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The Health Consequences of Fast Food Addiction

The Health Consequences of Fast Food Addiction

Renowned activist and author Michael Pollan illustrates how McDonald’s insists on using Russet Burbank Potatoes, a potato in America that is unusually long and difficult to grow. You’ll never eat McDonald’s french fries again after watching this.

National Geopgraphic Sugar-Why We Can’t Resist It

National Geopgraphic Sugar-Why We Can’t Resist It

We were smitten 10,000 years ago on the island of New Guinea. Today the average American downs 22.7 teaspoons a day.

How Sugar Affects the Brain

How Sugar Affects the Brain

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine-an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more.

(Because You’re Addicted to Sugar)

(Because You’re Addicted to Sugar)

A neuroscientist and food addiction expert, Dr. Avena has conducted groundbreaking research showing that sugar triggers the same responses in the brain as addictive drugs like cocaine.

Grain Brain

Grain Brain

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that’s been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more.

Food Junkies: The Truth About Food Addiction

Food Junkies: The Truth About Food Addiction

Addiction specialist Vera Tarman, MD, tackles the complex, poorly understood issue of food addiction.

Unblind My Mind: What are we eating?: Dr. Katherine Reid

Unblind My Mind: What are we eating?: Dr. Katherine Reid

Unblind My Mind mission is to raise awareness of the link between the foods we eat and the chronic illnesses we suffer. Learn how food additives triggered my daughter’s autism — and how a dietary change completely removed autism symptoms!

Beating the Odds against SUGAR, PROCESSED FOOD, OBESITY, and DISEASE

Beating the Odds against SUGAR, PROCESSED FOOD, OBESITY, and DISEASE

Robert Lustig’s 90-minute YouTube video “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, has been viewed more than three million times. In this book he documents the science and the politics that has led to the pandemic of chronic disease over the last 30 years.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

From a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The New York Times comes the explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic.

Addicted to … Food?

Addicted to … Food?

A study of 12 men found that glycemic load—distinct from calories or sweetness—can alter brain function and promote overeating “These findings suggest that limiting high-glycemic index carbohydrates like white bread and potatoes could help obese individuals reduce cravings and control the urge to overeat,” says Ludwig.

Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?

Is the Obesity Crisis Hiding a Bigger Problem?

Both a surgeon and a self-experimenter, Peter Attia hopes to ease the diabetes epidemic by challenging what we think we know and improving the scientific rigor in nutrition and obesity research.

Peter Attia TED Talk

America’s Health Heros

America’s Health Heros

15 superstars are recognized (in no particular order) for devoting themselves to improving America’s relationship with food.

“Defusing the Health Care Time Bomb”

“Defusing the Health Care Time Bomb”

Dr. Robert H. Lustig, professor of pediatrics at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, discusses how sugar is responsible for obesity-related diseases and their health care costs.

Rats Binge on Sugary Drinks

Rats Binge on Sugary Drinks

Tests show that rats will binge on sugary drinks. When the drinks were removed, they got anxious and went through withdrawal.They behaved like addicts because the sugar had hooked them like a drug. A group of concerned parents in Howard County urge you not to do this to your kids,...

“Craving an Ice Cream Fix”

“Craving an Ice Cream Fix”

The notion that food can be addictive has been debated for some time and largely rejected by both nutrition and addiction researchers. But this spring, the Secretary of Health, Kathleen Sebelius, said that for some, obesity is “an addiction like smoking.”

Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity

Increasing evidence suggests a link between excess food consumption and addictive behaviors.

“Sugar Can Be Addictive, Princeton Scientist Says”

“Sugar Can Be Addictive, Princeton Scientist Says”

The late Bart Hoebel, Ph.D., was a researcher at Princeton for over 40 years and pioneered studies on the mental rewards of eating.

Food and Addiction Conference on Eating and Dependence

Food and Addiction Conference on Eating and Dependence

World experts in the fields of addiction, nutrition, obesity and policy assessed the current science of food addiction. The participants examined the connection of food to chemical, physiological, and psychological dependence. It represented the first time that leading researchers, clinicians and policymakers gathered to discuss food addiction.

