Jim Katsoulis explains why processed foods hook you: they pack calories densely, triggering ancient survival instincts to eat when food is scarce, and they spike blood sugar fast, which amplifies addictive pull. Natural foods don't hit both buttons at once.
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Two things that make food addictive. Now, before I tell you what they are, it's important to realize that you're only going to find these really in processed foods, not in natural foods. Number one is calorie load. When you eat foods that have a lot of calorie density to them, your brain and body love it. Because we evolved in a food scarce environment. So when we get in front of a lot of calories, our brain says keep on eating it, because we don't know when we're going to be able to eat again. And number two is fast blood sugar spikes. The shorter the distance between when you eat something and when you get the blood sugar spike from it, the more addictive it becomes. So when you're eating processed foods that are absorbed really fast and spike your blood sugar, it's going to be more addictive than natural foods.