Why Do We Crave Junk Food?

Do you have a hard time resisting an open bag of chips? Or maybe you can’t even go to the grocery store without meandering down the cookie aisle. Either way, you crave junk food–and it’s not entirely your fault.

Recently books, movies, and TV shows in the United States have exposed a couple of different truths, one of which is the fact that it isn’t your fault that your body craves junk food. Rather it is a result of a specific combination of ingredients designed to addict you to common snack foods.

Wondering what all this means? Read on to learn more!

What is Junk Food?

Junk food is any food that you can consume that has little or no nutritional value. Many people think of junk food as pre-packaged goods you buy in the grocery store, but let’s be clear, junk food is any food that is unhealthy for you, whether it comes from a restaurant or off a shelf.

Junk food can even come in cans (spam) or can be made in your own kitchen(homemade french fries aren’t any better) therefore, we think of it as any food that you eat that does not provide your body with essential vitamins and nutrients.

Why Am I Craving Junk Food?

You are not craving junk food because you are weak. No, you are craving junk food because junk food companies spend millions of dollars to hire scientists (yes, we said scientists) to discover the exact mix of sugar, salt, and fats that will addict you to their food.

This exact mix is called the “bliss point” in the food-science industry, and most junk food products use it to ensure you keep coming back for more. After all, it is not in their best interest if you stop eating their food.

This “bliss point” goes far beyond just taste, however, as this is also the point where your brain reacts to the food you eat. When you consume certain amounts of sugar, salt, and fat, the reward centers in your brain activate. These reward centers are the same areas of your brain that light up when you consume a drug like cocaine, meaning consuming certain amounts of sugar, salt, and fat will addict you in the same way cocaine will.

Just like cocaine, your body becomes more used to your favorite junk food the more you eat it. Therefore it takes even more junk food to light up the same pleasure centers. This causes you to eat more with each subsequent serving of your favorite junk food…which means because of the way this food targets your brain, it will eventually make you fat.

So why can’t you stop eating junk food? Because you’re addicted to the ingredients, that’s why.

To learn more about the way food affects your brain, we recommend reading the book Salt, Sugar, Fat, which goes into depth about the subject.

How to Stop Craving Junk Food

Because junk food has been engineered for you to crave it, there really isn’t a way to stop the cravings besides quitting cold turkey as if you were trying to stop any other addiction. Then, like any other addiction, you shouldn’t eat that food again (at least for the foreseeable future) otherwise, your body may fall back into the same addictive patterns.

Don’t be dismayed, however, because while you can’t stop the cravings, you can avoid junk food to help make your diet easier! There are also other foods you can eat when you are craving certain items. Read the section below or watch our video How to Avoid Junk Food to find out more.

How to Avoid Junk Food

1. Don’t Buy it

This is the hardest part. You shouldn’t be buying any junk food in the first place. It shouldn’t be in your home at all. If you are a person that struggles when you see the bag of chips, cookies, or candy, then we recommend you skip that aisle entirely at the grocery store.

If you can’t even handle the grocery store, then consider ordering your groceries for delivery, this way, you can avoid temptation. Amazon and many other companies offer this service.

2. Don’t Open it

We get it, you aren’t the only person in your household, and maybe someone else wants to eat junk food (or buys it for themselves). If this is the case, don’t open the bag. Because once you open it, you will eat it.

3. Eat Clean

When you are eating a clean, wholesome diet, your body will be getting all the nutrients it needs, and you are less likely to have cravings in the first place. Remember, a diet isn’t skipping meals, it’s just changing the meals you eat. Take every opportunity to eat a nice plate of clean, healthy food, and junk food will be less tempting.

4. Swap the Cravings

If you find yourself still craving something like sugar, pull a fast one on your body and swap it for something healthy. For example, if you are craving something sweet, try an apple or strawberries instead. These are still sweet but will give your body nutrients and be much fewer calories than a piece of candy.

When you are craving something salty, reach for a bag of salted nuts rather than chips. These can be just as tasty and will help curb your salt craving.

If you are craving something fatty or savory, like a burger and fries, know that you can curb this craving with a small portion of cheese and fruit.

Final Thoughts About Junk Food

Overall, we understand how difficult it is to avoid junk food. Depending on the junk food you are craving, it may be more difficult to put it down. It can also be difficult to know when to treat yourself to something sweet. This is why you should consider hiring a weight loss coach to help you navigate the world of quitting junk food and living a healthier life.

Junk Food FAQ:

Is There Such Thing as Healthy Junk Food?

There is no such thing as healthy junk food. If it is junk food, it is not healthy for you. The only argument against this is that dark chocolate is good for you, but we are talking about dark chocolate (meaning no milk or added sugar), and this is generally not what is consumed when you eat chocolate. But if you have a bar of baker's 85% dark chocolate on hand, sure, have a piece for a snack, it’s healthy!

What is the Healthiest Junk Food?

As mentioned above, there is no healthy junk food. But if you must indulge yourself on a Friday night, we recommend home-cooking some popcorn and adding a little salt.

How Much Junk Food is Healthy?

There is no amount of junk food that is healthy, but we understand a life without junk food would be bleak. As a general rule, limit yourself to a few bites of junk food per week. This means one piece of candy, 3 bites of cake, or 1 portion of chips per week(about 5 chips!).