In the "Super Size Me" movie, the main dude gets literally addicted just like described in this article. He is depressed until he gets his McDonalds fix and then is pleasantly satiated until he feels like ass because he just ate 1500 calories of McDonalds.
I think that's an insulin thing. I can put myself in a similar state with healthy home cooked food, it just takes a bit of empty sugary/starchy calories.
Some foods spike your insulin levels and 3 to 4 hours later your body is so glucose deprived that you feel bad and depressed, but take one bite to eat and within 5 minutes you're chipper again.
So the solution then is to eat less of the food that makes you crash and more of the food that keeps your mood on an even keel. It also doesn't help that caffeine from sugary sodas wears off around the same time as the sugar crash - double whammy of depressed.
The other point that people seem to not miss from that movie is the fact that growing portion sizes and upselling has gotten us to eat more.
Just because people are given the option for more food for another .30 more people go for it not realizing they may be getting another 500 calories they shouldn't be consuming.
I would say to friends, "Do you honestly need the extra food?" and I would get the "But it's a bargain!" response.
In the US, all packaged foods required labels with nutritional info. OP describes how those labels are purposefully misleading. I'm suggesting eating fresh produce and never worrying about labels again.
At least in US grocery stores, there is an inverse relationship between the prettiness of the packaging, and the healthfulness of the product. Fresh produce and such aren't packaged at all.
I think he might be referring to the existence of labels on food products. Some countries might not have labels listing ingredients on processed food products.
My rule to stay healthy is "Don't eat anything that does not rot."
This limits me to fruits, vegetables and meat (generally) and helps me stay away from processed food. It is really easy to remember too. I pick up an item at the store, ask myself it will rot, if it will, I buy it.
