Is food really addictive? Actually, yes, as it turns out, food lights up the same areas of the brain as cocaine ~ interesting. What that really means is that food creates the same kind of 'dopamine' release in the brain as drugs, gambling and sex (among other things). So what do our brains do in the presence of dopamine? They try everything in the book to get us to do it again, and again, and get as much as we can. So are we just screwed if we have an addiction to something? Absolutely not. Addiction doesn't mean we don't have a choice or options, it simply means that we have a part of the brain the speaks very loudly and gets its way every time. This part of the brain pretty much has it's way with the system ... that is until we get another part of the brain into the act. We actually do have a very large and robust area of the brain that can 'out-vote' the addictive sector, if we are willing to learn a few tricks, and practice, practice, practice ... deep practice. This series is about learning those tricks and ... well ... practicing!!
