Why do humans reach for junk food when they are feeling down,when they know?!
Question:
Why do humans reach for junk food when they are feeling down,when they know?
it is going to make them feel worse in the long term.
Answers:
My answer is based on my own experience as a hypoglycemic (chronic low blood sugar) before I flipped and became diabetic. It has to do with the insulin cycle and the brain. The brain senses that blood sugar is low (possibly the cause of the "down" feeling among other emotions), stimulates the human to eat "sweet" foods as soon as possible. Human senses craving and grabs for quickest "comfort" food, which turns into sugar (glucose) the fastest in the digestive system - sometimes because it is pure sugar. The brain senses that blood sugar is now too high and sends out the call for insulin, which shepherds glucose into cells. Insulin responds, then likely over-responds, pushing glucose into the cells too swiftly and too much, leaving too little in the blood stream. This brings about the worse feelings, because now the system is again in a "low", and the cycle begins again.
It helped when I learned this to grab for protein based non-sugar snacks. Soy nuts/eda mame or just strips of meat with a small portion of fruit make a great snack that can help level blood sugar.
There is more info on low blood sugar at www.hufa.org, if you are curious.