Why do you want junk food? Why, when we are hungry, do we want to eat something sweet, fried, salty and fatty, and not some healthy leaves?

The answer is very simple. We want to eat what contains the most calories and nutrients. In fact, what we consider harmful is only so because we have an excess of food. Harmfulness is a relative concept.

If a person is dying of hunger, then broccoli will be unhealthy food for him, compared to some kind of fatty shawarma or chips. Why? Because chips and shawarma contain a lot of calories that will allow us to survive, but broccoli does not have this property.

Throughout history, all of prehistory, and all of evolution, there has never been a massive oversupply of food. This means that our genetic code contains the information that the more caloric and nutritious, the better. Now everything has been turned upside down. Here is the answer to the question why we want junk food. Because 99.9999% of the time in human history, such food would be considered healthy.

So that you have no doubts, let's look at the various harmful things that we love to eat.

Sweet

If something has a sweet taste, then for our body this means: “There are a lot of carbohydrates that can be quickly converted into energy, and the excess can be stored. Great, we're lucky today! We eat everything while we can.” Which many of us quickly do. And the body releases endogenous drugs to us for this (endorphin, serotonin, dopamine, and so on), as if telling us: “Well done, you’re surviving well! Found something sweet! Incredible!

We feel a lift in mood and an irresistible craving for sweets develops.

Roast

“Good,” inquisitive readers will say. What about fried? It does not increase the number of calories... And this is an erroneous statement. In fact, fried food is much higher in calories than, for example, boiled food. Why? Because of the oil we fry in. I may be wrong in the numbers, but as far as I know, fried meat is almost twice as high in calories as boiled meat. Due to the oil.

In addition, frying increases the digestibility of food, which means that there is another plus for the body in favor of fried food. In addition, frying increases the concentration of salts due to the evaporation of the natural moisture of the product, which makes the food even more attractive

Salty.

Why do we love salted foods, as well as all sorts of foods with monosodium glutamate? The fact is that both contain sodium. Sodium, under natural conditions, is a good marker that the product contains protein (sodium is part of the protein). This means that the more sodium a product contains, the more reason the body has to believe that the food contains a lot of protein. It promotes survival, which means it tastes good!

Bold

Everything is clear about fatty foods. For the body, this means that food contains a lot of energy. And this is always good for the body.

To summarize, I will say that our body was created for completely different conditions: for a cold and hungry life. Accordingly, the technical requirements of our bodies are adapted to these conditions. This means that the more we starve ourselves with diets and hunger, the more we crave various junk foods that are simply high-calorie foods.

Whether you're eating pizza, macaroni and cheese, chips or ice cream, it's not just the extra inches around your waist that you have to worry about. Eating junk food poses a far greater health threat than gaining weight.

Serious negative changes in metabolism occur after just 5 days of systematic consumption of foods saturated with unhealthy fats. Even in healthy people, muscles lose the ability to oxidize glucose, which provokes the development of insulin resistance.

During normal carbohydrate metabolism, muscle tissue either processes glucose to extract energy or stores it for later use. Since muscle accounts for about 30% of body weight, the body loses a key component involved in metabolism, which contributes to the development of diabetes and other diseases. Moreover, negative changes in the body can occur even after a single consumption of junk food (fast food, confectionery).

Eating foods loaded with unhealthy fats and sugar can trigger hyperglycemia. This is not only a risk for diabetes, but also a serious threat to the heart:

  • heart muscle tissue becomes inflamed;
  • arteries constrict;
  • free radicals are generated;
  • pressure rises;
  • the risk of heart attack and stroke increases.

Sharp fluctuations in insulin levels make you feel hungry immediately after eating, even if the meal was filling and the portions were large.

An interesting experiment was conducted by specialists from one of the clinics in Massachusetts (USA). To see what was happening in the stomach and intestines after eating instant noodles, the experiment participant swallowed a miniature tablet camera. It turned out that the product remains intact even two hours after it was eaten. The only change is an increase in size, swelling of the noodles. You can imagine the stress the digestive system is exposed to when trying to process such a “heavy” product. Not to mention the toxic effects on the body of the ingredients used in its manufacture (for example, hydroquinone).

The systematic inclusion of fast food products in the diet leads to the development of metabolic syndrome, provokes a deficiency of nutrients, and the concentration of sodium and synthetic fats in the body increases.

Abuse of refined carbohydrates (breakfast cereals, buns, cakes, cookies) also has a negative effect on the production of insulin and leptin. Such food contributes to the development of insulin resistance, provokes obesity, and chronic diseases.

What to do if you really want to

Why do we crave junk food? Under normal conditions, the body independently regulates the amount of food needed to produce energy. But processed foods are so tasty and stimulate such a strong reward response in the brain that the regulator is unable to perform its functions, the person cannot stop and overeats.

