How Junk Food Rewires Your Brain

Story at a glance:

• If you’re like most people, you are consuming an unhealthy amount of sugar on a regular basis hidden in processed food, added by the teaspoon to coffee and tea, or used to sweeten candy, cakes and beverages.
• Researchers found participants who ate high-fat, high-sugar snacks experienced changes in neural encoded responses so they no longer preferred low-fat, low-sugar snacks and they subconsciously preferred a lot of fat and sugar.
• Data show bingeing on sugar for just six weeks can slow brain function, memory and learning. One study showed sugar affected the reward system in a “manner similar to that of drugs of abuse.”
• Eating junk food for one week can impair your appetite control; data also show the more sugar you eat, the lower your nutrient intake.
• Eliminating sugar is a quick and clear route to better health. Metabolic flexibility is a key to better health; it is also important to avoid industrial vegetable oils or seed oils, margarine, shortening and any fake butter and spreads. Instead, choose from a list of healthy fat foods that include olives, avocados and coconut oil.