What's In Our Food?

Trying to lose weight but finding yourself stuck? It may be down to what’s in the food you eat, specifically the chemicals that could be making you hungrier. We take a closer look.

- Blanche Radom

When it comes to our body’s carefully tuned systems and complex processes, you don’t have to be a scientist to know that chemicals and pollutants can have a big impact on our health. Headaches and allergies are common signs that something’s amiss, but what if there were everyday chemicals that were affecting your waistline, too?

It’s all linked to our brain processing, and the way certain additives are now thought to trigger the brain to make us hungry. Experts say that while our brain has evolved to promote eating, to ensure we survive and that the brain gets enough energy to function, scientists are now seeing a newer phenomenon. It’s dubbed ‘hungry brain syndrome’, and it means a cycle where the more we eat, the greedier our brain becomes.

German brain researcher Achim Peters says chemical signals in food have long been underestimated, and that there is now evidence that flavour enhancers, softeners and even pesticides can influence our body weight. Put simply, these substances affect our grey matter, and trigger false signals which encourage the brain to demand more kilojoules, programming the body to put on weight.

According to Peters, it’s yet another reason we should be basing our diets on natural whole foods.

“People who consume more natural foods − in other words, who eat fewer chemical messengers − expose their brain to fewer false signals,” he explains. “This enables the brain to better regulate energy balance, consequently resulting in a self healing of sorts. Our brain can dictate whether we get fatter or stay slim.”

1 TEFLON