To make food more attractive, more than just bright packaging is used. The impact is on all sense organs involved in the process of food absorption - both smell and taste buds.

On the one hand, fatty and sweet foods help remove cortisol from the body (it’s not for nothing that when you’re stressed, you crave something sweet so much). But at the same time, appetite increases, sugar levels rise, and visceral fat accumulates. The more you consume such food, the more you will want it.

Sugar can be more addictive than cocaine. The receptors responsible for recognizing sweet taste are not adapted to consuming the amount of sugar that modern humans put into their mouths, because 50-60 years ago the diet was not so rich in sweets. Excessive activation of these receptors stimulates the transmission of signals to the brain centers responsible for reward. The self-control mechanism is disrupted, which leads to the acquisition of persistent addiction.

Not only sweets are dangerous, but also any processed foods containing preservatives, fructose, dyes and other chemicals. The situation can only be turned around by replacing such products with self-prepared food from natural ingredients. This will eliminate the body's dependence on sugar and allow you to burn fat faster, using it as fuel.

It is important not only to give up unhealthy fats, but also to compensate for them with healthy ones (saturated and monounsaturated). This group of substances is contained in the following products:

  • olives and olive oil;
  • raw nuts (macadamia, walnuts, almonds);
  • coconuts and coconut oil;
  • egg yolks;
  • avocado;
  • butter;
  • organic pork and beef.

To make it easier for the body to give up junk food, you need to introduce healthy foods into your diet gradually; sudden changes can lead to nervous breakdowns and a return to junk food.

To stop eating junk food every day, it is important to plan your menu in advance, buy enough healthy products to prepare the chosen dishes (and at the same time avoid buying unwanted ones, then there will be no temptation to eat them). You need to take care not only of home meals, but also not allow yourself to deviate from the implemented food rules at work: either take lunches with you, or find a food service that offers dishes made from natural ingredients.

And finally, you need to learn to manage your emotions so that food consumption is not impulsive - under the influence of a good or bad mood.

Of course, food brings (and should bring) pleasure, but there is no need to elevate it into a cult. After all, the main function of food is to provide the body with energy, and this is only possible if you choose healthy foods every day.

Do you watch your diet?

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    No, but I want to start eating right. 41%, 61 voice

The human body is very similar to a computer. Follow his testimony very carefully.

For example, before I had never had a passion for this or that dish, but suddenly I wanted it to the point of impossibility. Not by chance. This internal computer sends you a message via ICQ: your body lacks certain microelements. It's time to take action.

If you have never liked sweets, but suddenly have a craving for chocolate, diagnose yourself: magnesium deficiency. The same thing happens if you want something sour. At all, listen to your body more often. If you reach for something richer and drink carbonated drinks, it’s bad for calcium. Once you achieve balance, you will immediately lose your desire. We ate bread uncontrollably, and then “gave up” - before there was not enough nitrogen, but now everything is tip top.

Previously, they looked at food with longing and felt complete indifference to it (deficiency of manganese and vitamins B1, B3), but now they are ready to swallow an elephant (bad with silicon and tyrosine) - everything has its own explanation.

Still, it’s better not to wait for signals from the body, but to try to balance your own diet, taking into account what is contained in what product. And here's what you should remember.

Magnesium- chocolate, nuts and fruits.

Phosphorus– these are fish, beef, liver and nuts.

Calcium– this is cheese, cabbage and mustard.

Sulfur- these are egg yolks, cranberries, garlic, horseradish.

Iron- this is meat, fish, cherries, greens, seaweed, a mug of cocoa a day will come in handy.

Zinc- this is meat and seafood.

Vitamin B1- these are nuts, beans and liver.

Vitamin B3- These are beans, meat and halibut fish.

Another way to recognize what is missing in the body is by symptoms.

The heart is acting up– low potassium - eat fruits and vegetables.

The skin is peeling– problems with iodine - eat seafood, onions and carrots.

Teeth turn yellow- it is not only the addiction to smoking that is to blame, but also the deficiency of certain microelements - eat beans, fish and bananas.

