If you are given a box of chocolates this year and find it hard to stop eating them, don’t be surprised. It seems that manufacturers work hard to produce a mix of ingredients that will activate your ‘bliss point’.
According to recent research in America, certain combinations of fat, sugar and salt are so tasty that many people cannot stop eating them, even when full. Such precise mixes have been called ‘hyper-palatable’ – the taste is designed to trigger a greater number of neurons, getting them to fire more. So the more you eat, the stronger the message to keep on eating becomes. The food itself chemically motivates you to look for even more food.
One scientist said: “It is time to stop blaming individuals for being overweight or obese. The real problem is that we have created a world where food is always available, and where that food is specifically designed to make you want to eat more of it.”
If you stick to Traidcraft chocolate at least you know what you’re getting!
Beware that chocolate box this Christmas!