For the past two decades the American public has been fed the same useless advice, “eat less and move more.”  But this certainly hasn’t prevented the obesity rate from skyrocketing among all segments of the population.  Many well-meaning nutrition professionals also gave the same inaccurate advice to their clients.  The common thought has always been that a calorie is a calorie, so as long as you eat fewer calories and move more you should be able to keep your weight under control.  Unfortunately, when it comes to your brain on food, the amount of calories involved is really the least important factor.

Nucleus Accumbens + You.

The past decade has been a very exciting time for brain researchers because new technologies have enabled them to see exactly what’s going on in the brain and which areas are activated by food, drugs, or just thinking about food and drugs.  Recent studies have validated what most of us proponents of a whole food diet have been teaching for years; not all calories are created equal.

In fact, a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that sugary foods and highly processed carbohydrates activate the same region in the brain, the nucleus accumbens, (shown in red in this image) associated with cravings and rewards that are also activated by drugs and alcohol.  Consequently, each time you eat these foods the brain releases dopamine, a chemical that mediates pleasure and reward.  The end result being that over time you will unconsciously be drawn to these same foods like an addict seeking his next fix.

This is a process that can often spiral out of control very quickly because highly processed high glycemic foods often cause a spike in blood sugar. The body then secretes insulin to remove the excess sugar from the blood, which quickly leads to low blood sugar (you crash).  Each time you have a bite of these processed foods your brain will light up like a Christmas tree and your pleasure centers will be activated.  In addition, the brain will store this little “chunk” of information for future usage.  And guess when it is most likely to use it?  Yes, you’ve got it.  After you’ve crashed and is experiencing low blood sugar.

So, the more you eat highly processed sugary foods, the more you will crave them because your brain will push you to eat more of them.  The end result is that you are often unconsciously drawn to those foods not because you lack willpower, but because your brain is like a three year old sugar addict with the power to compel you to do its bidding.

Add sugar to high fat foods such as ice cream, cupcakes and doughnuts and you are doomed to junk food heaven because there are so many powerful hormones working against you.  First, sugary foods increase your levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite and increases cravings.  Secondly, the more sugar you eat the more dopamine your brain releases.  And dopamine is a neurohormone that regulates pleasure and memory, which explains why people become addicted to sugary high fat foods.

"The brain's pleasure center, called the nucleus accumbens, is essential for our survival as a species... Turn off pleasure, and you turn off the will to live. But long-term stimulation of the pleasure center drives the process of addiction. 
 
When you consume any substance of abuse, including sugar, the nucleus accumbens receives a dopamine signal, from which you experience pleasure. And so you consume more, explains Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California. 
The problem is that with prolonged exposure, the signal attenuates, gets weaker. So you have to consume more to get the same effect -- tolerance. And if you pull back on the substance, you go into withdrawal. Tolerance and withdrawal constitute addiction.  
 
And make no mistake, sugar is addictive."

The Trick to Eating Better

The beautiful thing about the brain is that the same mechanisms that it uses “against” you can also be trained to work “for” you. I put “against” in quotes because your brain can’t tell the difference between good and bad.  It acts based on the information it gets from a myriad of neurotransmitters. So how do you “trick” your brain into doing what’s in your best interest?  Simple, by using the same food triggers it uses to develop cravings for sugary foods.

In a study published in Nutrition Action Canadian newsletter, one of the researchers reported that the first foods that someone sees at a buffet usually influences what he/she takes, even if they don’t end up taking that particular food. For example, if you see a bowl of fruit first, you are more likely to eat more fruits and less eggs and bacon.  On the other hand, if eggs and bacon are the first things you see, then you are more likely to eat more eggs and bacon than fruit. 

Is that crazy or what?  And you thought you had free will and willpower. Think again, your brain is in charge. Harness its power.

So here’s the simple trick or “hack” that you can use to eat healthier with very little effort...

Serve the healthiest foods first. Not with or after the other stuff.  Start your meal with a fruit or vegetable salad. Then eat the other stuff.

To trigger healthier choices throughout the day, keep a bowl of veggies or fruit on the coffee table, at your desk, or anywhere you can see it often. You should also keep the healthiest options at eye level in the refrigerator and pantry.

First impressions matter!





Dr. Del Millers, PhD is at the forefront of the Fitness and Transformation movement, helping people reshape their personal vision of what's possible -- to create unstoppable possibilities. A master Instructor in the Chinese arts of Kung Fu & Tai Chi Chuan & a drug free competitive body builder, Dr. Del is the author of 4 books, several DVD series and speaks at conferences and retreats across the United States. http://www.delmillers.com & Del Millers FREE eBook  + Video Series!

Tags: rapid fat loss, Dr. Del Millers, Dopamine, nutritional fitness