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Why You Crave Carbohydrates
Food addiction is part of your wiring, but it is not inevitable
I recently went to a local Christmas craft fair. It was delightful, in a tinsel-tat sort of way. The food stall was the main attraction, for me, so I quickly made my way over, hoping to discover something new and special. Alas no, it was the usual cake fest. Don’t get me wrong: there’s no denying the artistry of the craft. But there’s also no denying the artistry of how sugar creates cravings that lead to overeating, however pretty the presentation.
The one, non-sugary offering was artisanal bread. I rarely eat bread, or indeed any starchy carbohydrate, but it did look very good, in a homespun way. I wasn’t alone in my thinking. Mr Cross suggested we buy a loaf and keep it in the freezer, “for guests”. I know a cunning ruse when I hear one, but on this occasion I willingly played along.
Once home, the kitchen scene unfolded as anticipated. The loaf was placed on a wooden board. Mr Cross suggested we sample it, for quality control purposes. I was having similar thoughts, and produced the bread knife and butter dish. We had half a slice each.
That was the starting gun, and off we went, falling upon the loaf like a pack of hyenas. We weren’t driven by hunger, but by desire. Four butter-slathered slices each later, only a couple of tail-end slices and a piece of crust made it to the freezer.
Eating drugs
The term “food addiction” was first coined in 1956, but even today does not have official status. The subject is a controversial one, because of lack of data to explain the phenomenon. Lay-reports have value, but require further scientific research.
That research is now mounting, and there is strong evidence that there is a clear, neurochemical process that triggers the cravings that lead to overeating and ultimately obesity.
That process follows the same pathway as any addictive substance, including drugs and tobacco.
Writing in the November 2022 issue of Addiction, researchers at the University of Michigan and Virginia Tech reveal that highly processed foods meet the same four criteria that were originally used to identify tobacco as an addictive substance…
