Nutrition For Body Recomposition

Nutrition Road Blocks: Cravings, Mindless Eating and Hyperpalatable Foods

Overcoming the three diet killers

The temptations of high-sugar or high-fat energy-bombs are the last thing you need when trying to manage your energy intake. This section looks at the impact of food cravings, mindless eating and hyperpalatable foods on your food intake to help you better understand the challenge and be prepared to overcome them.

Food cravings

I don’t believe in food cravings — I think the intake of bad foods comes down to three things: pleasure, proximity and inhibition.

I am not convinced that your brain craves, let alone is addicted to, any particular nutrient or food. You have probably heard the claim that research has found ‘[insert nutrient/food here] lights up the same part of the brain as cocaine’.

This relates to dopamine, the neurotransmitter that provides the sensation of pleasure. A glass of water on a hot day lights up the same area but we rarely compare water and cocaine, despite the fact that your body needs a daily supply… is that addiction?

I believe the pleasure derived from eating certain foods often has little to do with the nutrients of the food…