B E T T E R H E A L T H
S t o p p i n g
a
s n a c k
a t t a c k
w
i t h
D a v i d
K e s s l e r
How to get your brain
out of binge mode
E ver had a n ig h t like this? You sw ing
by th e sto re for a gallon o f m ilk. As
you w ait in th e checkout line, a bag o f
chips catch es y o u r eye. You
k n o w
th o se
chips a re n ’t good for you, b u t you buy
th e m anyw ay and sc a rf th em in th e
car. By th e tim e you pull in to y o u r
drivew ay, re g re t is kicking in.
T his isn ’t ju s t a case o f w eak w ill-
pow er, says fo rm er FDA co m m issio n er
Dr. David K essler. T he real problem
is th a t c e rta in com m ercially m ade
fo o d s— th e ones w ith to n s o f added
sugar, salt, and fat— are so ta s ty and
so stim u la tin g th a t th e y actu ally o v er-
w helm th e b ra in ’s circu itry . W hen we
eat th e m , th e b rain cran k s o u t d o p a-
m ine, a n eu ro ch em ical asso ciated w ith
a rew ard th a t drives us to eat th a t food
ag ain .
..an d ag ain .
..an d again. E v en tu -
ally, ju s t
l o o k i n g
at th e food can trig g e r
a d o p am in e release. “W e g et stuck
in a cycle,” Dr. K essler says. “W e’re
c o n sta n tly chasing th a t satisfactio n .”
T hese step s can help you break free.
ENVISION WHAT YOU
SHOULD
BE EATING INSTEAD
Tem ptation can strike suddenly—like
w hen you walk through a food court
and catch a w hiff o f freshly baked
cinnam on rolls. Perhaps you try to
reason w ith yourself by thinking,
I
s h o u l d n ' t e a t t h a t
or
T h a t f o o d i s b a d f o r
m e .
You’ll have far m ore success if you
go a step fu rth er and visualize a b etter
outcom e, says Dr. Kessler. Try,
I h a v e a
h e a l t h y l u n c h w a i t i n g f o r m e b a c k h o m e
,
a n d c i n n a m o n r o l l s a r e n ' t i n m y p l a n .
DON’T BE SEDUCED INTO STOPPING
R esisting th e call o f th e fast-food
d riv e -th ro u g h m ig h t seem fu tile in th e
m o m en t, b u t co n sid er th is: S tu d ies
show th a t ad d ictiv e crav in g s te n d to
fizzle as soon as th e o b ject in q u estio n
becom es u n a tta in a b le . In o th e r w ords,
d riv e a few m iles p a st th e b u rg e r jo in t,
an d you’ll likely d isco v er th a t you
d id n ’t really need th o se ex tra -la rg e
cheese fries a fte r all.
THINK THROUGH THE AFTERMATH
W hen you’re bein g lu red by a super-
stim u latin g food, th e b ra in ’s rew ard
c e n te r is keyed in to one th in g and one
th in g only: th e im m ed iate sen so ry
p leasu re o f ea tin g th a t food. G ain
co n tro l by ex te n d in g y o u r th o u g h ts to
th e consequences. For exam ple,
N a c h o s
m i g h t t a s t e g r e a t n o w , b a t t o m o r r o w
I ' l l f e e l a w f u l a b o u t m y s e l f
o r
I c e c r e a m
s u n d a e s a l w a y s g i v e m e i n d i g e s t i o n .
E xplains Dr. K essler, “T his u n d ercu ts
th e rew ard value o f th e food.”
G o O n l i n e
H ungry for m ore sm a rt eating strategies?
Visit B H G .com /bestyearever to dow nload
calorie ch arts, score healthy snack ideas,
and brow se quick, n u tritio u s recipes for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
C i m t . o i
, , ,
..........................
A , , , , , , ,
DAV,D A. k fssi.f r .
mo
QUICK BITE
C
o n s t a n t
c r a v i n g
O nce y o u s t a r t e a tin g a
h ig h ly p ro c e s s e d fo o d ,
y o u m ig h t fin d it to u g h
to s to p . H e re ’s w h y .
I
lt’s super-easy to eat.
W ith no bones, pits,
or clum sy shapes to
interfere, processed
foods are an object
lesson in in stan t
gratification.
The tex tu re tantalizes.
Processed foods are
engineered for optim al
m outhfeel—w hether
crunchy, creamy, or
gooey. These fun-
to-eat qualities can
quickly override your
b etter judgm ent.
3
Flavors hit full-force.
H ealth-sapping sugar,
salt, and fat—plus
additives such as
hydrolyzed vegetable
pro tein —ratch et up
ta ste far beyond w hat
you’d find in nature.
All th e m ore reason to
keep it real. ■
1 6 8
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | MARCH
2011
BHG.COM
