Why IS “Junk Food” so Appealing?
It seems the discussion around what is commonly referred to as Ultra-processed foods, gets more and more important as Americans and others around the world struggle with increasing levels of unwanted body-fat. The arguments are getting more heated as social media influencers use the language of addiction to describe the strong urge to eat these types of food products. I will NOT being doing that here, however, what I grew up calling “junk food” is specifically designed by companies to be so tasty that it makes you want to eat and not stop with the serving size listed on the nutrition label.
So keep that in mind, the bottom line is that a business is trying to make money selling you a product. This is why a lot of these types of foods market themselves as something you “deserve” for working hard OR it just won’t be a party without this food item!
Now think about your favorite junk food, most likely it has some combination of salt, sugar and/or fat. This is just how the human palate has developed, we crave this tasty trio unlike any other. Think about a salted-caramel or peanut butter brownie….you thought brownies were amazing when they were just sweet and chewy but then someone added SALT and your taste buds were taken to the next level!
Another thing to observe about ultra-processed snacks is that they are most often providing a variety of textures and flavors in one bag or box, a perfect example is a snack mix with pretzels, nuts, chocolate chips etc. You will often feel more compelled to keep eating these types of foods versus something that is a single-flavor, whole food, like an apple. When’s the last time you over-ate apple slices?
According to an article by Precision Nutrition, there are 5 characteristics typically present in an ultra-processed food that gains mass appeal:
It’s usually high in sugar and/or fat, therefore it’s calorically dense but not necessarily physically filling
It’s intensely flavored (and will probably tell you so on the packaging)
It creates an immediate rush on the tongue, you like it from the first taste
It melts in your mouth in a satisfying way
Which in turn, makes it easy to eat with not much chewing required (if any at all)
Once again, reflect on some of those favorite junk foods that you tend to overeat. Does most of this list apply? Can you see why overindulging can be so easy?
This does not make that favorite junk food something to be feared, but rather viewed as something to consume carefully and mindfully.
We’ll take a look at some specific ways to do that next week….
