HOW PROCESSED FOODS MAKE YOU EAT MORE

Raise your hand if you’ve ever said, I can’t believe I ate the whole bag. Or box. Or tube. Or sleeve. Or insert any relevant packaging type here. If you have your hand in the air, please know that you are not alone. Not by a long shot. There is a very good reason why millions of us can’t claim innocence when it comes to overeating prepackaged, processed foods.

In 2013, The New York Times published an extensive, eye-opening article on the lengths food companies will go to ensure you keep your pantries stocked with bulk quantities of chips, dips, crackers, pretzels, candy, soda, and a plethora of other types of junk food. They have invested millions of dollars into engineering these types of products meticulously because they know it will result in extraordinary revenue and profit. But they do so at the cost of your weight and health.

The next time you reach for a snack bag or a bottle of cola, keep in mind some of the food engineering tactics that went into their manufacturing, designed to keep you munching and chugging.

Include ingredients that delight the brain

Food companies defend their ingredient lists by claiming they are just giving consumers what they want, which is food that tastes great. Sure, who doesn’t want to feel satisfied when putting something in their mouth? But the food companies know the magic to ignite the brain’s pleasure centers comes down to some simple steps including sugar, salt, and fat. These ingredients, not unlike caffeine, nicotine, and other addictive substances, have properties that keep you hooked. Just be aware of that effect.

The bliss point

Food scientists have built complex models to identify the point, or a range of points, at which the properties of food come together in such a way as to produce a feeling of bliss as you eat or drink. These attributes include things such as flavor, color, texture, and aroma. Food companies will tinker with these components and test the combinations with thousands of consumers until they hit one of those points. Like German engineering, the process is extremely precise. It’s just designed to get you to eat more.

Mouth feel

Another major attribute food companies obsess over is something called mouth feel. They have discovered that the better a food or beverage feels as it makes contact with the membranes in your mouth, the more likely you are to increase your consumption. For instance, in the soda category, there is something very unique and pleasing about the way Dr. Pepper’s flavor and carbonation against your tongue and walls of your mouth. That is no coincidence. Food scientists have also identified that foods that melt in your mouth are extremely powerful in increasing consumption. Called the evaporating caloric effect, the melting creates the false perception that the food contains no calories. Cheetos, devoid of nutritional value, are cited as an example of this type of food. Don’t fall for it!

On top of manufacturing addictive products, food companies are able to drive increased consumption by offering them at low cost. Between the engineered taste, convenience, and affordability, no wonder it’s difficult to shake the junk food habit.

However, it is possible to wean yourself off of these destructive products, and absolutely necessary to achieve a healthy weight. There are various ways to go about it, ranging from going cold turkey to enrolling in a structured weight loss program that offers education and tools to change your lifestyle (we are obviously partial to the latter!).

The bottom line is, stop berating yourself for overindulging. These foods are in fact designed to work against your health and weight loss goals. But you can change that by taking steps to distance yourself from them. Just ask us how!