Sugar And Processed Food Addiction Is Real; Symptoms Are Similar To Hard Drugs

Yes, you can be addicted to sugar and high-calorie foods and will feel the symptoms of drug addiction including withdrawal syndrome and cravings. Further, even when you feel guilty about it, you will keep coming back for more.

In an article published in The Coversation, Jordan Gaines Lewis, a PhD candidate at Penn State College of Medicine explained that eating, like ther pleasurable deeds (e.g. having sex, sleeping and being with others) has been programmed in a 'natural need' that we need to survive, according to the Daily Mail  . The list is found in the mesolimbic pathways of our brain that evolved through time.

This is not just any kind of food but those containing lots of sugars can activate a lot of reward hormones particularly dopamine to signal to a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens which will then dictate motor signals. When this happen, our body will react by grabbing another bite of your favorite pizza or have another serving of ice cream.

However, the modern diet which consists mostly of processed foods contains a lot of sugar (with added flavoring and other undeclared calorie count) than what our body normally craves.

 This results in a heightened tolerance and cravings for sugar which leads us to label fruits, wheat, fish and other healthy foods as 'boring.' On the other hand, we consider fast food with high in sodium, sugar or fat to be addictive, MedicalDaily said.

As we consume more sugar regularly, our brain wants more of it, Inquisitr said. And the bad thing about it is that a day without sugar will never be easy.

"The first few days are a little rough. It almost feels like you're detoxing from drugs. I found myself eating a lot of carbs to compensate for the lack of sugar," a man named Andrew who experimented on not taking any sweet foods on Lent said.

Depression and relapse for being sugar-deprived for a period of time are said to be common reactions. Rats in an experiment also exhibited aggression and anxiety as sugar was taken out from their diet, the news outlet said.

Meanwhile, Andrew continued his sweets-free regimen in the entire Lent season. Luckily, he survived and the next time he ate sweet foods, he said that they are too sweet for him.

"The cravings never stopped, (but that was) probably psychological. I remember eating my first sweet and thinking it was too sweet. I had to rebuild my tolerance," he testified.

It was said that the average American consumed 22 teaspoons of added sugar per day, amounting to an extra 350 calories. News sources said that the indicated figures are based on the past decade's health records.

Recently, another health expert said that the average Briton consumes 238 teaspoons of sugar each week.