It’s the middle of summer here in the northern hemisphere and on these scorching hot days, there’s no denying that ice cream is pretty much the answer for all of life’s problems. But have you ever wondered why foods like ice cream are so crave-worthy?
The answer to that question is relatively simple once you understand the science behind it. All forms of fat pack 9 calories per gram and all carbohydrates aka sugars pack in 4 calories per gram. Ice cream along with a lot of our other favorite foods is the magical combination of both. This combination of chemicals is the most energy-dense partnership in the world of food and I think we can all agree they taste pretty amazing as well.
So why is it that we crave that combination so much? The answer dates back to the beginning of our species and has a lot to do with food insecurity. If you were a nomadic hunter and you happened to stumble across something high in fat or in sugars your brain would send a message through the reward circuit that this is pleasurable and you should keep eating. This reward circuit was massively important for the success of human beings when food was hard to come by but now it’s a major pain in the butt when the next meal is as easy as tapping a few buttons on your phone.
You can read more about the science behind the reward circuit here. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-sugar-and-fat-trick-the-brain-into-wanting-more-food/
Fat and Sugar in nature
The combination of fats and sugars are for the most part a man-made culinary combination. There are very few if any naturally occurring foods that are high in both of these categories. You either get high fat in foods like dairy and eggs or high in sugar like fruits and honey. I’m not sure if you’ve ever read a recipe on how to make homemade ice cream but those last four food Items I just listed would be in the vast majority of them.
Sugar Coated Lies
The first food that I was able to seriously reduce in my diet was added sugar and it was thanks to Jocko Willink and this epic little piece of wisdom.
Call To Action
Now we know why we crave ice cream, the desire to eat more of foods like that have been hardwired into our brains since the beginning of time. But we are 21st-century beings, we built self-driving cars, put people into outer space and have been to the bottom of the ocean. We are smart, we are disciplined and just like Nancy told us to do back in the 80’s we can “just say no” to ice cream and all of her nefarious cousins, or at least we should 95% of the time.
Subjects to change 