“Overeating, Binge Eating, and Eating Disorders as Addictions”

“Overeating, Binge Eating, and Eating Disorders as Addictions”

Mark Gold, MD, and colleagues ask the question, “Should eating disorders be classified as addiction?”

“Binge Eaters’ Dopamine Levels Spike at Sight, Smell of Food”

“Binge Eaters’ Dopamine Levels Spike at Sight, Smell of Food”

A brain imaging study reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

“Scientists Find Link Between Dopamine and Obesity”

“Scientists Find Link Between Dopamine and Obesity”

Dopamine, a brain chemical associated with addiction to cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs, may also play an important role in obesity.

“New Food-Addiction Link Found”

“New Food-Addiction Link Found”

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have found that the mere display of food where food-deprived subjects are allowed to smell and taste their favorite foods, without actually eating them, causes a significant elevation in brain dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure and reward.

“Chocolate Milkshakes on the Brain”

“Chocolate Milkshakes on the Brain”

Scientist Eric Stice and his colleagues found that some individuals are less sensitive to the pleasure chemical dopamine, causing them to eat more.

“Sweeter Than Cocaine: Rats Prefer Sugar to Drugs”

“Sweeter Than Cocaine: Rats Prefer Sugar to Drugs”

This Scientific American article showcases the work of scientist Serge Ahmed, who noted that rats in the experiment were already experienced cocaine “users” but still opted for sweetened water over the drug.

“The Science of Food Addiction”

“The Science of Food Addiction”

Can a doughnut act as a drug? This article from the UC Berkeley School of Journalism covers the science of food addiction along with eight personal audio stories of individuals who struggle with overeating and food addiction.

“Food & Addiction: Can Some Foods Hijack the Brain?”

“Food & Addiction: Can Some Foods Hijack the Brain?”

This article discusses the new evidence suggesting that some foods may keep us eating by hijacking the brain, acting similar to an addictive drug.

“Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”

“Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”

WE ARE ALL PROGRAMMED TO LIKE SUGAR. New research shows that some of us are genetically much more prone to sugar and food addiction than others.

“Mastering Leptin”

“Mastering Leptin”

Byron J. Richards, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist, is the first to explain the meaning of over 15,000 studies on the hormone leptin and its link to solving obesity. With 25 years’ experience, Richards is a pioneer in clinical nutrition and has an extensive understanding of nutritional bio-chemistry.

“The Blood Sugar Solution”

“The Blood Sugar Solution”

If you have a blood sugar problem, you’re not alone. New reports show that nearly 50 percent of Americans have prediabetes or diabetes. “This is truly an epidemic,” says Mark Hyman, MD. “And medication isn’t the solution, or this wouldn’t continue to be such a problem.”

“The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program”

“The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program”

Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D., is also the best-selling author of “Potatoes Not Prozac,” “Your Last Diet,” “Little Sugar Addicts” and “Your Body Speaks.” She is a cultural visionary, understanding the essence of addiction in a compassionate and revolutionary way.

“From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction”

“From the First Bite: A Complete Guide to Recovery from Food Addiction”

Since beginning her own recovery from food addiction in 1977, Kay Sheppard has helped thousands of people live happy and healthy lives by following her comprehensive recovery program.

“Wheat Belly”

“Wheat Belly”

Cardiologist William Davis exposes the truth about modern-day wheat, deconstructing its historical role in the human diet. Wheat has been genetically altered to provide processed-food manufacturers the greatest yield at the lowest cost. Wheat causes blood sugar to spike more rapidly than eating pure table sugar and has addictive properties.

“The Craving Brain”

“The Craving Brain”

In “The Craving Brain” Dr. Ronald Ruden asserts that the roots of addiction most definitely do not lie in our character. Rather, they lie in a complex chain reaction that originates in an ancient survival mechanism in the brain. Addiction behavior can be the end result.

“Sugar Blues”

“Sugar Blues”

William Dufty wrote this classic #1 health bestseller in 1975. This book exploded the sugar myth–and inspired a health revolution. He describes “Sugar Blues” as multiple physical and mental miseries caused by human consumption of refined sucrose, commonly called sugar.

“In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”

“In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”

Michael Pollan’s book shows us how, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, we can escape the Western diet and, by doing so, most of the chronic diseases caused by diet. We can relearn which foods are healthy.

