In the not-so-distant past, many people, including physicians, believed obese people were extremely weak-willed individuals. If they would stick to their diets and exercise more, the belief went, obese individuals could slim down and live happily ever after. Sometimes, obese people did lose weight with diets, drugs, a new gym membership, or surgery (or all of the above), only to relapse later, seemingly proof of the weak-willed theory. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 42 percent of adults in the United States are obese. Do they all suffer from no self-control?

Experts are learning one culprit behind the obesity epidemic has nothing whatsoever to do with strength of character, stick-to-it-tiveness, or other tired ideas that have spectacularly failed to resolve the weight problem with which so many people struggle. The newer belief, backed by research, is many people are addicted to some foods, particularly those containing sugar and foods scientifically engineered to taste really really good.

Another issue is that most people don’t think they have enough time to accomplish everything they need to do. So when it comes to shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables, preparing, and cooking food versus sliding a pre-prepared tray into the microwave for two minutes, the choice seems obvious. But it may not be the best choice for your health and brain.

Nicole Avena, Ph.D., and author of Sugarless, is a research pioneer who broke the code on a central cause of overweight and obesity in the United States: food compulsion. This theory was developed after years in the laboratory, feeding rats sugary substances—or depriving them of these foods. The most desirable foods "are foods highest in added sugar and also highly processed. Examples are donuts, cake, sugar-sweetened beverages, candy, etc. Any food that contains high amounts of added sugar consumed in excess regularly has addictive potential,” says Avena. She says some food cravings are so powerful that an obese person will drive 40 minutes to a Krispy Kreme to devour the sugary donuts—even if the individual is diabetic.

Avena notes most........

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