Super-Stimulating Foods

How to get your brain out of the binge mode. That's my question. Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner says the real problem is that certain commercially made foods-the ones with tons of added sugar, salt, and fat-are so tasty and so stimulating that they actually overwhelm the brain's circuitry. When we eat them, the brain cranks out dopamine, a neurochemical associated with a reward that drives us to eat that food again....and again....and again. Eventually, just looking at the food can trigger a dopamine release. "We get stuck in a cycle," Dr. Kessler says. "We're constantly chasing that satisfaction." When we're eating a highly processed diet we might find it tough to stop. This helps explain why, when we know that eating healthy foods are better for us, we continue eating the crap that leads to increasing obesity and the health problems associated with it. It's somewhat reassuring to know there is a physiological reason behind the sometimes unexplainable binges.

He has some suggestions to thwart the constant cravings and I'll cover those in my next blog. Stay tuned.

Exercise...But Fun!



Harstene State Park Beach



Today Dave and I were invited to go with our daughter Lora and son-in-law Tim and 5 year-old grandson Brady on a hike. The trail we have been on before (years ago), but I remembered it was extremely steep going down to the saltwater beach. I wasn't wrong! Both my daughter and I agreed it would have been nice if we had to climb up to begin with (to warm up) and then walk down afterwards because it was pretty cold and foggy when we started out. We were wearing warm clothes and gloves (it is only February in Washington, after all!) Once we got down to the beach and out of the forest it was much warmer. We did some beachcombing and exploring as well as taking in the beautiful views.



Getting ready for the uphill hike!

 The hike back up to the trailhead was a very good workout for me. Lora and Tim are runners and work-out regularily (ever heard of P90X?) but they agreed it was pretty steep going up! Brady stopped a couple times and said, "But I'm not going to quit!" So I didn't either.

Once at the top, we had a lunchtime snack of cheeses, turkey, carrots and sliced cucumbers and radishes. A few goldfish crackers and fruit leather rounded out the 'feast'.