“Fast Food Nation”

“Fast Food Nation”

In 2001, “Fast Food Nation” was published to critical acclaim and became an international bestseller. Eric Schlosser’s expose revealed how the fast food industry has altered the landscape of America, widened the gap between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and transformed food production throughout the world.

“The Diet Cure”

“The Diet Cure”

Julia Ross is a psychotherapist and director of Recovery Systems, a clinic in California that treats mood, eating and addiction problems with nutrient therapy and biochemical rebalancing. She has developed an eight-step program to rebalance body chemistry and end food cravings, weight gain and mood swings–naturally.

“Food Fight”

“Food Fight”

In “Food Fight” Kelly D. Brownell, PhD, and coauthor Katherine Battle Horgen, PhD, offer an unflinching assessment of a culture that feeds its pets better than its children and manipulates children into poor eating habits with toy giveaways and in-school promotions.

“Food Politics”

“Food Politics”

“In her widely acclaimed book, Nestle explains why the wealthiest nation in the world is eating itself to death. Based on meticulous research, Nestle’s book exposes how the naked self-interest of the American corporate food industry compromises nutrition policy, as well as our government’s regulation of food safety.” San Francisco...

“What to Eat”

“What to Eat”

Marion Nestle’s “What to Eat” is a new guide for a new era in American food and nutrition–the one book that tells you everything you need to know about food with clarity, insight, wit and wisdom.

“How to Rewire Your Brain to End Food Cravings”

“How to Rewire Your Brain to End Food Cravings”

In this article, Dr. Hyman shares three steps to help you counteract those primitive parts of your brain that have you chasing high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. But before you can update your brain’s biological software, you need to understand why it developed in the first place.

“Sugar Shock!”

“Sugar Shock!”

Journalist Connie Bennett uncovers extensive medical research that proves people who eat too many low-caliber culprit carbs could be in “Sugar Shock!” Her work is based on the insights of hundreds of physicians, nutritionists, researchers and “sugar sufferers” worldwide.

“The Anatomy of a Food Addiction”

“The Anatomy of a Food Addiction”

Anne Katherine, M.A., was ahead of her time when she wrote this book almost 20 years ago. She explains the chemical reactions in the brain that work in conjunction with lifelong emotional conflicts to make certain foods–particularly sugar and refined carbohydrates–so comforting that they are almost like a drug.

“Molecules of Emotion”

“Molecules of Emotion”

By explaining the biomolecular basis for our emotions and describing these new scientific developments in a clear and accessible way, Candice Pert, PhD, empowers us to understand ourselves, our feelings and the connection between our minds and bodies–”bodyminds”–in ways we could never possibly have imagined before.

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma”

“A brilliant, eye-opening account of how we produce, market and agonize over what we eat. If you ever thought ‘what’s for dinner’ was a simple question, you’ll change your mind after reading Pollan’s searing indictment of today’s food industry.” –The Seattle Times

“The End of Overeating”

“The End of Overeating”

Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now reveals how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans. The result? America’s number-one public health issue.

“Food Addiction: The Body Knows”

“Food Addiction: The Body Knows”

Kay Sheppard, M.A., is a pioneer in food addiction treatment. She has defined food addiction, identified trigger foods, and spoken widely about the consequences of food addiction. A recovering food addict herself, she is an internationally known consultant, trainer and therapist who has designed effective primary and relapse-prevention programs.

“Food Addiction: Could it Explain Why 70 Percent of America is Fat?”

“Food Addiction: Could it Explain Why 70 Percent of America is Fat?”

Dr. Hyman explains food addiction: The “just say no” approach to drug addiction hasn’t fared very well. It won’t work for our industrial food addiction either. Tell a cocaine or heroin addict or an alcoholic to “just say no” after that first snort, shot or drink. It’s not that simple.

The 2009 Obesity and Food Addiction Summit

The 2009 Obesity and Food Addiction Summit

This 2009 summit showcased the latest scientific evidence for food addiction and featured scientists, researchers, healthcare clinicians and public policy professionals. Their combined research, experience and knowledge provided greater awareness around refined food addiction and its impact on our obesity epidemic. Their presentations can be viewed on this website.

