Friday, March 14, 2008

How To Magnetize A Baby: Food Addictions


This is one of the most powerful videos I have seen in a long time. Let's face it. There are some foods that are powerfully addictive. Has anyone ever told you why? In this revealing 40 minute presentation, Dr. Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food additions. He is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). During the first few minutes of his presentation, he gets our attention by telling us how sucrose (simple table sugar) releases opiate chemicals in a babies brain, in turn releasing dopamine, explaining how the mechanisms of food addictions work at the most basic level.

If you have read my other post on
Why Diets Fail, you will remember that losing weight is not about having strong willpower. Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, simple carbohydrates and sugar release opiate-like substances. Opiates, even in small amounts can be very addictive. Like all addictions, you have to find a way to break them. Willpower without knowledge is almost a sure way to fail. So, stop beating yourself up about lack of willpower and start learning how to get free. Your new lifestyle will bring about a healthier you and fat loss will be wonderful side benefit.

During one part of Dr. Barnard's presentation, he related how he was speaking at a university in Texas when he started to get heckled. He was in the middle of cow and pork country when he was telling them of the health problems that we acquire when we eat to much animal fat. The results can bring on heart attacks and prostate problems for men, later on in life. These were young college students he was talking to. Most of them didn't even know how to spell "prostate," let alone know what it was. They did not care about heart attacks either. That was for old men and women. When Dr. Barnard told them that eating high amounts of animal fat can also led to impotence, the crowd grew strangely quiet and listened attentively to the rest of his lecture.


Chocolate Addiction?

Dr. Barnard explains the chemical breakdown of many of our most addictive foods. Take chocolate for instance. It is not made up of just sugar. It has a whole drug store full of chemicals in it. Have you ever heard that you should not give a dog chocolate? That is because it has something in it called "theobromine." Most people think that chocolate has caffeine in it. Actually, there is less than what you would find in a cup of decaffeinated coffee. It is the theobromine that is what you are addicted to. It is a mild stimulant. To read more about that, go to
Modern Science: Chocolate, Caffeine, and Theobromine - Oh My! and learn more about it. Dogs don't deal with this as well as humans and it is like a poison to them. Chocolate also has some other drugs in it like "phenylethylamine," which is an amphetamine like compound that is also found in sausage and cheese. "Anandamide" is also found in chocolate and is the compound in the brain that is affected by THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). So, chocolate is a whole drug store in and of itself.

Do you have arthritis, migraine headaches, menstrual cramping, constipation, prostate cancer, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, breast cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, impotence or colon cancer? After watching this video, you might gain a little more understanding about how different foods might affect these conditions and what to do about it.


Dr. Barnard is also the author of two books. The first one is called Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life. Citing overwhelming medical evidence previously downplayed by powerful lobby groups, Dr. Barnard reveals why a diet based on the new four food groups (grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits) will sharply decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease and dramatically increase life expectancy. He also unveils a 21-day program for a smooth transition to the new way of eating healthfully.

The second book is called, "Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings---And 7 Steps to End Them Naturally." Barnard offers seven steps to breaking your food cravings, devoting a chapter to each one, with anecdotes and plenty of clear, sound, practical tips. Then he presents guidelines for healthy eating using "the New Four Food Groups"--vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains--with a three-week menu plan and 113 healthful, vegan recipes.




7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool video, thanks for posting it! I enjoyed watching it.

Rachel
the baked blogger
http://bakedblog.com

Tracy H. said...

Thanks for posting that video. It was great!

Crista said...

I have a problem with food, especially chocolate. I started weight watchers so I'm hoping it will work for me. Thanks for stopping by my site and leaving me a comment! I hope to read more posts by you in the future!

Jeff Iversen said...

If Weight Watchers does not work for you, check out my "Reset" program. Look for the red button on the left side of my blog to click on it and read about it.I can get you a 20% discount.

Cynthia Blue said...

Very interesting.. if I get time later I'll come back and watch the video.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for posting this. I've only seen 10 minutes of the video, and will watch it entirely later. Very interesting stuff.

Aerten said...

That was an outstanding video! Thanks for posting it. I'm going to be sending links to your site to a whole bunch of my friends.

I've been vegan for just over a year now. I haven't had a single migraine in that time (I used to get several a month). My hip is the only place my arthritis still bothers me... my hands, shoulders, ankles, knees are all fine. I barely notice I have fibromyalgia any more... just on really bad weather-changing days.

Yes, I STILL miss cheese. But the cost of eating cheese is not worth the price I pay. I don't have Dr. Barnard's books... and I may have to pick them up, if just for the recipes. :)