What You Need to Know About Food Company Marketing and Processed Foods

Did you know high fructose corn syrup is more addictive than cocaine? Or that white and wheat breads have a higher glycemic index than ice cream? Or that most yogurts contain more sugar than a serving size of Oreos?

I am on the blog today to cut straight to the point and warn you to check your nutrition labels. On literally everything. Or if you want to play it really safe, steer clear of the pantry, dairy, and frozen grocery aisles altogether, and don’t even buy foods with labels. Why? Because for the past 70 years, it has been the goal of food companies to subtly addict their consumers without them knowing, so they can continue making money off of our blissful oblivion.

Sugar Addicts

Eating sugar is highly pleasurable to us. That is because we get a massive dopamine release when we eat it. Not only does it make us feel good emotionally, but the endorphins released give us a quick burst of energy right after we eat it. Our brains take mental notes of this, and pretty soon begin to connect these good feelings to sugary food. As we begin to crave these highs more and more, we learn to eat more and more sugar to produce them. And we are hooked. Our brains for some reason forget to connect the little details of headaches, drop in blood sugar, and sluggishness that come after our sugar highs. The food companies have discovered this human weakness as their money maker, and they make sure to use it to their most gluttonous advantage.

Most of the processed, sugary foods we consume don’t actually taste as good as we think they do. We have simply conditioned ourselves to satisfy our cravings in the same way a drug addict might feed their addiction. (And yes, as mentioned above, multiple studies on rats have stated that high fructose corn syrup is more addictive than cocaine). Sugar addiction escalates rapidly, to the point where we remember our allegiance to feeding our bodies glucose more than we regard the actual taste of the food.

Unfortunately, the body is highly adaptable. Feed it poison long enough, and it will start to crave poison. Not only do we develop the capacity to tolerate more servings of junk food and sweets. We develop the tolerance to eat more of it in one sitting. As we eat more, our sugar and junk food intake only grows in frequency and quantity, making our sugar addictions worse and worse. Soon enough, if we don’t eat enough sugar, we will start feeling withdrawal symptoms like headaches, low blood sugar, and sluggishness – things sugar itself creates in the first place. But we don’t remember that. We just know we need to eat more to make us feel better – or so we are tricked into believing. We are caught in a feedback loop.

Dating back to the 1950s

But how did this feedback loop begin? Well, at no fault of their own, our great grandparents and grandparents were introduced to all this shiny new processed food and fast food in the 40’s and 50s, long before enough research had been conducted to uncover the truth about processed food and what sugar actually does to your body. They didn’t know that sugar was pumped into every unsuspecting item, from frozen dinners, to canned vegetables, to breads. At no fault of their own, our grandparents ate this food, and then fed it to our parents when they were born. Then our parents ate it and fed it to us when we were born, and now we are addicted too.

Breaking the Cycle and Surfacing Lies

But I’d like to stop there on this helpless feedback loop. Thank goodness Generation Z has begun to develop taste buds for quality. Clearly, past generations were aware there was a problem with rising obesity in the United States. A myriad of previous health movements such as diet pills, the grapefruit diet, weight loss shakes, juice cleanses, the cookie diet, the Scarsdale diet, the cabbage soup diet, The Beverly Hills diet, weight watchers, Jenny Craig the Subway diet, the Special K diet, the baby food diet, the Duke diet, and low fat diets all made their waves in the past, even if they were slightly uninformed.

But now, the rise in popularity of diets like paleo, primal, keto, gluten free, and Mediterranean prove that this generation is in agreement on one thing: getting back to the basics and eliminating processed food. Social media platforms like Instagram and Youtube are popularizing health and fitness like never before. “Athleisure” has even become a style in the fashion industry. Organic and reliable grocery brands are advertising “Non GMO” and “no sugar added,” and the trendiest cafes boast low carb menu options. After nearly a century of being thrown for a loop, America has finally caught on that the way things were in the beginning of time, wasn’t in need of that much change after all.

