Potato chips, soft drinks, cookies, crackers, cereal, cakes, candy…..

When you walk into a grocery store, you’re inundated with aisle upon aisle of high calorie, processed food, loaded with chemicals, sugar, salt, and fat.

It’s no wonder so many of us have become addicted!

And it didn’t happen by accident.

Major food companies specifically engineer foods (usually by adding jacked up amounts of sugar, salt, fat, or all three) to optimize what they call “consumer bliss.”

Once you get a taste, you almost can’t resist going back again and again for more.

They know it’s addictive and they know it causes obesity. But, much like the tobacco industry, the more repeat customers they have, the more money they make.

Coca-Cola and McDonalds internally refer to their biggest consumers were as “heavy users.”​

On the other end of the spectrum is the low-fat, light, lean, diet, zero, low-carb, low-cal, sugar-free, “healthy” options.

Marketed to the very people who gained weight from all the convenience products — now desperate to lose weight.

We may think of junk food and weight loss products as polar opposites, but there’s one glaring similarity…

They both exist to make as much money as possible.

And, in many cases, they’re owned by the same companies! Over the years, some of the world’s major food giants have diversified by buying into the diet industry.

  • Weight Watchers was bought by Heinz.
  • Slimfast was bought by Unilever, which also owns the Ben & Jerry’s and Wall’s sausages.
  • Nestlé bought Jenny Craig.

These companies continually make huge profits from the endless loop of yo-yo dieting and weight cycling.

Shame and blame will get you nowhere. Let’s talk about how to break the cycle…

  • Choose unprocessed foods that are closest to their natural state. Like fruits, veggies, meat, beans, and whole grains. Foods that don’t come in a box or bag with a long list of ingredients. Your taste buds and brain chemistry will actually change to appreciate and crave the natural levels of sweet, salty, bitter, and sour.
  • Forget quick fixes. “Diet” foods don’t give your body what it really needs to be nourished and healthy. They actually keep you stuck in the lose/gain cycle.
  • Get plenty of sleep, water, and exercise. If you’re tired or dehydrated, you’ll have more cravings for sugar and processed foods for quick energy.
  • Get support and accountability. It can be hard to break any addiction. Food is no exception.