Processed Foods Are Addictive, Relatively Speaking

OK, no one is suggesting a danger of  being hooked on french fries, but researchers at the University of Michigan are persuaded that processed foods, including french fries, pizza, and chocolate, are more addictive than foods that aren’t processed. A U Michigan news release reports that previous studies in animals have shown that highly processed foods, or foods with added fat or refined carbohydrates (like white flour and sugar), may be capable of triggering addictive-like eating behavior. Surveys conducted by the Michigan researchers found that people with symptoms of food addiction or with higher body mass indexes reported greater problems with highly processed foods, suggesting some may be particularly sensitive to the possible “rewarding” properties of processed foods. Yikes! What to do? The researchers suggest savoring the rewards of brown rice and salmon.