If you’ve been struggling with a certain food for a while, then you know what it is and you know you shouldn’t have it at home to avoid temptation. But many people don’t have a specific food like that. So, what kind of foods are more likely to make you eat more than you want? A 2015 study called ‘Which foods may be addictive? The roles of processing, fat content, and glycaemic load’ attempted to answer that question. The researchers asked over 500 participants to indicate which foods (from a set of 35) were most associated with addictive-like eating behaviours. These are the results. The number following each food is the average score given in the study, where 1 is not at all addictive and 7 is extremely addictive.
16 Most addictive foods
1. Pizza (4.01)
2. Chocolate (3.73)
3. Chips (3.73)
4. Cookies (3.71)
5. Ice cream (3.68)
6. French fries (3.60)
7. Cheeseburgers (3.51)
8. Soda (3.29)
9. Cake (3.26)
10. Cheese (3.22)
11. Bacon (3.03)
12. Fried chicken (2.97)
13. Rolls (2.73)
14. Popcorn, buttered (2.64)
15. Breakfast cereal (2.59)
16. Gummy candy (2.57)
16 Least Addictive Foods
1. Cucumbers (1.53)
2. Carrots (1.60)
3. Beans, without sauce (1.63)
4. Apples (1.66)
5. Brown rice (1.74)
6. Broccoli (1.74)
7. Bananas (1.77)
8. Salmon (1.84)
9. Corn, without butter or salt (1.87)
10. Strawberries (1.88)
11. Granola bar (1.93)
12. Water (1.94)
13. Crackers, plain (2.07)
14. Pretzels (2.13)
15. Chicken breast (2.16)
16. Eggs (2.18)
What is the takeaway?
The most addictive foods were most often processed foods with high amounts of fat and added sugar and the least addictive foods were mostly whole, unprocessed foods. No surprise here but it’s a good reminder that processed so-called junk foods truly do influence how we relate to food.
Be strategic in a supermarket
It’s important to put this in practice, though. When you go to a store shop around the edges, spend a lot of time in the fruit and vegetable area, go straight to dairy, fish, and meat, and avoid aisles with candy, chips, and other shiny-looking products. Just the sight of something tempting can be enough of a cue to override your willpower.
Go to farmers’ markets
The best place to shop is farmers’ markets. The majority of things sold there are whole, fresh, seasonal, unprocessed ingredients. You won’t be tempted to buy junk food and you’ll be sure to leave with plenty of healthy stuff.
