Everyone knows by now that eating junk food that’s high in saturated fats, calories and sugar, is not going to do your waistline any favors. We meet lots of women here at Kaia who want to lose weight and our philosophy is that it is about retraining your body and your mind to enjoy healthier foods. But did you know that unhealthy foods could be messing with your brain so that you no longer naturally have an appetite for a balanced diet? In fact, by not eating healthily you are putting yourself at the center of a junk food snowball – and it could run away with you!
Recent research suggests that a junk food diet could change responses to signals in the brain connected with rewards and food making your appetite for new foods and healthy food diminish considerably; so in other words junk food could affect how your brain makes decisions about what to eat and could weaken our innate behavior to choose a diet that is good for us.
Regardless of the scientific details about changing reward circuits in the brain, anecdotal evidence suggests that the more you indulge in junk food, the less resolute you slowly become in avoiding these foods. This can lead to not only a rapid change in eating patterns but also lead to overeating, lack of resolve and the resulting problems of obesity and other health issues. Have you ever had a slice of cake one day and then found that you’re looking longingly at the cakes in the shop window the next? It’s not surprising that there are so many compulsive eaters out there if junk food is affecting our brain and controlling our appetite.
Even if you radically change your diet through sheer willpower alone, to break the junk food cycle, it may take time for your brain to catch up and start to re-program itself. However, you may find that to cut out harming foods you do need to take a strong approach. Cutting down on doughnuts might be difficult, so to reboot your natural taste for a balanced diet, you might want to cut out junk food altogether.
The junk food snowball can gain the same momentum as other types of compulsive behavior, such as alcohol and substance abuse. However, with the right exercise plan, positive attitude and appropriate nutritional strategy you can stop it in its tracks.
Do you need help changing the way you eat? Kickstart a new way of eating and boost your health and fitness with us.