As soon as such a dish touches the tongue, taste buds send signals to various regions of the brain, which in turn responds by spewing the neurochemical dopamine. Merely seeing a desirable item excites the reward circuit. “Research has shown that the brain begins responding to fatty and sugary foods even before they enter our mouth. īelow is a summary of how this process works: More food to feel satisfied leads to unnecessary, unwanted weight gain or a form of disordered eating such as binge eating disorder or bulimia. The problem is when abused this process results in a “tolerance” – needing more and more to gain the same reward or effect. It does so by tapping into the brain’s reward circuits and provides “pleasure” / reward. The end result with the availability of highly processed foods creates an addictive relationship with these substances for many of us. Today, most of us remain “hardwired” to prefer sweet foods and those that quickly breakdown to simple carbohydrates despite no longer needing to protect ourselves from poisonous plants and animals.
You know, the usual fare at most fast food chains and shelves of our supermarkets.įrom an evolution perspective, sweet taste was a necessary attribute as any foods that tasted sweet were edible and not poison and those that were calorie dense the best for survival. With few exceptions it involves cravings for highly palatable foods – usually sugar laden, unhealthy fats, refined flour aka most highly processed foods. From my standpoint it describes a pattern of disordered eating that contributes to the current rise with eating disorders and obesity. “Hedonic Eating” literally translates to “pleasure eating.” It refers to eating in the absence of biological need or hunger.
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