THIS IS WHY ONE SILLY COOKIE OR CHIP IS NEVER ENOUGH

Some things you can tell yourself over and over again only to never learn them. Take the case of snacking.

Because as much as we would like to be a little poorer in love handles: it often doesn't work to leave that chocolate bar or bag of chips alone. And we're not talking about one crumb of Tony’s or a baby hand of chips, no way, if we go... Then they all go in, so to speak.

How is it that we never have enough after one sweet bite? We have good news for you. It’s not your fault, but that of your brain. Appetite is incredibly complex to measure and scientists continue to be amazed at all that happens in our brain when we are hungry.

But, but... I can't help it

Professor of clinical biochemistry and medicine at the University of Cambridge, Stephen O’Rahilly knows a bit about our snacking. He states: “To survive as humans, we need two things. A partner to reproduce with AND calorie-rich meals so we don’t starve.” The fact that we want to eat a lot – and can’t switch to carrots after one stroopwafel – is actually because we are built this way as humans. In the past, food was not always available, and at the moments when the man had skinned a hare, you had to attack immediately and stuff yourself with fatty and filling food so that you wouldn’t be hungry for days. Nowadays, getting food is a bit easier, but the principle remains the same. We keep eating, even when we are full because we simply have that primal instinct.

And it’s not your stomach that tells you that, no, hunger comes from your brain. And that brain often tricks you. For example, if you have lunch around the same time every day, there’s a good chance you’ll feel hungry around that time every day. Even if you just rummaged in that candy jar before. We are creatures of habit, it turns out. And your brain just has to shove calories in...

Well, that primal woman with her survival instinct that resides in you is not so easy to tame, unfortunately. But from now on, you can think nicely after that bag of chips: it wasn’t me. You’re sitting comfortably on your couch.

Do you want to try to cut back on that snacking behavior? Check our 7 tips.

FACTS

Spelt bread is not necessarily healthier than wheat bread: the difference between the two is quite small. Spelt just sounds trendy and is therefore sold much more.
Is an avocado healthy? Better think twice. That green friend contains twice as many calories as an apple.
Half of the fats in a croquette are not that bad for you (and we’ll just ignore the other half). Yippieyay.

Source: Daily Mail

Written by: Tessa Heinhuis