diet completely changed my health, and by so doing, changed my outlook on life as well. There are details and those details would make up the anecdote you speak of.

I always find it strange the way meat eaters feel they must attack any information that promotes a diet other than dead animal flesh consumption. Vegetarian options are viable and have a right to be presented as such without threatened and probably subconsciously guilty "carnivores" sniping and snarking about it. That is all. Save yourself the trouble of firing back, because I won't revisit this thread.

rrrbecca11 · December 2011

I'd also check out Forks Over Knives (it's a documentary) if this topic interests you.

Vegan propaganda supported by poor science.

" “The China Study” is a compelling collection of carefully chosen data. Unfortunately for both health seekers and the scientific community, Campbell appears to exclude relevant information when it indicts plant foods as causative of disease, or when it shows potential benefits for animal products. This presents readers with a strongly misleading interpretation of the original China Study data, as well as a slanted perspective of nutritional research from other arenas (including some that Campbell himself conducted)."

http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

Edit: From the same author a critique of the movie itself:

http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/

As for YOU, Swanson, if your profile pic is indeed you, that roll around your middle tells me all I need to know. :-)

RonSwanson66 · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

One person is not "proof" of anything. You're an anecdote.

My dictionary defines anecdote as "a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature." Since you don't know my back story (i.e. my short account), but only heard my claim (which is not the same thing), I don't think I fit the description of an anecdote. A whole foods, plant-based diet completely changed my health, and by so doing, changed my outlook on life as well. There are details and those details would make up the anecdote you speak of. I always find it strange the way meat eaters feel they must attack any information that promotes a diet other than dead animal flesh consumption. Vegetarian options are viable and have a right to be presented as such without threatened and probably subconsciously guilty "carnivores" sniping and snarking about it. That is all. Save yourself the trouble of firing back, because I won't revisit this thread.

Ahem.

In science, anecdotal evidence has been defined as:

"information that is not based on facts or careful study"[4][verification needed]
"non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts"[5]
"reports or observations of usually unscientific observers"[6]
"casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis"[7]
"information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically"

And isn't it funny how vegans pervert and misinterpret science in a vain effort to show that their way of eating is the "one true way"

Meat eaters don't care what you eat, but spare me the moral superiority.

rrrbecca11 · December 2011

Thanks for reposting, Susan. It is good, sound science, which has been suppressed not because it is a conspiracy theory, but because it threatens the corporate entities who stand to gain from us consuming this garbage AND getting sick because of it. I am living proof of the way a whole foods, plant-based diet works to bring about good health and vitality. Nay-sayers may cheerfully kiss my...er...foot. :-)

One person is not "proof" of anything. You're an anecdote.

My dictionary defines anecdote as "a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature." Since you don't know my back story (i.e. my short account), but only heard my claim (which is not the same thing), I don't think I fit the description of an anecdote. A whole foods, plant-based diet completely changed my health, and by so doing, changed my outlook on life as well. There are details and those details would make up the anecdote you speak of. I always find it strange the way meat eaters feel they must attack any information that promotes a diet other than dead animal flesh consumption. Vegetarian options are viable and have a right to be presented as such without threatened and probably subconsciously guilty "carnivores" sniping and snarking about it. That is all. Save yourself the trouble of firing back, because I won't revisit this thread.

Ahem.

In science, anecdotal evidence has been defined as:

"information that is not based on facts or careful study"[4][verification needed]
"non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts"[5]
"reports or observations of usually unscientific observers"[6]
"casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis"[7]
"information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically"

And isn't it funny how vegans pervert and misinterpret science in a vain effort to show that their way of eating is the "one true way"

Meat eaters don't care what you eat, but spare me the moral superiority.

I did revisit, to remove the insult about your...picture...and found this. In response, I will say that the poster did not use the term 'anecdotal evidence', she said ANECDOTE, and they are not the same. I'm not sure where you see moral superiority in my reply, but the little picture at the end of your post showing the 'carnivore' vs. the 'vegan' thing speaks VOLUMES of moral superiority to me. Additionally, if you consider yourself a 'carnivore', that is laughable, because I can just about guarantee you don't chase down your prey and tear it limb from limb and eat it raw. Pfffft. I'm leaving the insult in place. Eat some veggies, kid. You too can lose those love handles! :-)

tokyovegan · December 2011

Even if any plant-based foods are addictive, (assuming they are fresh and preferably organic) they are generally good or better for you than animal-based foods.

manderson27 · December 2011

I have never understood the them and us mentality between vegetarians and meat eaters.

Mother nature made us omnivorous and therefore physically capable of eating pretty much anything. Surely then it is down to personal choice what we eat neither way is better than the other.

Everyone knows that processed foods (of any kind) are not as nutritious as fresh and that goes for meat or veg.

Also I think (willing to be corrected here) that habitual/psychological addiction can be just as difficult to quit or control as a physical addiction, eg biting your nails.

Addiction comes in all forms and I think people jump on the band wagon to promote their own ideals or make money.

Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism.
Carl Jung

RhonndaJ · December 2011

I always find it strange the way meat eaters feel they must attack any information that promotes a diet other than dead animal flesh consumption.

I always find it strange the way vegetarians/vegans feel they must attack any information that promotes a diet other than dead plant only consumption.

~coughs~

Sorry. I couldn't resist since both sides tend to get a little carried away on these topics.

Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar -- Physically Addictive

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