Junk food junkies
It's a common scenario. After a long day at work, you are headed home, tired and hungry.
You know you should return home for a fresh, home-cooked meal, but as you pass a fast food restaurant, your mouth starts watering.
In a few minutes, you have a samosa or chole bhature or a burger on the table in front of you, ready to eat.
We've all been there. When we're hungry and feeling stressed, lonely, bored or blue, we tend to reach for the salty, greasy comfort of junk food. We all know that an excess of junk food can cause dire health problems, so why are we willing to risk our health and even shave years from our lives just for temporary pleasure? The answer may be more complicated than you think.
"Junk food is like a drug: It gives an instant high," says nutritionist Shikha Sharma. The effect is so subtle you might not notice it, but think about it: why would we reach for a bag of chips before an apple when stress levels are high? Why do a burger and fries give us comfort while a green salad just can't compare? Comfort food The simple answer is certain foods trigger our brain to release chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins. Serotonin creates feelings of calm, stress relief and satisfaction, while endorphins produce feelings of pleasure and even pain relief. Foods that contain excesses of white flour, refined sugar or saturated fat are likely to quickly trigger these chemicals and boost your mood most noticeably.
And surprise, surprise these ingredients are the building blocks of most junk food.
Role of tastebuds The very taste of junk food also triggers positive feelings in our brains by affecting tastebuds. When our tastebuds sense the greasy, sweet and salty flavors of junk food, they also trigger chemicals in the brain, causing us to feel pleasure. So it's not just your imagination at work if you feel comforted the second you bite into a chip.
You may also begin to associate tastes with certain emotions and memories. Junk food often invokes nostalgia, for example. "Junk food finds the Id, or the child, in you because it is so tasty and deep-fried," says Aruna Broota, professor of psychology at Delhi University. "In youth, it gives the feeling that you are part of the group." After all, no child wants to be the only one munching on carrot sticks while everyone else has a bag of chips.
The more junk food you eat, the more your tastebuds come to expect the flavours of junk food, which can lead to cravings. But this doesn't mean you have to give in. "Taste is an acquired thing," says Sharma. "It's a mindset. If you eat it a few times, you begin to get used to it." With a little willpower, you might surprise yourself by actually enjoying healthy foods. In addition, "once you start eating healthy foods, you will never go back, because you will feel so much healthier," says Sharma.
Easily available For an overworked, on-the-go urban dweller, the convenience and availability of junk food combined with its soothing, anti-stress properties are often too much to resist. "People living in an urban society are more susceptible to eating junk food be.
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