Hyper-palatable screws homeostasis. Ultra good tasting food causes us to eat more than we need. Sugar is one factor, and is the general desire for savorier foods. To loose weight, I must eat plain food, never allow food to turn me on. Food is not to be "enjoyed" it is only for nourishment.
Any view or comments?
What do I know, but I don't agree. Hyper-palatable is more than ultra good tasting. It's a taste that your brain associates with a reward.
ReplyDeleteI recently read somewhere that one of the reasons people develop a fondness for beer (a pretty bitter beverage) is the association with the reward that accompanies it -- either the buzz or the food that goes with it.
I don't eat plain food. I use lots of spices and since each meal has a nice fat to it, I find them pretty tasty. But I keep meals that are high calorie (read: high reward) and high flavor to once a week.
Thanks Beth, your making me think.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, I guess my point is that if food did not taste so good, I would not be so tempted to eat it, and be able to stop sooner. As to say a boring diet might be useful for weight loss. Eg. hamburger & cabbage twice a day, and a couple of eggs for breakfast. Perhaps I will try that in cabbage season. This is the end of asparagus season here, and my greens are slow and poor this year.
Reward, as I understand the concept, can be high calories and/or just stimulation of the scenes. It does something pleasureful to some part of the brain. It is that stimulation that I have an issue with. But then, I am hungry most of the time. Getting the remainder of the brain to just feed the body only essential nutrients is the trick that I am looking for.
I would like to be able to eat flavorful food, but when I do, I am unable to stop until it is all gone, or I am stuffed. This is what I observe of myself, after the fact.