Mother Nature's bounty is being tampered with and, in the process, so are you, when it comes to some packaged foods - snack or otherwise. It's a scientifically engineered hijacking of our taste buds and our food.
Do you ever wonder why it's so difficult to only eat just one chip? Does ice-cream call to you from the chilly depths of the freezer? Perhaps you're craving one of those pre-packaged meals?
Chemists, physicists and neuroscientists are all hard at work in research facilities. Their job is to make food more palatable addictive. They use terms such as 'mouth feel,' 'maximum bite force,' and 'sensory specific satiety' - the rate at which a food product loses its appeal as it is being eaten. You don't need a dictionary to know what those terms mean to you, especially after you've opened that bag of chips or wondered how those cookies ended up in your shopping cart, especially when they weren't on the grocery list.
Food cravings engineered by industry is an eye-opening article that will forearm you with information that will hopefully keep you out of those aisles that can alter your best intentions.
Resistance is futile, at least that's what the food industry is counting on. Developing some defensive strategies will help you as you go up against this powerful force. Things like:
- establishing some food rules including making a commitment to eating healthfully
- if you must satisfy one of your cravings, opt for the smaller-sized package
- use the long-line at the store to your advantage when it comes to cravings
- shop the outside aisles of the grocery store, as much as possible
- make as many meals as you can from scratch, like soup
They’ve got my number. I was going to give my aunt chocolates for Christmas and did not see her. Now they are all gone. At least it took 3 months for them to disappear.
I like dark chocolate covered peanut M&M s. Am trying to eat unsalted sunflowers seeds instead with some success
Three months, Annette. That’s restraint and perhaps, reward?
Amen! I read somewhere recently that the food production industry’s mantra was something along the lines of “fat, sugar, salt, sales”.
As usual, education is the answer.
Your readers also might want to check out “Wheat Belly” by Dr. William Davis, who claims the genetic modification of wheat over the last 50 years has created a staple that triggers appetite and is present in far more food products (and in some non-food items as well) then ever before.
He also links wheat to the inflammatory process, so this might be a good source of information for those with arthritis.
Thanks for that, Nancy. I did mention it here, mainly in response to quelling cravings, which I notice it does do: http://rheumfuloftips.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/quell-those-cravings/.
What have you noticed?
For the food rules – we don’t have any particular rules around here other than I don’t buy junk food or treats like cakes and cookies. But… mention you have a craving for some chips and they come home with the other party with buying power the next day. Mentioning a craving seems to mean all lights are go for junk food to enter the house.
Go to the grocery store with a list. Only go in the store where those items are. Don’t even look at the premade stuff in the meat and freezer when you have to visit those isles.
We made our meals from scratch.
All of these ideas not only make healthier eating possible they save money.
So true on all counts. Thanks for adding value to this post!
That is a fascinating report. Thank you. I would appreciate your giving an indication when the second part of the report is published. I am unable to use any tool in the site.
I persisted and found the second instalment – http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/08/f-vp-crowe-big-sugar.html
Equally fascinating.
Thanks for sharing that link, Ramana. I’ll be checking it out after I’ve given my peepers a rest. 🙂