Your Path to Healthy Living and a Healthy Life

Is this the end of the Great Oreo?

    Most of us can safely say we know what an Oreo cookie looks and tastes like, right?  But did you know that the world's most popular snack is also loaded with one of the most potent and addictive chemical of all?  In a recent Chicago Tribune article, staff reporters stated that the Oreo cookie "is a nutritional time bomb, emblematic of the junk food fueling America's obesity crisis."  They go on to explain how research shows this kind of tasty treat can "trigger the same brain impulses as addictive narcotics." 

     North Americans are facing an obesity crisis and with it an increase in degenerative and chronic diseases. That translates to the children of today footing the bill for huge medical costs and having to deal with a shortened lifespan.  The culprit is sugar and its affect not only on the waistline, but also on the brain.

     Consuming sugary treats causes the brain to release opiatelike compounds (cousins of the highly addictive drug morphine) from its pleasure centers.  What does that mean?  Basically, it means that consuming sweets makes you feel good.  According to Ann Kelley, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, eating sweets "is very ancient motivation... Even bacteria will swim toward sugar."

      Unfortunately, long term consumption of sugary, fatty foods doesn't just mean you'll get hooked on them.  It also means making a move away from wellness.  Delicious as they may seem, their nutritional profile is almost non-existent.  Fill up on these foods and nutrient deficiencies will follow.

      Challenging as it may seem overcoming the seductive pull of sugar and fat may be the best step in a move towards wellness and healthy living.     

Chicago Tribune August 21, 2005; Registration Required