What is missing in the body, if you want...

peanuts (peanut butter)- lack of B vitamins (found in nuts, beans, meat and fish).

bananas- lack of potassium or drink a lot of coffee, hence the lack of potassium (found in tomatoes, white beans and figs).

melons- lack of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, as well as vitamins A and C.

dried apricots- lack of vitamin A.

olives and olives- lack of sodium salts.

milk and dairy products- lack of calcium or essential amino acids - tryptophan, lysine and leucine.

ice cream- lack of calcium (people with impaired carbohydrate metabolism have a special love for it).

seafood- iodine deficiency (use iodized salt).

herrings- lack of the right fats.

sunflower seeds- lack of antioxidant vitamins (especially common in smokers).

butter- lack of vitamin D.

cheese- lack of calcium and phosphorus (found in cottage cheese, milk and broccoli).

of bread- lack of nitrogen (found in meat, fish and nuts).

chocolate- lack of magnesium (found in unroasted nuts and seeds, fruits, legumes and legumes).
I just want something...

sweet- lack of glucose (found in fruits, berries, honey and sweet vegetables).

salty- lack of chlorides (found in unboiled goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt).

sour- lack of vitamin C (found in rose hips, lemons, kiwi, cranberries, Brussels sprouts, currants and strawberries).

smoked meats- lack of cholesterol (found in red fish, olives, avocados, nuts).

fatty foods

burnt food- lack of carbon (found in fresh fruits).

cold drinks- lack of manganese (found in walnuts, almonds, pecans, blueberries).

carbonated drinks- lack of calcium (found in broccoli, legumes and legumes, cheese, sesame).

in the evening drink tea with cookies- during the day we didn’t get the right carbohydrates (found in meat, fish, legumes and nuts).

liquid food- lack of water (drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, with the addition of lemon or lime juice).

solid food- lack of water (the body is so dehydrated that it has already lost the ability to feel thirst. Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day).
But if...

zhor on the eve of critical days- lack of zinc (found in red meat (especially internal organ meat), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables).

general invincible zhor- lack of silicon, amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine (found in nuts, seeds, cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, spinach, green and red vegetables and fruits).

my appetite has completely disappeared- lack of manganese and vitamins B1 and B2 (found in walnuts, almonds, nuts, seeds, legumes and legumes, meat, fish and poultry).

I want to smoke- lack of silicon and the amino acid tyrosine (found in nuts, seeds, orange, green and red fruits and vegetables).

I want to bite the ice- lack of iron (found in meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, cherries).

I want paint, plaster, earth, chalk- lack of calcium and vitamin D (found in eggs, butter and fish),

Passion for food...

Chocolate-sweet passion.

More often than others, caffeine fans and those whose brains especially need glucose suffer from “chocolate addiction.” This also applies to other sweets. If you have an unbalanced diet, your body will also need glucose - as the fastest source of energy. Namely, chocolate copes with this task perfectly. But keep in mind that this product contains a lot of fat, the excess of which is dangerous for your blood vessels and figure. Eat more vegetables and cereals - they are rich in complex carbohydrates. And for dessert, choose dried fruits or honey with a small amount of nuts.

Cheese passion.

Spicy, salty, with or without spices... You cannot live a day without it, its taste drives you crazy - you are ready to consume kilograms of it (in any case, you eat at least 100 g per day). Nutritionists claim that cheese is loved by those who have an urgent need for calcium and phosphorus. Of course, cheese is the richest source of these much-needed and extremely beneficial substances for the body, but fats... Try replacing cheese with cabbage and broccoli - it has a lot of calcium and phosphorus, and almost no calories. If your body accepts milk well, drink 1-2 glasses a day, and eat cheese little by little (no more than 50 g per day) and together with raw vegetables.

Passion is sour and lemon.

Perhaps your diet is dominated by difficult-to-digest foods, and the body is trying to increase the acidity of gastric juice to make its work easier. When you have a cold, you may also be drawn to sour fruits and berries - an excellent source of vitamin C. Choose dishes with moderate fat content and do not mix a lot of foods in one sitting. Avoid fried, overly salted and overly spicy foods, as well as foods that have been overly processed. If you notice problems with digestion (especially in the liver and gallbladder), be sure to be examined by a gastroenterologist.

Smoked passion.

A passion for smoked meats and similar delicacies usually overcomes those who are on an overly strict diet. Long-term restriction of fat-containing foods in the diet leads to a decrease in the level of “good” cholesterol in the blood, and smoked meats contain a sufficient amount of saturated fat. Don't get carried away with low-fat foods - choose ones that still have some fat. For example, buy yogurt, kefir or fermented baked milk with one or two percent fat content. Eat at least a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of butter per day, even if you are on a strict diet. Scientists have experimentally proven that those who consume a sufficient amount of fat lose weight faster.

Food passions and diseases

Onions, garlic, spices and seasonings. An urgent need for these foods and spices usually indicates problems with the respiratory system.

Olives and olives. Such an addiction is possible due to a disorder of the thyroid gland.

Ice cream. People with carbohydrate metabolism disorders, hypoglycemia or diabetes mellitus have a special love for it.

Bananas. If the smell of ripe bananas makes you dizzy, pay attention to the state of your heart.

Sunflower seeds. The desire to chew seeds most often occurs among those who are in dire need of antioxidant vitamins. This means that there are a lot of free radicals in your body - the main provocateurs of premature aging.

