Why we crave crunchy/crispy things

[mrsm14]

This post may be in the wrong section, but I figured other people might be having a hard time with letting go of those crunchy junk foods so I thought I'd share this "shift in perspective" that's been helpful to me.

I am currently reading “Gulp†by Mary Roach, which so far has been an amusing and informative book all about the parts of the digestive system (I am a nutrition nerd, what can I say). Anyway, they introduced a really common sense factiod about one of the reasons why we crave crispness/crunch in our foods:

In produce, the crunch in our mouths is a way for our body to recognize a fresh veggie/fruit that isn't decaying and therefore has the most nutrients possible. So there is some wiring in your brain that says crunch = healthy.

A crispy apple is healthy; a mealy apple is getting old and losing nutrients. A crunchy carrot is fresh; a kind of wobbly carrot (for lack of a better term) is not.

Junk food just tricks our body with that satisfying crunch. For whatever reason, knowing this little factoid has really helped me with my craving for junk by using positive self talk such as, “Those chips are designed to trick your body into thinking a non-food is healthy and to eat a lot of it. I am smarter than that.â€

Hope this helps anyone dealing with a ‘salty crunchy' monster!

[AmyB]

That's really interesting! I love Mary Roach.

[Keianna]

Thanks for that fact. I have a crunchy demon vs a sugar demon. Tortilla chips are always my downfall.

[Physibeth]

Me too Keianna. This certainly was interesting to read. I might have to add that book to my growing Amazon wishlist.

[Krista Porter Agocs]

Great insight! Thanks for the awareness!