Film and broccoli nights are not a thing. “Ooooo I’m really craving cabbage” is not a sentence heard on the regular. Swap in pizza and chocolate and we’re in more familiar territory, am I right!? Ever wondered about the science behind why we would always desire these tasty combinations of carbohydrate and fat as opposed to the veg? No? Well, here it is anyway.The human body has inbuilt pathways to promote survival. Of course it does. One of these survival pathways ensures we eat. I’ve talked previously about hunger hormones; ghrelin and neuropeptide Y, and satiety hormones; insulin and leptin (Post diet hunger hormones: The roles of Leptin and Ghrelin). This array of hormones works by modulating the release of our star player in this article, DOPAMINE. The Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) of the brain house dopaminergic neurones that then project to other parts of the brain. This is termed the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system, responsible for mechanisms of reward and reinforcement of behaviour. It is thought that the hunger hormones; ghrelin and neuropeptide Y increase your reward (dopamine) surrounding finding and eating food, whereas the satiety hormones; insulin and leptin decrease it. Scientists suggest that there are in fact two pathways, one for fats and one for carbohydrates. After all, the cavemen did not have pizza. They ate their carbohydrates and fats separately as this is how food naturally occurs. It was only as farming developed that we began the road to delicious combination.
So have these evolutionary pathways sacrificed us to the Gods of pizza? Are we powerless to our primal urges? One found that, in humans, viewing foods containing both fat and carbohydrate together increased the amount of dopamine released compared to if the same amount of carbohydrate or fat had been visualised alone. Our bodies are wired to repeat rewarded behaviour and so we will choose the combination option again and again. Interestingly, the study also found that rats are very good at regulating their caloric intake when given either fat or carbohydrate foods. As in, they stop eating when they are full. However, give them a combination and this goes out of the window. Again, familiar?
In short, by combining fats and carbohydrates, we have created food that leaves us wanting more and my gosh don’t we feel it!? Will this information make it easier to resist the pizza? Probably not. It’s just, as I always say, sometimes easier to accept cravings and feelings if we understand their roots. Next time you crave the tasty mix, try eating a high protein meal and your hunger will be satisfied. Your psychological want for pizza will go no-where though so be smart, if you’re not dieting, if it’s pizza you crave, maybe just eat the pizza.
