(part 1 of this article)(part 2)(part 3)(part 4)(part 5)

Now that we’re getting more into the ‘eating’ part of this article, it may start to seem that you can literally not eat anything without triggering cravings. Don’t be alarmed. As soon as we finish the complete list, we’ll talk about when and how different foods can be eaten without unleashing the food monster within.

18. Eating Pressed Quasi Meat Foods

While this stuff looks like strawberry soft-serve ice cream, I can assure you that it’s not. This is mechanically separated chicken – the kind used to make chicken nuggets and chicken patties.

As you can imagine from looking at this image, your body doesn’t have to work too hard to digest food (if we can call it food) like this. It’s mostly broken down already and that’s one of the big problems with processed foods. They get into your bloodstream a lot more quickly than whole foods.

Since this meat is mechanically separated, you can put an obscene amount of fat into it by deep frying it. Add breading to the mix and you have a ridiculously addictive food, and that brings me to my next few points.

19. Eating Breaded Foods

Breading is generally made from white flour (hello ultra-refined carbs), eggs, yogurt (hello sugar aka ultra-refined carbs), nuts, and/or crumbs (hello yet again ultra-refined carbs) or cereals (hello for the fourth time ultra-refined carbs).

As you will discover if you really start learning about food, really ‘tasty’ food is usually ultra-refined carbs on fat on salt on more ultra-refined carbs on more fat on sugar on fat (or some other combination of these foods).

You don’t eat these combinations of foods without wanting more. You WILL WANT MORE! Yes, I’m yelling.

20. Eating Deep Fried {insert any food here}

Most of us know that eating deep fried foods is pretty unhealthy. However, we may be unaware of the addictive nature of deep fried foods. There are a lot of problems with deep frying that can cause habits to form. Here are a few of them:

• Fat can be addictive and deep fried foods are literally laced with fat
• The oils used for deep frying are almost always hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. ‘Real’ oils can’t hold up long enough for deep frying.
• Extreme heat damages the oils used for deep frying, making it so our bodies don’t get enough the essential fatty acids they need, even though they are getting a ridiculous amount of fat.

21. Adding Too Much Salt to Food

I’m pretty sure that I could eat a whole bag of Doritos™. Super salty foods are my weakness and once I start putting them down, it’s pretty hard for me to stop.

I’m pretty sure my threshold for eating salt is a lot higher than other people and for me, eating a lot of salt has probably progressed to a full blown addiction. The situation is ever worse when you pair salt with some fat (like is the case with Doritos™).

Preparing my own food has helped a TON with this problem. Processed foods contain a load of salt. They have to to cover up all the weird stuff that happens to the food during the ‘process of processing’. I also get to decide how much salt I add to my meals. I’m trying to focus on not adding too much.

As a nasty side effect, eating too much salt raises your blood sugar. I check mine often in fact I bought a blood pressure cuff specifically because I was worried about my salt intake. As it turns out, my blood pressure is completely normal. A few years ago, it got pretty out of whack.

22. Eating Fast Food

Fast food is generally ultra-refined grains on sugar on fat on more fat on more sugar. Can someone explain to me why a full size bun at McDonalds has 8 grams of sugar? A full serving of maple and brown sugar oatmeal (it’s seriously the sweetest stuff ever) has 12. They add sugar to the bun because they know that it makes it more stimulating. There’s also added sugar in the ketchup. Add the fat from the meat (there’s a lot), fat from the cheese (again, it’s fatty cheese), fat from the fries and you pretty much have ultra-refined grains on fat on sugar on salt on fat on sugar on deep fried fat on starch (fries) on more salt.

That’s some stimulating schtuff right there. My addiction might be coming back as we speak.

23. Eating in Restaurants

Restaurants are great at adding fat on sugar on salt to create a stimulating experience. I’m not saying that eating out is against the ‘law’, I’m just saying that you have to be aware of what can happen.