It is reassuring that we are beginning to listen to our origins and instincts and put more stock in naturalistic, primal diets. Thank goodness we are finally doing the necessary research to uncover Health textbook myths, such as the food pyramid, the stigma around dietary fat, and junk food disguised in “health food” packaging. Because it’s not just the junk food companies trying to dupe us. It’s the health food companies too.

I Can’t Even Eat Healthy Food??

Yes, I’m talking about the things like wheat bread, which is loaded with high fructose corn syrup, yogurt which is full of sugar, and granola bars, instant oatmeal, and cereals, that boast their vitamins but hide the mention of the addictive sugars that are added to ensure that customers keep buying their product.

Because what do food companies actually care about? Not quality. And they certainly don’t care whether you gain fifteen pounds in a year or not. They really only care that they continue to make more money off of you. And they will do that as long as they continue to make their products yummy and addictive, and best of all, maintain the too-good-to-be-true illusion that these foods are actually healthy for you.

As a result of this, so many unhealthy choices are made unknowingly or subconsciously. We just aren’t aware of how addictive some foods are, how much some foods wreck our gut, or how much processed carbs and sugar cause inflammation and promote fat storage. We know that eating ice cream, candy, and cake isn’t good for us. But do we stop to think about frozen meals? Chef Boyardee’s? Canned fruit? Yogurt? Cereal? Salad dressings?\ Pasta? Granola bars? Pretzels? Canned soup? And how on earth has America been convinced that it is a good idea to eat dessert for breakfast in the form of doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, french toast, pancakes, Poptarts, jelly toast, and pastries? Why have we let food companies dictate our health so poorly, and through the careful employment of sugar, keep us so subconsciously addicted to foods we’ve been fooled into believing are actually decent for us?

But don’t get too discouraged. There are healthy foods that are actually good for you. Just be sure you are reading your labels and keeping your eyes peeled for things like sugar, fructose, corn syrup, glucose, and high fructose corn syrup. It is the safest practice to stick to fresh produce items, meat, and dairy products that are as organic as possible, while limiting pantry items, like canned, frozen, and pre-packaged food. But you can read more on that in my sneaky foods to avoid blog and my grocery shopping with Haley blog.

How We Allow Their Success:

As we covered above, sugar is in literally everything, even where we least expect it. The only way to break the addictive cycle and take back our health, is to educate ourselves.

But here arises another problem. While it is true, that primal and organic foods have gained popularity, so has voluntary dietary ignorance. So many people don’t want to know the truth, because the food tastes good, and ignorance is blissfully comfortable and tasty. Our culture has become too enslaved to bad eating habits to want to be informed, because change is uncomfortable and doesn’t sound like fun. This is why instead of encouraging health and nutrition, we have instead popularized plus sized clothing and over-glorified the “love yourself” movement. We’ve created new standards that suit our willful ignorance.

Unfortunately, this is what the food companies want. But sadly, purposely blinding ourselves to the dangers of sugary processed foods not only compromises our body weight. It also causes heart problems, sleep problems, poor stress management, inflammation, and bad gut, joint, organ, digestive, and mental health. Those who ignore the consequences of a poor diet are subjecting themselves to serious medical issues later down the line.

With obesity still on the rise, it is more important than ever to wake up and take charge of our health. Because it isn’t just about a waistline or a number on the scale. It is about eating well in order to live long, strong, and well. I hope that in writing this blog I have awakened a glimmer of truth about those pantry items you have in your cabinets, and that you can begin to make informed decisions about your health in restaurants, the grocery store, and your own kitchen.

If you find yourself lacking motivation to kick junk food in the butt, you can read about how I found my inspiration to lead a healthy life here.

If you find yourself puzzling about what to do now that I’ve probably trashed some of your old reliable foods, you can look at my grocery store blog here.

And if you find yourself intrigued, and wanting to uncover more dietary myths, you can read my sneaky foods to watch out for blog here.

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“Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.” - Philippians 3:19

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