The Most Addictive Foods, According to Science

The best of us have had low moments of questioning our life decisions over a devoured bag of chips. Science says it’s not just you — it’s the food.

A study led by University of Michigan professor Ashley Gearhardt, found that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) hijack the brain’s reward system just like nicotine and cocaine. Researchers used the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) to measure how hard it is to stop eating certain foods.

The most dangerous foods all had one thing in common: a combination of refined carbs and fat that spikes dopamine, overrides fullness signals and keeps cravings alive long after you should have stopped eating.

In short, some foods are designed to keep you hooked.

Here’s the worst of the worst.

Why, of course, it would be pizza, and not steamed broccoli, because apparently, everything that tastes good comes with a catch. Pizza, one of — if not the — most universally loved foods, has all the elements to hook you in: cheese, grease, refined carbs. And that cheese that makes it so good contains casomorphins, which bind to opioid receptors in your brain, leading to a sense of reward and pleasure. No wonder it’s so hard to stop at one slice — it’s science!

If you’ve ever sworn to have “just one square” and then blacked out somewhere around half the bar, you are not alone. Chocolate, shockingly,has a lot of sugar and fat, plus a little caffeine. It also has something that is called theobromine, which lights up the brain’s reward system and boosts mood, that’s why you feel so good when you eat chocolate, also, it tastes pretty damn delicious.

Nobody plans to eat an entire bag of chips. It just happens. According to the study, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like potato chips stimulate the brain in a way that natural foods don’t, making them especially hard to resist.

The fried starch and oil combo hits your brain’s reward system, triggering a dopamine rush that keeps you reaching for more. Meanwhile, chips dissolve too fast for your brain to register, tricking you into thinking you haven’t eaten much — so you just keep going.

Then there’s the salt factor. Sodium activates pleasure receptors and makes you thirsty, which is why chips pair so well with soda — another UPF trap that keeps the craving cycle going.

Point being, Lay’s “betcha can’t eat just one” is more exact science than a bet.

Cookie Monster can attest to the fact that cookies are addictive, and science backs him up. When you eat cookies, your brain finds the combination of refined carbs and fat especially rewarding. The white flour and sugar break down almost instantly, spiking blood sugar and triggering a dopamine release. That rush feels good, but it’s short-lived — once blood sugar crashes, cravings kick in again, making you reach for another.

Ice cream was designed to be inhaled by the spoonful, and once you start, good luck stopping before the bottom of the pint. When it comes to addiction, it follows the same science as cookies: it’s a mix of sugar and fat that keeps your brain wanting more. The fat prolongs the effect and delays fullness, making it easy to overeat.

French fries are just as addictive as chips because they follow the same UPF formula — refined carbs, fat, and salt — the holy trio of high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases.

What you see is a soft bun, juicy meat, and melty cheese — what you’re actually getting is refined carbs, fats, and salt, all working together to hack your brain into craving more.

Liquid sugar with a caffeine kick — of course, soda made the list. It delivers a rapid hit of glucose that spikes your blood sugar and leaves you wanting more the moment you crash.

Frosting is just butter and sugar whipped into oblivion, and the cake itself is an airy, fluffy carb bomb designed to disappear in seconds.

Cheese contains casein, which breaks down into casomorphins — compounds that bind to opioid receptors in your brain, making it chemically addictive. This might explain why I sometimes find myself eating embarrassing amounts of cheese straight from the block, no plate, no dignity, just me and my dairy addiction.

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