Today I’m going to have lunch with my business partner and I’m already thinking about the yummy foods I could get. I can’t really help it, I have let my brain get wired to expect sugar on fat on salt when I go to a restaurant. I’m going to have to make better choices when I eat out many many more times before this wiring changes.

Fortunately, I have this under control. I almost always make the right choice but the fact remains, eating out makes me crave BAD food. The more times I order bad food, the more I will want bad food. The more times I order the right stuff, the less I will want the bad stuff.

24. Eating Sandwiches

This one may make you hate me more than any other item on this list. Sandwiches are healthy, aren’t they? There was a time when I ate a lot of sandwiches and after a lot of research and then some serious lifestyle changes, I can tell you that for your body, there is a big difference between these two meals:

There is no question that the meal on the left will take your blood sugar much higher than the meal on the right. This would be the case even if the meal on the right had a piece of bread instead of the potatoes. When your blood sugar is taken too high, bad things will come. Your body has to deal with that high by using insulin to lower it. If it takes it too low, you will crave like crazy and you will probably crave sugary or carby foods. Nothing but carbs will satisfy those cravings.

The meal on the right has more vegetables, a larger portion of protein, and a much smaller portion of carbs. Not only does it provide more nutrition, it is significantly less addictive.

If you insist on eating sandwiches and you struggle with your food cravings, you really need to pair your sandwich with other nutritious foods like vegetables. Lower your bread intake and raise your veggie intake. Eat a half a sandwich instead of a whole, eat one sandwich instead of two. Fill in the gaps with heathy veggies.

25. Eating White Bread

Very few things can raise your blood sugar like white bread. A few of them are included on this list.

26. Eating Too Much Whole Grain Bread

Without question, whole grains are much better than refined grains in the addiction department. That said, a lot of people have addictions to whole grains. All grains end up as glucose in the bloodstream. Never eat whole grain bread by itself, eat it as a part of a balanced, healthy meal.

27. Eating White Rice

White rice is the KING of blood sugar elevation. It’s hard to offset the effects of white rice, even if you pair it with other foods.

28. Eating Too Much Brown Rice

Brown rice has good amounts of fiber and that really helps with blood sugar control. However, that doesn’t mean you should eat two cups of brown rice in one serving. Treat it like you would any other whole grain – eat less of it and eat more veggies.

29. Eating Too Many Potatoes

Hopefully you’re beginning to see that too much of any starch can get you out of whack. Treat it like you would whole grain – eat less of it and eat more veggies.

The next few are additional starches that you need to be careful with.

30. Eating White Tortillas

Don’t do it.

31. Eating Whole Grain Tortillas

Proceed with caution.

32. Eating White Pasta (most pastas are white pastas)

Negative.

33. Eating Whole Grain Pasta

Take it easy.

34. Eating White Pitas

No chance.

35. Eating Whole Grain Pitas

Carefully.

36. Eating Pita Chips

Neooooooo.

37. Eating Potato Chips

Absolutely not.

38. Eating Tortilla Chips

Never.

39. Eating Bagels

Nope.

40. Eating Cookies

I don’t think so.

41. Eating Muffins

Not a chance

42. Eating Pancakes, Waffles, and Crepes

No thank you.

And…I’m guessing that you get the idea. I’ll stop now.

Interestingly, almost all of these foods are the exact same thing – future glucose in your bloodstream. Putting glucose into our bloodstream is awesome, at least temporarily. That’s why we want to do it again and again and again. In the short term, it feels great and it calms stress. In the long term it creates cravings, causes weight gain, and puts stress through the roof. Sounds like a drug, doesn’t it?

(part 1 of this article)(part 2)(part 3)(part 4)(part 5)

Related posts:

1. 101 Lifestyle Choices That Make You Crave Bad Food (part 2)
2. 101 Lifestyle Choices That Make You Crave Bad Food (part 4)
3. 101 Lifestyle Choices That Make You Crave Bad Food (part 5)
4. 101 Lifestyle Choices That Make You Crave Bad Food
5. Foods That Make Us Fat

Tags: diet, food, food addiction, nutrition, nutritious foods, processed foods