“QUIZ: Are You Addicted to Food?”

“QUIZ: Are You Addicted to Food?”

Studies now suggest that food and drug addictions have much in common, particularly in the way that both disrupt the parts of the brain involved in pleasure and self-control. Researchers at Yale have devised a Food Addiction Scale to determine whether a person shows signs of addictive behavior toward food.

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

In this visual lecture, Dr. Mike Evans creatively presents the importance of exercise in improving health. He quotes Hippocrates (460 BC-377 BC), the Greek physician who is often referred to as the father of medicine.”Walking is man’s best medicine.”

Stress Eating

Stress Eating

Stress is part of our everyday lives. Dr. Elissa Epel, psychologist, describes the relationship between events of stress and how we choose to eat. These reactions have a physiological basis, but there are strategies for becoming more resilient and acquiring useful skills to control behavior.

“Addicted to Food? The New Research Suggests It’s Possible”

“Addicted to Food? The New Research Suggests It’s Possible”

This article in Newsweek magazine shows us how science is proving what we’ve long suspected: We’re hard-wired to want the foods that are the worst for us. Like most recovering addicts, Kay Sheppard has a testimony.

Childhood Obesity News

Childhood Obesity News

This website is a resource for health professionals, parents, teachers, counselors and kids. The food addiction paradigm is a primary cause of today’s childhood and adult obesity epidemic. Highly pleasurable foods, such as junk food and fast food, can be addictive.

“OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say”

“OVERWEIGHT: What Kids Say”

Robert Pretlow,MD,provides new solutions for kids to lose weight. This book presents what overweight kids say about being overweight in their own words.

Dr. Nadine Burke: Whole and Healthy

Dr. Nadine Burke: Whole and Healthy

Why is whole food healthier? Dr. Nadine Burke discusses the difference between processed and whole foods.

Dr. Nadine Burke: My Food Journey

Dr. Nadine Burke: My Food Journey

Learning how to nourish ourselves doesn’t happen overnight. Dr. Nadine Burke discusses the evolution of her eating habits, and how she learned that eating well can actually be fun.

Dr. Nadine Burke: “Wake Up”!

Dr. Nadine Burke: “Wake Up”!

How has our habit for junk food contributed to an epidemic of obesity and diabetes? Pediatrician Nadine Burke discusses the consequences of eating food high in sugar.

Michael Pollan: Twinkie vs. Carrot

Michael Pollan: Twinkie vs. Carrot

Food journalist Michael Pollan connects the dots between food policy, high-fructose corn syrup and our health.

What Does Food Addiction Look Like?

What Does Food Addiction Look Like?

Five food addicts share their personal stories in a panel discussion at the 2009 Food Addiction Summit. They reveal their individual experiences of out-of-control eating, their health consequences and the methods of treatment.

Michael Pollan: No Free Lunch

Michael Pollan: No Free Lunch

What’s the link between cheap food and expensive health care? Food Journalist Michael Pollan explains the relationship between what we spend on food and the rising cost of health care in America.

Joan Ifland: Food Addiction

Joan Ifland: Food Addiction

Joan Ifland, PhD, MBA, is the founder of Victory Meals, the first prepared meal service to address food addiction. She is the author of the popular book “Sugars and Flours: How They Make Us Crazy, Sick and Fat,” and the first academically published description of food addiction.

“Food and Addiction”

“Food and Addiction”

Kelly Brownell, PhD, and Mark Gold, MD, have written the first comprehensive collection of academic literature on the addictive properties of food. Leading scientists and policy makers explore and analyze the scientific evidence for food addiction.

Michael Pollan: Supermarket Secrets

Michael Pollan: Supermarket Secrets

How do you make healthy choices at the supermarket? Food journalist Michael Pollan helps us navigate the grocery store to find fresh, whole foods.

Michael Pollan: School Lunch

Michael Pollan: School Lunch

Why are many school lunches high in processed foods? Food journalist Michael Pollan advocates a better menu for America’s children.

Food Inc. Documentary Trailer

Food Inc. Documentary Trailer

In this documentary, Michael Pollan ad Eric Schlosser expose the truth about the industrialized food industry. The way we eat has changed more in the past 50 years than the previous 10,000–and never before have food companies been so powerful.

