Have you ever found yourself having a hard time saying no to late night pizza and ice cream? Perhaps, you are one of the many people who have fallen prey into being a slave of chemical compounds present in highly processed foods.
According to Erica Schulte -- a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan who published a study on addictive food in PLOS One last year -- said that the same way "drugs are processed to increase their addictive potential," food can be "manufactured to be particularly rewarding through the addition of fat and refined carbohydrates" such as sugar, she said to her interview with ATTN.
Her research made a comparison to foods that seemingly harmless, but turns out to illicit drugs - based on how the body absorbs their pleasure-inducing ingredients. Here are the five of the most addictive foods to watch out for:
1. Pizza
Who doesn't like pizza? That sumptuous flavor salty flavor and rich cheese are just too difficult to resist. But the problem can be serious since pizza can contain around 640 mg of sodium, according to the USDA. Schulte's study used the Yale Food Addiction Scale and it scored 4.01 out of 7.0, the highest score from the batch.
2. Chocolate
Coming in at number two is chocolates. It has been found out that these happy pills also contain cannabinoids -- the same contents found in marijuana -- which causes people to feel relaxed and euphoric. It also has a lot of sugar and fat. Chocolates also contain caffeine, which gives people energy and an exciting feeling, making them want more. People rated chocolate on the Yale scale at 3.73.
3. Chips
A perfect go to snack for almost all occasions, chips can be extremely addictive. Schulte reported that it has an average sodium of 140mg to 150mg that makes it hard to resist, regardless of the brand. It also scored 3.73 on the Yale scale.
4. Cookies
A single serving of chocolate chip cookies contains an average of 9 grams of sugar. Cookies are high in fat, high in sugar and also typically contains some salt. Cookies received a score of 3.71 on the Yale scale.
5. Ice Cream
According to the USDA, a whooping 7 grams of fat is found in a half cup of ice cream. This dessert has been very addicting too, especially if you'll add in bite size candies, marshmallows and chocolate syrup. Just like cookies, it scored 3.71 on the Yale scale.
