8 Reasons Hyperpalatable Foods are So Addictive

If you’ve ever been elbow deep in a box of cereal, and you can’t stop, I get it! Tasty food is hard to stop eating. Here are 8 reasons hyperpalatable foods can be so addictive!

Last week, I posted 3 reasons I overeat on Instagram. So many of you resonated with these reasons! Especially, my reason #1, food just tastes so dang good!

There isn’t always an emotional or deep unknow reason for you to over eat. In fact, sometimes, the reason actually is, that hyperpalatable food is so accessible. Hyperpalatable meaning, it’s over the top yummy!

If you have a problem with overeating and weight loss, you might have trouble controlling your consumption of hyperpalatable food. Overeating, while fun for a moment, can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and premature death.

The truth is that you shouldn’t be forced to pay the high price of having poor health for eating ordinary food every day. Consider the different ways having hyperpalatable food in your house might be the reason for your weight gain, and how by getting rid of them, can help you lose weight.

8 Reasons Hyperpalatable foods can be addictive

1) Processed Foods are Easy to Crave

Although it’s too easy to eat processed foods, they’re made to be unhealthful, and in some cases, addictive. For example, companies specifically design potato chips, cookies, cheese and others to be addictive so people will crave and buy them again and again.

Just think about the differences between an all natural piece of corn on the cob and cheesy tortilla chips. While corn on the cob may be delicious and nutritious, those cheesy tortilla chips are more addictive because they lack nutrition from being processed and unnatural.

2) Junk Food is Often Cheap

Heading to the organic health food store doesn’t seem like the best option for someone who’s on a budget. For this reason, many people tend to buy low-cost foods in bulk. This may seem easy, but your health will suffer in the long run.

3) Convenience Food is Immediately Accessible

Putting your bag of chips next to you while you work might seem like an easy solution to hunger but doing this makes them overly accessible. Therefore, it only makes sense to hide unhealthy products from yourself, or quit buying them altogether. This can be a smart way to gain back self-control and help you commit to your weight loss goals.

4) Tasty Foods release feel good chemicals

Eating cookies, ice cream, chips and other processed foods can help you forget about problems you may have. For example, you might suffer from stress, anxiety or depression, among others. You can change your behavior by finding a healthy outlet to turn to instead of reaching for that candy bar or bread. Healthy outlets you can try include painting, writing, playing a musical instrument, knitting, exercising, taking up a sport or other activities.

5) Variety Keeps You Interested

From candy-coated chocolate nuts to ice cream of various flavors with sprinkles on top, variety can keep you involved at mealtime. Furthermore, you might only get hungrier because everything looks tastier than ever. Not only can variety hold your interest, it can make you literally sick to your stomach, overweight and unhappy.

6) You Crave Instant Gratification

Craving instant gratification with food is similar to using alcohol and drugs to satisfy an addiction. According to a Healthline article called “The 18 Most Addictive Foods (and the 17 Least Addictive”, pizza, cheeseburgers, fried chicken and others can cause you to have the symptoms of an addiction.

Instant gratification may be satisfying in the moment but it has serious consequences later on. You could use food to satisfy your taste buds, ignore your problems or just for a quick thrill. It’s wise to take your health and well-being seriously, so you can avoid suffering the consequences of your actions.

7) Multiple Flavors Equals More Deliciousness

Salt, fat and sugar are your enemies, and they work together to destroy you. All three of these flavors are inside of those fries you dip into ketchup. This can make for one irresistible combination, but is it worth trading in your health for?

Saying no to meals and snacks that can and will ruin your life is an investment in a healthier future. Food manufacturers understand what makes people binge eat, and they don’t care about anything but the paycheck they earn.

8) Peer pressure leads to eating more

If the family you live with tends not to take care of their health, then it will be more difficult for you to do so. In fact, seeing other people eat unhealthy can make you want to join in.

Eating meals and snacks as a family can be comforting and familiar which makes it harder to break the habit and lose weight. In this instance, the only way to improve your own health may be to convince your family to commit to healthy eating.

Overeating Healthy Food is Still Overeating

Some folks, like me for the first 4 decades of life, had no problem overeating, even on “healthy food”. For example, if you often feel anxious, you might go for the hummus dip and blue corn chips or peanut butter and celery sticks.

Another problem might be lack of self-control. You can fix this by keeping a food diary to control your habits better. Furthermore, be sure to keep healthy foods out of range until you’re ready to eat it.

Solution: Restrict Access to Hyperpalatable Foods

There are few ways you can restrict access to hyperpalatable foods. For one, try putting them to the back of the fridge or countertop. You’ll be more likely to pick up a bag of barbeque chips if they’re where you can see them.

Another idea is to place hyperpalatable foods in the pantry or inside a cabinet so you’ll be less likely to go for them. Possibly the most foolproof way to quit eating unhealthy is to change to a healthful diet, and quit purchasing unhealthy items altogether.

Improve Your Quality of Life by Losing Weight

When you leave hyperpalatable food off the menu in and out of your home, you have a higher chance of committing to your weight loss goals. You can use the time you used to overeat for exercising and feeling healthier and happier. You’ll have a higher self-esteem and improve your relationships, because you won’t be so grumpy from consuming junk food.

If hyperpalatable foods seem to be taking over your life, you can benefit from living a healthier lifestyle. First and foremost, probably the best thing you could do for your own health and well-being is to stop buying hyperpalatable foods.

No matter what, if you always have them around, you’ll probably go back to overeating. Remember, you deserve to be healthier and happier, so make every effort to get rid of what makes you negative.

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