In the evening, most people have a craving for sweet and fatty foods, there is an explanation for this. How to prevent night hunger from ruining your figure and mood?

Every person at least once in his life ate something harmful at night; many understand that this is not possible and feel remorse after such an act. Where does this unhealthy desire come from? Employees of the scientific publication “Brain Imaging and Behavior” conducted a whole study to explain the phenomenon of night hunger. The trial participants included 15 women of different ages, they were shown photographs of ready-made meals and their brain reactions were monitored using MRI. The test was carried out in the morning and evening, and the reaction at different times of the day was different.

Late in the evening, any food caused strong brain activity, calorie content did not matter. A particularly active reaction was observed in the striatum, this area of ​​the brain responds to incentives and rewards. Hence the conclusion - in the evening, the brain perceives food as a reward for things done during the day, which is why people are drawn to junk food. When consumed, floury and sweet foods provoke the production of the happy hormone serotonin, which is why most people crave them at night. The intense hunger that you experience at night has nothing to do with the real needs of the body, it is just a fantasy of your brain. Eating well during the day will reduce attacks of night hunger and give you better sleep.

If you skip main meals and replace them with the wrong snacks, your body will suffer from a lack of energy during the day, and in the evening it will try to compensate for this lack.

As a result, a person suffers from a lack of energy during working hours, and in the evening, when it’s time to rest, he overeats and, as a result, gets overweight, poor quality sleep and lack of appetite in the morning. If you eat irregularly, it is almost impossible to cope with evening hunger and lose weight, since the body works according to a program of saving and storing energy in the form of fat deposits. Rational nutrition implies the following division of the diet: breakfast - 25%, lunch - 15%, lunch - 35%, afternoon snack - 10%, dinner - 15%.

Another reason for evening hunger is nervous tension; many people have the bad habit of using food as a cure for stress. If this applies to you, then try to find a substitute, for example, take a bath, do yoga or go for a massage. There are many ways to distract yourself from problems that do not involve the absorption of harmful foods.

In order to ensure quality sleep and a healthy appetite the next morning, you should eat dinner about three hours before going to bed. Follow this rule, and then you will not suffer from surges in glucose and insulin, as well as an imbalance of night hormones that work to restore the body. If it is too difficult for you to fall asleep on an empty stomach, you can drink a glass of kefir with a spoonful of bran; herbal teas help you relax.

The evening meal should consist mainly of protein products, with priority cottage cheese, turkey cheeses, these products contain not only a lot of protein, but also tryptophan, which is processed by the body into serotonin. Never skip breakfast, build your diet so that you eat small portions, but often. Make sure you drink enough water, sometimes people confuse hunger and thirst. Try to deprive yourself of temptations; if harmful products are not in the most visible place, your hand will not accidentally reach for them.

If you notice that your cravings for food at night are more than a bad habit, for example, if you begin to feel unwell without eating before bed, immediately consult a doctor and describe your symptoms. Flashes of hunger in the evening can be caused by hormonal imbalance, as well as a sharp decrease in blood sugar levels, which is a deviation.

11:36 7.04.2017

Every girl knows that feeling when she really wants a chocolate bar, a hamburger or fries. Doctors explained the reason for this very, sometimes truly captivating feeling.

A situation often happens when the decision to eat something very harmful and very high in calories comes spontaneously: why not eat fast food after work? Can't buy chips for your favorite TV series? Or not eating chocolate before bed. Sound familiar?

Doctors are sure that such a spontaneous desire for unhealthy food is not a whim and is not at all a weakness of willpower. In fact, this is a signal about the lack of certain substances in the body.

Do you want a burger?

If you crave a juicy burger from time to time, pay attention to whether you have enough iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid in your diet. To eliminate such attacks, eat enough meat and fish.

Interesting: a burger can be healthy if it is made with good meat and without the addition of industrial sauces.

I want chocolate

A spontaneous desire for chocolate indicates a lack of magnesium. He is the one responsible for energy. It is noteworthy that magnesium levels decrease in the premenstrual week, so on the eve of your period you always want chocolate.

In fact, chocolate cannot be replaced with another product. You can and should eat it little by little. It is also important that the chocolate is dark and sugar-free.

I want pizza

Craving pizza or pasta (as well as other starchy carbohydrates) signals that the body urgently needs the hormone serotonin, which is responsible for feelings of happiness and good mood.

TO THE POINT:

Doctors advise that during such an attack, take a bath or cheer yourself up by any other method that does not involve food.

I want something salty

The desire for salty food signals a lack of fluid. So, salt retains water and helps the body establish water balance.

TO THE POINT:

When you want something salty, drink water. Within 15 minutes your desire will subside.