The "blissful point" or the reason you can not eat a single cookie or potato

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But to resist cookies (or chocolate-covered chips, cakes or pretzels) does not have to be like a constant cage match between will and desire. You can use the same science as food manufacturers to make junk food biologically irresistible to your advantage.

For our caveman ancestors, sugar, salt and fat were needed for survival, so they evolved to desire it. But since these foods were rare, our ancestors did not need much willpower. This is why the region of our brain that regulates the will is more evolutionarily evolutionary and is easily replaced by the more primitive focus on cravings.

But over the past 200 years, we've started producing foods that are just sugar, salt, or fat. Our environment has changed, but our brain and our body could not adapt to the sudden attack of a bushy but very rewarding food.

Junk food specifically triggers the "reward zone" of our brain, the same region as drugs and alcohol. Whenever you eat sugar, your brain releases dopamine (the happy hormone) and you feel good.

In fact, food manufacturers spend millions of dollars to find the "blissful point" of every food – the irresistible ratio of sugar, salt, and fat. These foods bypass our normal mechanisms of fullness, which is why you can eat them all day long without feeling satiated. Over time, your body becomes less sensitive to these foods. You must eat more to get the same craze for dopamine and feel a sense of withdrawal if you do not get it. It's like a synthetic drug in an easy-to-open package.

Plus, because our brain loves sugar, food manufacturers have added it to just about anything. Today, 74% of food purchased in grocery stores contains sweeteners, including salad dressings, barbecue sauces and pasta. On average, children's foods contain 85% more sugar than adult versions. Not only does sugar add calories, but hidden sugar amounts to giving your brain a steady blow that only increases cravings.

Start with the rule of 5

We will first end the match between cravings and will. In my work, I've found ways to get around the boxing ring with what I call viable minimum actions: the smallest, most scientific step, which can trigger healthy behaviors with the least effort possible.

Do not start by trying to resist this cookie. To fight sugar cravings, start by reducing the hidden sugars in your diet. Over time, you will become more sensitive to sweet (and will need less).

Unfortunately, the food labeling laws require that you be a detective. some juice labeled "no added sugar" contain more sugar than a can of soda! How to say? Follow my "rule of 5". Read the first five elements of the list of ingredients to search for sugar under any name (there are more than 60 potential names): all that ends with "-ose", "cane" (sugar, crystals) , "corn" (syrup, sweetener), rice syrup, honey or others. If this does not pass the rule of 5, it's a dessert and you should find an alternative.

Second, adopt new flavors. Most processed foods are made with sugar and salt. But we forget the other three great ones: acid, bitter and umami. These three flavors have a lower satiety threshold, which means that they are more consistent, without salt or sugar. Dress meats or vegetables with umami flavors (pickled vegetables, cold cuts, mushrooms, tomato paste, miso soup, low sodium soy sauce and hard cheeses like parmesan) for a pronounced taste. Over time, you will notice that the salty cravings begin to fall.

Third, maintain portion control when it comes to foods rich in points of bliss. We do not stop eating this kind of food when we are full, we stop when the food in front of us is exhausted. Use this to your advantage. When people get several small individually wrapped bars, they eat much less than if they were given the same total amount in a large bar of chocolate. So, recognize your caveman brain and hollow out a defined part. Even if you go back for a few more seconds (quite normal), you will eat less than if you had the whole bag.

So when you hear "Betcha's can not eat one", it's not just a cute slogan. It's a promise. Or a threat.

Do not try to fight head-on. If you want to win, get out of the ring.

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