4 foods that “trick” the brain and you must be careful

Award-winning food author Mark Schatzker, author of The End of Craving, states: “Some foods can deceive the chemistry of the brain. He calls them “foods that fool the brain”, as they are intended to deceive the appetite by distracting you, with the rich flavors that you crave without calories.

A high promise that tends to fail!

In addition, they are not always easy to spot. “You can buy some of these foods, but not always all, by looking at the ingredients panel.”

Below, Schatzker explains how to recognize these “fraudulent” foods and what they actually do to your brain.

First of all, how can food “trick” your brain?

The brain sends signals to the rest of the body when you consume different foods, and it does not like to be surprised. “The body uses different metabolic processes to digest protein, carbohydrates and fat respectively. So as you try the food, the brain recognizes it and says, “Okay, that’s what comes,” says Schatzker.

And evolutionarily, the brain is designed to combine sweeter, more starchy or more fatty flavors with more calories. For example: “If a fruit tastes sweeter, it has more calories. “If a piece of meat tastes richer and more fatty, it has more calories,” adds Schatzker. This reliable relationship between taste and calories is an important part of what makes the brain feel satisfied.

So when you consume a food that contains artificial sweeteners or thickeners to mimic this sensory experience, it tastes like it has more calories than it actually is (this is the meaning of low-calorie, over-processed foods). So this is the part of the equation that “fools” the brain.

However, the brain can not be fooled for long. He does this second level of analysis, saying, “I thought I was getting calories that tasted sweet or rich and creamy, and in the end I was not getting the calories.” And when that happens, what do you do with your brain? Makes you want to eat more.

Schatzker explains in more detail: “Evolutionarily, the brain is programmed to avoid the low. So, if these sensory elements of nutrition become uncertain, the brain responds by saying, “Better to take in more calories, because I just can’t be sure and I don’t want to be fooled.”

4 foods that “trick” the brain

In these words, any food that does not synchronize with its taste, with its real diet is what Schatzker considers food that deceives the brain. There are many techniques applied to foods by changing the relationship between their taste and their nutritional value. So let’s look at some examples:

Flavor enhancers

In his 2015 title, “The Dorito Effect,” Schatzker discusses how in recent decades, American agriculture has focused primarily on volume and appearance. Think of the giant, perfect red tomatoes you can find in grocery stores today. But the flavors are milder because of these harsher farming methods, which is why we rely on laboratory-flavored flavors to give us the same enjoyable experience.

Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners provide this calorie-free sugar flavor, but as Schatzker notes, they do not satisfy the brain for long. In addition, these sweeteners can cause intestinal health problems: “Just because something is not high in calories does not mean it has no metabolic effect,” says dietitian Ali Miller, RD, of artificial sweeteners.

The taste of the sweet affects the GLP-1 receptors on the tongue, which enhances the release of insulin, this is not so ideal, as it can lead to a drop in blood sugar.

Fat substitutes

As the name implies, fat substitutes resemble the taste and feel of traditional fats (such as oil, butter) while maintaining a calorie countdown. Olestra is a famous example, which was approved by the FDA in 1996, but has been banned in other places such as the United Kingdom. “Fat substitutes are found in many foods and no one knows about them,” says Schatzker.

Coagulants & emulsifiers

These additives mainly change the texture of the food, but this creamy texture can also affect the taste experience. Things like modified starches, thickeners or emulsifiers are not necessarily used for any tangible health benefit. “They just make over-processed foods last longer or not separate.” But again, this manipulation can change the way the brain reacts to eating experience and nutritional load.

What is the conclusion?
In fact, many highly processed foods can try to trick your brain, but according to Schatzker, they actually fail and you may end up eating a lot more.

So what is the solution here?

“Speak to your brain” on his own level and he realized that he does not like to be mocked. He wants to get what he wants. He likes to be able to predict, Schatzker points out.

savoir ville

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