Dopamine and Food Cravings

Health column by Dr. Greg Feinsinger. Champion of Whole Food Plant Based Living and righteous person.

A plant-based, whole (unprocessed) food diet with avoidance of salt, sugar, and added oil—along with regular exercise--promote optimal health and longevity. Why, then, is it do difficult for many people to improve their diet?

One reason is that we are bombarded by advertising by Big Food, which is concerned with their bottom line but not our health. And unhealthy food is everywhere.

However, another important factor is the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is produced in the pleasure center in our brain. In his book “Power Foods for the Brain,” Dr. Neal Barnard points out that there is an evolutionary reason we and other primates have dopamine: “Your reward center is looking for food and for a receptive mate, and when it finds them, out comes the dopamine.” He goes on to say that “this primitive system can be hijacked by drugs” such as marijuana, cocaine, and narcotics. Wine, cigarettes, and coffee also trigger dopamine release, as do the following foods, known as “comfort foods”:

sugar, which is difficult for many people to give up
chocolate
cows’ milk (Dr. Barnard says that in your digestive tract, milk’s protein, casein, “breaks apart to release mild opiates called casomorphins,” which trigger dopamine release).
Cheese “has concentrated casein and so delivers a much larger casomorphin dose,” and many people have difficulty giving it up—which is unfortunate because it’s loaded with calories, unhealthy saturated fat, and sodium.
Meat triggers dopamine release. When people are given an opiate blocker, they lose interest in meat.
In his book “Fast Food Genocide, Dr. Joel Fuhrman notes that refined/junk food, fast food, and oils all trigger the dopamine response.

All humans have a gene called DRD2 “(dopamine receptor D2), which Dr. Barnard says is “involved in building the receptors for dopamine.” People with a variant of this gene have one-third fewer dopamine receptors, and they “need an extra amount of dopamine just to feel normal.” Interestingly, in a study conducted by Dr. Barnard and his colleagues, half of people with type 2 diabetes have this variant, which contributes to overeating unhealthy food, becoming overweight, and developing type 2 diabetes.

Unhealthy eating is the new tobacco. Food manufacturers take advantage of the dopamine effect. They hire scientists to figure out how to make their products more addictive to people, just like tobacco companies did a few decades ago with cigarettes. These food scientists found that people get addicted to salt, sugar, and fat (often in the form of added oil). In “Fast Food Genocide” Dr. Fuhrman says that fast foods “rich in added sweeteners, salt, oils, and artificial flavoring (called ‘highly palatable foods’ by food scientists) have addictive properties. Eating a little makes you want more.” The restaurant industry also uses food addictions to their financial benefit.

So, what to do? If you adopt a plant-based, whole food diet with no salt, sugar, or added oil your taste buds will change in 10 to 14 days, and you will lose your craving for these addictive substances. Your desire to eat will then be driven by need for calories, rather than food cravings. Another approach is to do what Paul McCartney and his wife did: overcome craving for animal products by developing compassion for animals. As they were eating lamb roast for Sunday brunch one day, they looked at the cute, playful lambs outside the window of their farmhouse and decided to give up meat. Other people decide to change their diet to be healthier, so they can be around to see their grandchildren grow up. And some people change their diet because they know that eating plant instead of animal products has a much lower environmental impact.

Lastly, it should be mentioned that an important part of eating healthier is to exercise, which increases production of your own healthy “feel good” chemicals—endorphins.

tty next time,