Before you reach for that fry off your friend's plate, be warned: you might not be able to stop.
A team of researchers from the University of Michigan and Columbia University's New York Obesity Research Center found that certain foods share several traits with abusive drugs and can be just as addictive.
For the study, researchers surveyed 120 undergrads and 400 more adults using the Yale Food Addiction Scale — which actually does have scientific backing — to determine which foods, from a list of 35, have ensnared them and which they can resist.
What they found, rather unsurprisingly, is that processed foods — those literally made to be addictive with added fat and sugar —dominated the top ten. The list should just be renamed "The Top 10 Most American Foods Of All Time."
No wonder you can never eat just one potato chip. "Once you pop, the fun don't stop," right?
"In a similar manner that drugs are processed to increase their addictive potential, this study provides insight that highly processed foods may be intentionally manufactured to be particularly rewarding through the addition of fat and refined carbohydrates, like white flour and sugar," Erica Schulte, graduate student of psychology at the University of Michigan and lead author of the study, told CNN.
And, of course, on the bottom of the list were real, whole foods that actually nourish our bodies. Why must life be so hard?!
Here are the top 10 most addictive foods:
1. Pizza
2. Chocolate
3. Chips
4. Cookie
5. Ice Cream
6. French Fries
7. Cheeseburger
8. Non-Diet Soda
9. Cake
10. Cheese
And here are the bottom 10:
35. Cucumbers
34. Carrots
33. Beans
32. Apple
31. Plain Brown Rice
30. Broccoli
29. Banana
28. Salmon
27. Corn (without butter or salt)
26. Strawberries
25. Granola Bar system with intention, gratitude and love.
(h/t CNN)
By Emi Boscamp | Mind Body Green
