Are Carbs More Addictive Than Cocaine?

Well worth the read.

http://www.details.com/style-advice/the-body/201103/carbs-ca ffeine-food-cocaine-addiction

 

YES! At least sugar is, in my opinion! I haven't read the article but I'm going to here as soon as I'm done writing this response! Ha.

Without first reading the article.. base on personal experience, YES.  Without a doubt.  If I was told I would be skinny, but can only eat pasta, bread, corn and potatoes for the rest of my life.... I would be quite certain I had died and gone to heaven.

Thank you for this. I face booked it, as well.

I don't know....never tried cocaine! But good article, definitely. All the NUTs out there who continue to stand by the minimum number of grs of carbs (usually over 100!) a day that we need to avoid our brains from shutting down need to read this.

Well, I've done both in my time, and a goodly amount...  I went back to carbs.  Just sayin!

Great article! Scary isn't it?
Lisa

I think it's worth pointing out that there are two (at least, but lets simplify) kinds of carbs:

1. Carbs that exist in their natural state - inside of a real food like broccoli  - something hopefully not overly bread for sweetness (like most fruit) by the hand of humans

2. Carbs that exist well outside of their natural state, like granulated sugar, flour, juices, etc.

I don't think category 1 is addictive - as Lustig points out, carbs in most natural foods are surrounded by fiber that slow down the digestion process.  The harm seems to come from free floating carbs (mostly category 2 carb foods where the digestion process is very fast, leading to pushing reward buttons in the brain, and then the damage done by insulin spikes, etc.

 

 

"Intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a fix."

I've said for a long time that I get food stuck in my head like normal people get songs stuck in theirs. I used to think about carbs constantly. Since my low carb pre op diet, I've had a dradtic reduction in those thoughts. Love it.

I've discussed this with a therapist! The fact if I think about carbs in the evening after dinner, I can't stop myself from eating them. I have never had an addiction to drugs but I can imagine if the feeling is the same as I feel for carbs after dinner, it's terrible. The article is fantastic but scary at the same time. I want to share it with my daughter and granddaughter's Mom!

I have had the surgery and I am losing weight so I don't eat many carbs anymore. I do find if I make a choice to eat a piece of cake or some other sweet, I crave them. Now I know why. It really is an addiction.