Food: Irresistable To Some

I got rid of basic cable less images. I journal because I can overeat it even if it’s healthy like organic fruits, dang my brain. ;-) I like my brain most of the time.

Perhaps most craving problems that makes you tempted is the grains and sugars. Many kids want cereals. Many people want cakes, ice cream, doughnuts, pizza, hamburgers, and lots of breads are consumed.

And I made my study clear. This is what Americans are eating today. No wander why we are having weight problems along with heart disease and diabetes.

Now, What's in common in all these types of junk food you can come up with? Here is a list of junk foods I can think of:

Cocoa puffs
Honey Nut Cheerios
Snickers Chocolate bar
Lay's Potato chips
Cheeze Pizza
French Fries
Bacon Cheeseburger
Chicken and Cheeze Stir Fry Sub
That "Cake" as seen on that picture on top
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Shake
Apple Turnover
Boston Creme Pie
Pop Tarts
Sports Bars
Pumpkin Pie
Ring Dings

Now, Somebody come up and post what is really common about these unhealthy "junk food" items.

James, why don't you save us all the trouble of having to skip over your posts and just get your own blog to preach your dogma on?

Oddly, the best choice in the list above would be the snickers bar if they could make it without trans fat. The rest of it is a lot of flour and potatoes. One word - starch.

Jen the beauty of this blog is that it fairly exposes difference of opinion. You are being dogmatic if you think everybody here skips over somebody's blog just because they don't agree.

Frances (or is it really James?), you made the assumption that we skip over his posts because we don't agree. The simple fact is it's just boring to read the same thing over and over again. As someone else posted last week, he must keep an electronic file (that lacks a spell checker) of his sermons so he can copy and paste them into a comment here.

James,

All the food items you listed above are nowhere to be found in my kitchen. I think this kind of food is pretty disgusting. (but I eat grains anyway :-)

But most people eat this stuff here in the US. That is at least what I see everyday. Kids going to Taco Bell for breakfast, instead of grabbing a healthy sandwich. It is a life style and convenience. Everybody, who eats this stuff will have to face the consequences sooner or later.

Sorry, this is irrelavent to the post, but I'm going to go by JenNA, now, because there seems to be another Jen that often comments on the Diet-Blog. :D The posts above, for example, are not mine.

Let's make a few distinctions, yes? I know, you probably don't care, but I feel the need to do this for the sake of preserving my "identity", so to speak, and the opinions I express in my posts. A majority of my comments have included the following descriptive details:

Me=16/female(obviously)/vegan/not so crazy about Bison Man, either ;).

Thank ye.

One-note Bison Man (James) = tedious.

I agree with Jen #1, he needs to start his own blog for his ranting and raving. It would be ok if it were not on every single article and always the same rant. He's a one-noter, for sure.

I don't get that tempted by food, even if it does look appetizing or smell good or whatever. I think I've succeeded in making my subconscious think about it as not healthy so I don't crave it. And yeah, I'm with katy...I eat grains and I keep none of those junk foods around my house. They all contain simple white grains or extra sugar, which makes them an inferior grain source. People do crave them though, but people also get cravings for things like beef jerky, pickles, pork rinds, etc...don't see any grains going on with those things.

Things that are 200 calories or over. (shouting for the $25,000 pyramid) I don't know, but they're easy to eat in one sitting and leave you hungry afterward. These items are all loaded with sugar and/or fat and/or salt period. They're nutritionally void of any good substance. Just because a cheeseburger contains meat and cheese doesn't make it a 'protien' for your quota for the meal.

Ahhh, but do we crave it? Yes. I try to keep the evil junk out of the house too. Same reasons alcholics 'don't go to slippery places if you don't want to fall'. Of course I wan't that stuff, but I just realized that it truly makes me sick. After cleaning out my system (detox and all) I can't eat it. My sole advice is invest in Dr. Natura's (no plug seriously) cleanse/ or whatever you get good results from- and you'll find that your body can't assimilate 'grains and starches' very well at ALL!!! Much less - fats and sugars! If I want a guarentee to be sick, I'll eat junk.

I'm so sensitive to carbs now that when I do try (and I have) besides the sickness - I spike real quick then crash only having to take a nap to feel better.

Oh, and the whole craving thing: out the window when you throw up every time you eat that stuff, it doesn't even look good anymore. Cravings subside real quick, it's like eating too much Malitol for the first time.... mmmmm, sugar free chocolate, only with the 'slight laxitive effect'. Except getting vomitously physically sick is much worse than the laxitive effect if you ask me.

Out of sight out of mind, and make your body sick of junk food. There, a solution.

I am the lead author of the study you mentioned above. A more balanced treatment of the study implications is provided in an article on Science magazine's website:

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/512/3

The writer of that article interviewed me (BBC did not) and makes note of an important fact that was overlooked in much of the popular media. In addition to the brain systems that underlie craving, there are a number of brain systems that underlie the ability to control or regulate those cravings.

It is the outcome of both systems that determines the brain's role in vulnerability to overeating. We are only just beginning to get a grip on how these different systems may interact within and across individuals. This is a particularly complex problem, as each system is undoubtedly influenced by factors such as genotype, individual experiences, cultural norms, etc.

John. Thank you so much for coming on and giving us your conclusions! Let's hope we get some more research from you in this intriguing area.

Those junky snack foods are tempting for sure, and I doubt there are many people who have them available for purchase and consumption who wouldn't find at least some of them quite tasty, and would find themselves overeating them, or craving them once they've tried them. There have been rumors and urban legends about junk food products and soft drinks containing real drugs that people can get addicted to. It sounds ridiculous yes, but when you have a serious Doritos monkey on your back or you find yourself driving out of your way for those fast food fries that you KNOW you shouldn't be eating...you can believe it might be true! ;0

Obviously these foods, whether sugary or salty (but always fatty, right?) have chemicals that blend with our natural brain chemicals to make nice... we feel somehow soothed and even a little high when we eat these things. It isn't just me, I'm sure.

Everybody's triggers are different because we all have a different chemical combination that we function with, but ask anyone what their weakness is as far as "bad" foods and they can usually come up with at least one thing, sometimes several things that will always be tempting to them.

I partially blame the advertising industry for creating and perpetuation the notion that you can "bake someone happy" or there is such a thing as "lovin' from the oven". Ask anyone who has battled their weight from childhood, and I bet they tell you that food was such an important part of their family life that it was like an entity unto itself. That's what I call a "relationship" with food that has to be unlearned in order to be controlled.

I have commented before about the cr@p aimed at kids, and sadly, I doubt it will ever change. Our grocery stores are heaving with sugary fatty snacks specifically aimed at children, and apparently a lot of it is being bought for them. That's my personal soapbox topic. I know how hard it is to be an overweight child and I hate to see the number of obese children in our schools now (the numbers are WAY up since I was a kid).

Sigh.