Our brain is a funny organ...it likes to be
"pleased"; and your grocer's aisle knows this!
The added salt content, sugars (in many forms and names so numerous you may not know it contains sugars), chemicals like MSG and triglycerides. All things that the manufacturers will tell you they add to the product to make your food "taste" better. Hmmm....let's ponder this a moment.
Your brain likes to be stimulated. Let's take a look at one category (I know y'all hate reading long blogs)...so SUGARS it is!
Sugar has the ability to produce a very powerful "reward response" to the brain. In studies, high-glycemic foods have been found to activate regions of the brain associated with the reward response and provoked more intense feelings of hunger compared to a low-glycemic version, suggesting that foods that a higher elevation in blood glucose produces a greater addictive drive in the brain. YES...addictive!
In the brain, excess sugar impairs both our cognitive skills and self-control. Eating too much sugar can cause:
...AND...
Added sugar is a dangerous food, and we can avoid these dangers by enjoying sweet, fresh fruits in place of refined sugars.
The added salt content, sugars (in many forms and names so numerous you may not know it contains sugars), chemicals like MSG and triglycerides. All things that the manufacturers will tell you they add to the product to make your food "taste" better. Hmmm....let's ponder this a moment.
Your brain likes to be stimulated. Let's take a look at one category (I know y'all hate reading long blogs)...so SUGARS it is!
Sugar has the ability to produce a very powerful "reward response" to the brain. In studies, high-glycemic foods have been found to activate regions of the brain associated with the reward response and provoked more intense feelings of hunger compared to a low-glycemic version, suggesting that foods that a higher elevation in blood glucose produces a greater addictive drive in the brain. YES...addictive!
In the brain, excess sugar impairs both our cognitive skills and self-control. Eating too much sugar can cause:
- overeating
- poor memory
- learning disorders
- decrease production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a chemical that helps our short-term memory by enabling us to remember what just happened
...AND...
- throughout the body this excess sugar causes dangerous elevations in blood glucose and blood vessel damage.
Added sugar is a dangerous food, and we can avoid these dangers by enjoying sweet, fresh fruits in place of refined sugars.
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