What to Teach Every Child About Food

What to Teach Every Child About Food

Chef Jamie Oliver believes we need a food revolution that will create change on both the individual and government levels. He makes a case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food and is transforming the way we feed ourselves and our children through education.  

Sugar:The Bitter Truth

Sugar:The Bitter Truth

Dr. Robert Lustig discusses how obesity (including childhood obesity), diabetes and heart disease have become a national epidemic. Learn how it’s not your lifestyle that’s the problem; it’s your food. Changing your food environment can prevent obesity and chronic diseases.

Banning Sugar at School

Banning Sugar at School

To prevent childhood obesity, Dr. Sanders-Butler, the principal of Browns Hill elementary school, banned sugar. Removing sugar from the school resulted in the added benefits of higher test scores and fewer disciplinary problems. Dr. Sanders-Butler is a pioneer who has created a proven solution for other schools to follow.

A Personal Story of Food Addiction

A Personal Story of Food Addiction

Michael Prager, the author of “Fat Boy Thin Man”, tells his story of food addiction on the national news. Science reveals new insights into food craving and the brain.

Diane Sawyer ABC World News Tonight

What’s Wrong With Our Food “System”?

What’s Wrong With Our Food “System”?

Young Birke Baehr began studying sustainable and organic farming practices at the age of nine. He has a passion for educating others, especially his peers, about the destructiveness of the industrialized food system and how we can make a difference.

60 Minutes: “Hooked”

60 Minutes: “Hooked”

Dr. Nora Volkow, head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, uses MRI scans of addicts’ brains to show how difficult it is to “just say no” to drugs and other addictive behaviors, including eating. The release of dopamine in the brain can fuel food addiction and obesity.

60 Minutes

Are You Addicted to Food?

Are You Addicted to Food?

Morley Safer interviews Dr. Nora Volkow, a pioneer in the study of obesity as an addiction. She has found similarities between drug addicts and the obese and has made recommendations to the American Psychiatric Association to consider classifying obesity as a brain disorder that causes food addiction.

60 Minutes Overtime

FED UP Movie Trailer

FED UP Movie Trailer

Everything we’ve been told about food and exercise for the past 30 years is dead wrong. FED UP is the film the food industry doesn’t want you to see. From Katie Couric, producer Laurie David, and director Stephanie Soechtig, FED UP will change the way you eat forever.

Fed Up Movie Trailer

How to Cut Your Food Addiction

How to Cut Your Food Addiction

Dr. Mark Hyman is a leading expert in functional medicine and recognizes that food stimulates the same reward centers of the brain as drugs of abuse. He discusses ways to overcome food addiction by using food as medicine. Food addiction is not about willpower; it’s about changing your biology.

Inside a Food Addict’s Brain

Inside a Food Addict’s Brain

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans show addictive reactions when a patient is given a chocolate milkshake. Based on the scientific evidence, addiction to food is now being recognized as a “real addiction” that can be more complex to kick than alcohol or drugs.

ABC News Primetime Nightline

Mom–Robyn O’Brien Speaks About the Food Industry

Mom–Robyn O’Brien Speaks About the Food Industry

When this mother of four realized her youngest child had a dangerous allergic reaction to a “typical” breakfast, it led her on a research path that would reveal the truth about our current food environment and how the food industry is responsible.

60 Minutes:  “Is Sugar Toxic?”

60 Minutes: “Is Sugar Toxic?”

Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on new research from some of America’s most respected institutions that find the way sugar is being consumed by Americans today is toxic. Beyond weight gain, sugar can take a serious toll on your health, ranging from heart disease to cancer.

ABC News

“Suicide by Sugar”

“Suicide by Sugar”

Dr. Nancy Appleton shares her own battle with sugar addiction and all the frightening (and unknown) things that can go wrong when people consume too much sugar-from increased susceptibility to disease to imbalanced body chemistry.

Whole Grain, Organic, or Twinkie…It’s All the Same

Whole Grain, Organic, or Twinkie…It’s All the Same

Renowned cardiologist Dr. William Davis explains how eliminating wheat from our diets can reverse myriad health problems.

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