PROCESSED FOODS: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THEM

According to a study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, pizza tops the list of most addictive foods. A team from the University of Michigan surveyed 120 undergrads and 400 more adults using the Yale Food Addiction Scale to determine which foods, from a list of 35, have them hooked and which they can resist.

What they found, perhaps unsurprisingly, is that processed foods—those containing added fats and sugars—dominated the top ten. In this case, pizza, as well as the next five items on the list (chocolate, chips, cookies, ice cream and french fries) all earned the “processed” tag in this study. Cheese, which probably could have been featured in its own season of The Wire, comes in at number ten and is the first food considered unprocessed (American cheese notwithstanding). 

It’s the processing that seems to be key to addiction, according to researchers: “In a similar manner that drugs are processed to increase their addictive potential, this study provides insight that highly processed foods may be intentionally manufactured to be particularly rewarding through the addition of fat and refined carbohydrates, like white flour and sugar.”
And while the Yale Food Addiction Scale does have scientific backing, one interesting result of the study is that “water” made the list ahead of all the included fruits and vegetables.

Check out the full list below. And if you need a slice to take the edge off after looking at it, we’ve got a recommendation for you.

1.     Pizza

2.     Chocolate

3.     Chips

4.     Cookie

5.     Ice Cream

6.     French Fries

7.     Cheeseburger

8.     Non-Diet Soda

9.     Cake

10.  Cheese

11.  Bacon

12.  Fried Chicken

13.  Rolls

14.  Buttered Popcorn

15.  Cereal

16.  Gummies

17.  Steak

18.  Muffins

19.  Nuts

20.  Eggs

21.  Chicken Breast

22.  Pretzels

23.  Plain Crackers

24.  Water

25.  Granola Bar

26.  Strawberries

27.  Corn (without butter or salt)

28.  Salmon

29.  Banana

30.  Broccoli

31.  Plain Brown Rice

32.  Apple

33.  Beans

34.  Carrots

35.  Cucumbers

Courtesy: Yahoo!News

Comments