All About YOU: Are Some Foods Addictive?
Like smoking or certain drugs, foods can become addictive by boosting feel-good hormones in your brain. What food has qualities least similar to that of an addictive drug?
- The #2 value meal with a large Coke and a chocolate shake
- Peanuts
- Potatoes
- Sugary cereals
Peanuts. Unlike the other items on the list, peanuts don't cause the direct release of dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. And that's a good thing, because when dopamine is released, you feel great -- until the levels begin to drop off again, and you find yourself reaching for more of the item that made you feel so fine.
But peanuts satisfy without the neurochemical roller coaster that other foods foster. And they're great for your heart because they're full of healthful fats. Not to mention vegetable protein and flavonoids -- powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances. Just an ounce of nuts per day can decrease the incidence of heart disease between 20 and 60 percent. So cut cravings and get healthy with the almighty peanut!
RealAge Benefit:
Eating a low-fat diet -- and eating healthful unsaturated fats when you do eat fat -- can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.
YOU: The Owner's Manual. Roizen, M. F., Oz, M. C., New York: HarperCollins, 2005.
