09/03/2023
But for real, HAVE YOU?? Have you ever seen an overweight animal in the wild lamenting over excess cellulite? 😂
The American way seems to be FULL of Addictive Foods and their Harmful Consequences, but most of us don't have any idea!- and that's not at all OUR FAULT! And we can't blame our parents or those who raised us because chances are, they hade no clue either and did the very best they could in raising us!
The fact of the matter is, most of us are fond of at least one product that has the effect of a stimulant and that eventually becomes an addiction, at one point mine was COOKIES! I loved ALL kinds of different cookies and the more processed the better! LOL! Other products include exercise stimulant drinks (they come in cans and look like cola), fizzy aerated drinks, to***co, betel nut, betel leaf, strong coffee, strong tea, ma huang (an ephedrine-like compound consumed in china), and alcohol, along with pretty much anything that has refined sugars and is processed!
The animals aren't lamenting over excessive weight gain because they're eating what comes from the ground or earth!- it's natural and so their bodies can more easily digest! Not to mention, when was the last time you over ate on fruits or veggies??
Before I tell you why it would be beneficial to reduce consumption of these products, I’d like to deal with the question of why we do consume them in the first place.
I'd like to think there’s no one who doesn’t know that products like these, consumed in excess, can severely harm our bodies, but I don't like to assume things. And, we still find them hard to resist and in almost everything we reach for on-the-go! The need to eat stimulant food is a simple human weakness that has existed for ages: humans (and many animals) have always indulged in foods that give a sort of emotional high. In clinical terms, this means rapid heart beat, a little sweating, dilation or constriction of the pupils of the eye, a warm flush on the face, and a sense of greater sensitivity, concentration and perception.
These sensations of ‘high’ die down within a few hours, and we are left feeling listless and low. This leads to a craving for that food again, to experience the high one more time. And there we are going round and round in a vicious circle.
The physiology of addictions is as follows:
When you eat an addictive food, it stimulates the hormone-like substances found at the end of your nerves, which triggers an avalanche of similar stimulatory substances and you experience a high. As the substances near the nerves are depleted, you get into the low phase, which leads you to crave that food again (or need a 😴 ) This yo-yo phase of nerve stimulation and depletion leads to a pattern of addiction. And doesn't set our hormones up for success either!
Consuming addictive foods is one of the oldest unhealthy food practices and, despite a revolution in health consciousness; it shows no signs of dying out because people aren't treating the CAUSE, only the symptoms!
Below are some side effects of certain addictive foods.
Alcohol Addiction: Erosion of stomach and intestinal lining, liver damage, nutritional deficiency, inflammation, dehydration and even depression! Alcohol is a depressant folks and it is a POISON, that’s why it gets us “drunk” and why we feel like crap the next physically AND emotionally! When we drink alcohol, our bodies literally stop whatever else they are doing to tend to the poison circulating through our bodies.. You might read that again… because it takes 12+ hours for the body to get back to any other activities, like digesting foods and metabolizing fats!!
To***co: Erosion of gum and tongue can lead to cancer of the buccal mucosa, tongue or mouth. Also, it’s stinky. No judgment, just facts.
Caffeine: Found in tea, coffee and sodas. These become harmful only in very high doses; like anything else, this should be considered in moderation.
Mixed drug reactions: People who consume medications for the heart, hypertension and asthma have to be very careful about the interactions of the drugs with stimulant foods, as mixing the two can be fatal. After years of experience, all doctors know how difficult it is to break the food addictions of their patients. So like them, I can only advise a good compromise. If you can’t break the addiction, then at least you should practice moderation.
The reality of food addictions though, is that it almost always stems from something other than food. In other words, the food addiction is likely a side effect of something deeper. And that's nothing to be ashamed of! In fact, you should be ecstatic to know there's a way out of it! - and I can help with that! It’s simple, but it’s not easy and it take you deciding, committing and then taking massive action to work through it! But it's absolutely possible!
Are you ready?
