We don’t tend to make the best decisions while we’re stressed out.
We’re in the middle of a global pandemic. Facing the grocery store is among the biggest challenges you’ll face during the week in terms of proximity to others and potential exposure. Not to mention the stress of the current economy, the virus, and an unknown future are taking a toll.
A lot of us have fallen into the temptation to consume all the junk food. Whether you swiped a package of Oreos and a bag of chips at the grocery store or you felt too fatigued to cook and opted for take-out.
We’re all looking for comfort food. Unfortunately, that comfort food is often highly-processed junk and fast food. Whether we’re looking for those products with a long shelf-life to save us from more shopping trips or for that quick dopamine hit of salt, fat, and sugar, consumption of junk food is on the rise.
Why is that a problem? You know by now that I’m a nutrition guy. My journey as an endurance runner has really led to an investigation and a fine-tuning of what I eat every day. That isn’t to say I don’t ever indulge, but it has made me more mindful.
For the sake of our health and wellbeing, we have to avoid junk food as much as possible. That’s not just because it’s high-calorie and nutrient-void. The impact of junk food extends beyond obesity rates, fatigue, and gastrointestinal distress. The truth is, fast food and junk food have a hugely negative impact on our most important organ: the brain.
5 Ways Junk Food Impacts Brain Function
1) It Makes You An Addict
In an experiment to determine a correlation between high sugar, high-fat foods, and their addictive nature, a Connecticut College study provided lab mice with Oreo cookies as well as exposure to doses of cocaine and morphine. This study demonstrated that the Oreos more strongly activate the pleasure center of the brain than the drugs. In other words, at least for mice, Oreos were as addictive as cocaine.
The sugar high — and sugar addiction — is real.
The consumption of sugar releases opioids and dopamine in the brain. In turn, our opiate receptors (or reward center) are activated. This can lead to impulsive behavior, obesity, and hormone imbalances.
2) It Harms Memory and Learning
Different studies point to a correlation between junk food and the development of dementia. In women who consume a junk food diet have high levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. This protein is often an early indicator of the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Not only that, but the consumption of junk food has been shown to reduce neuroplasticity, which is essential in forming new memories and learning new information. Inflammation of the hippocampus caused by consuming junk food has many consequences. Just one is the negative impact on neuroplasticity and neuron generation and function.
3) It Sabotages Appetite Control
There are a few junk food slogans that come to mind with this one. Bet you can’t eat just one. Once you pop, you can’t stop. Truth be told, these companies are probably serious. Junk food is designed to appeal to our base survival instincts. In an ancient world where fat and sugar were extraordinarily rare in our diet, we became wired to value these things. After all, a fatty slice of meat, for ancient man, could sustain them for much longer than a lean cut.
Our brains are still after these kinds of food. Unfortunately, companies know this and engineer their snacks to be as appealing as possible. And they exist in abundance!What we see is that these foods impact the function of the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is responsible for the signals that tell your body you’re full and content. Junk food disrupts the hippocampus and, as a result, appetite control.
4) It Shuts Down Cognitive Ability
There’s a reason people talk about eating “brain food” before a big test or presentation. Junk food is definitely not “brain food.” That’s why they call it junk food! It can act like a sedative. It hurts our ability to engage with information and tasks, causing dull disinterest and a lack of motivation. Junk food interferes with the normal firing and function of our neurons — making us duller, slower, and less attentive.
5) It Harms Your Mental Health
Remember how I mentioned that eating junk food can harm neuron volume? A lack of new neurons has been linked to the development of depression. Many antidepressants are designed to generate new neurons. If junk food not only causes hormone and chemical imbalances (also linked to mental illness) but suppresses neuron production, depression is no real surprise.
What are your favorite junk food alternatives? Share in the comments.