Why is it so Difficult to Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods?

By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director

Ultra-processed foods are engineered to be highly addictive. So once you begin the eating pattern of consuming those foods, it can be a journey to replace those foods with healthier alternatives. But besides the design of those “foods,” some of the triggers for an increased desire for ultra-processed foods are the following:

Stress.

Psychological stress is associated with eating even when not hungry. And, those foods that are consumed when acutely stressed are typically high in sugar/fat. These are oftentimes the foods that are high in caloric density and low in nutrient quality (fast food for example). (1, 2)

Sleep Restriction.

One of the #1 pieces of advice that I tell people is to prioritize their sleep! It’s right up there in importance with hydrating well because our bodies are made up of water more than anything else. Sleep restriction can create many negative results because of the impact it has on our food choices. Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality are associated with, “increased food intake, poor diet quality, and excess body weight.” (3, 4)

Late Luteal Phase of the Menstrual Cycle (Increased Energy Needs).

During the late luteal phase of a cycle (around days 21-28), there’s a significantly higher, “overall appetite, craving for chocolate, craving for sweets, craving for salty flavor, other food cravings, and total craving score...as compared to all of the other menstrual cycle phases.” This is due to the daily increased energy expenditure of about 89-279 calories. Increased energy expenditure during this phase is to cue you to eat more which is what your body needs, but focus on eating higher-quality calories! (5, 6)

Sources:

(1) PMID: 18997672

(2) PMID: 19135112

(3) PMID: 24051052

(4) PMID: 26467988

(5) PMID: 26043860

(6) PMID: 17684511