Medicine Homework Assignment: Salt, Sugar And Fats

Salt, Sugar and Fats
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Salt, Sugar and Fats
Americans consume more than 33 pounds of cheese annually. The figure is three times larger than the amount Americans consumed in the 1970s. They also consume more than 70 pounds of salt annually and six pounds of salt per year. Michael Moss an investigative reporter for the New York Times describes salt as a magical ingredient in that it provides a cheap burst of flavor. It can add crunch to crackers and chips while additionally making sugar taste sweeter (Moss, 2013). Fat is even stronger than salt and sugar in that it provides twice the energy kick provided by sugar and allows foods to stay on shelves for days. It is important to note that the intake of sugar, salt, and fats have some effects on the brain of an individual. Recently concluded research has indicated that various types of foods especially salt, sugar, and fats trigger the brain the same way cocaine addicts react to seeing white powder. Eating foods that have high fats and sugar triggers the body to release opioids which act like morphine in the body. The foods activate the taste receptors on the tongue. The signals are then sent to the brain lighting up what is referred to as reward pathways which trigger the brain to release some feel-good hormones for instance dopamine. Sugar then hijacks the reward pathways of the brain. Stimulating the reward system with a piece of chocolate now and then is often pleasurable and in some cases harmless, however, when the reward system is activated too much, and frequently problems rise. Researchers have proved that sugars have the same effect as cocaine has on the brain, and this often leads to addiction.
In June 2013 the American medical association in an annual general meeting classified obesity as an official disease through a vote. The US department of health had earlier classified obesity as a disease in 2004 (Pickett-Blakely, & Newberry, 2016). It is has been proven both scientifically and through extensive research that obesity is as a result of over-consuming foods that are high in sugar, salt, and fats. Organizations in the food sector do not pay attention to how much people consume per day. They argue that they have an obligation to the stakeholders to make sells thus recording profits. In this stiff competitive market, they are not paying attention to the health and safety of consumers but rather on generating more income. They concentrate on how sweet they can make their products such that people will want to chew on even after they are full. Some CEOs have even gone on record to blame consumers for lack of self-control (Cannon, Godwin, & Goldberg, 2013). The food and beverage industry has its ways of intentionally manipulating consumers to take the products a good example is the creative advertisements that occasionally run on the television. They have even gone a step further and taken the advertisements to social media hence reaching many people. As earlier stated it has been proved that sugar, salt, and fats have the same effects on the brain of...