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Can Food Palatability Help You Lose Weight?

 October 9, 2018 - Reading time: 19 minutes

Having Weight Loss Trouble? The Problem Could Be Your Food's "Palatability"

Everyone loves to eat tasty food. But did you know that, when it comes to diet and weight loss, there can be such a thing as food that is "too tasty"? It's called hyper-palatability, and this phenomenon is responsible for why most people have trouble losing weight. Below, we'll discuss the ins and outs of food palatability, how it's affecting your diet and weight loss goals, and what you can do to make sure the food you eat is the most effective at helping you lose that stubborn belly fat.

So, What's the Deal With Food Palatability?

When it comes to food palatability, there are two different types: hyperpalatable foods, and low palatable foods. The two terms are pretty intuitive, but the basic gist is this: hyperpalatable foods are super tasty. Like, "almost as addictive as heroin" tasty.  Low palatable foods, on the other hand, are less tasty than hyperpalatable foods. But don't get us wrong - low palatable food doesn't mean that they taste bad, or that they have no taste at all. It just means that they don't activate the reward system in the brain as powerfully as hyperpalatable foods do. Both types of palatability have very different effects on your body, on your brain, and on the way your metabolism processes the foods you eat.

Hyperpalatable Foods

For an example of hyper palatable foods, think of your favorite unhealthy snack. Or think of your favorite unhealthy fast food restaurant. All of these foods can be considered hyperpalatable foods - these are the foods you eat when you don't feel good, or when you want to reward yourself. Or maybe you just want to eat them because they taste good (we aren't judging).

So what's the problem with rewarding yourself from time to time, you may ask? Well, it has to do with the physiological effects that hyperpalatable foods have on your body.  Hyperpalatable foods contain just the right ratios of refined sugar, fat, and salt to hit the "sweet spot" of tastiness. And this magical deliciousness triggers the reward system in your brain to produce feelings of intense pleasure. As a matter of fact, there have been many scientific studies that prove hyperpalatable foods have a very similar effect on your brain to highly addictive drugs such as heroin or alcohol. Yes, that's right - science has proven that the human brain is just as vulnerable to hyperpalatable food addiction as it is to any other substance or behavior.

Unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Hyperpalatable foods aren't just hindering your weight loss goals because you are tempted to eat more of them more often, and therefore ingest more calories. Another complication arises from the fact that the calories you are ingesting do not contain very many nutrients, if any at all. You see, in order to lose weight, the human body needs vitamins, minerals, and healthy macronutrients (such as complex carbohydrates and healthy fats) in order to metabolize energy efficiently. And if you aren't giving your body any of those nutrients, or your body only gets them in small amounts, then achieving your weight loss goals is going to be an uphill battle.

So hyperpalatable foods create intense, addictive like food cravings which make you ingest more calories. They also damage your body by not supplying it with enough vital nutrients. Both of these things will hinder your ability to lose weight. Unfortunately, there's still one more problem with consuming excess amounts of hyperpalatable foods that's sabotaging your weight loss. When you eat hyperpalatable foods, you feel less full and get hungrier throughout the day more often than you would eating low palpable foods. This is because hyperpalatable foods released more of the hunger hormone, ghrelin.

Just like any other addictive habit, breaking your attraction to hyperpalatable foods can be extremely difficult. The longer you've been eating them, the  more intensely your mind will crave them. But don't worry; there is hope. Breaking the habit of indulging your hyper palatable food cravings is possible. And in the next section on low palatable foods, will explain how to do exactly just that.

Low Palatable Foods

Low palatable foods contain higher amounts of both fiber and overall water content. Because of this, they're better and making you feel satiated then hyperpalatable foods. As a matter of fact, this feeling of fullness that comes from eating low palatable foods does not release the hunger hormone ghrelin that we talked about earlier. It actually releases an opposite hormone - leptin - that makes you feel satiated and full. When you feel satiated, you are less likely to indulge in hunger cravings or snack throughout the day. This, in turn, helps you consume fewer calories. And as anyone who watches weight loss reality TV shows knows, fewer calories in than calories out (or "burned") usually equals weight loss.

Another good thing about low palatable foods is that they are the opposite of hyperpalatable foods in that they contain fewer calories while also containing more nutrients per calorie than most other foods. As you put more nutrients into your body, you give it what it needs to repair tissue damage to your major organs, which helps them operate more efficiently. This is especially important for your pancreas and your liver.

People who eat too many of their calories from hyperpalatable foods sometimes develop fatty liver syndrome. This metabolic disorder increases fat stores within the liver itself, which causes liver damage. And this damage makes it harder for the liver to do its job and metabolize stored fat cells for energy.  

But the liver isn't the only suffering organ in your body. Nearly everyone with a little extra belly fat around their midsection has some sort of problem with insulin sensitivity, which may indicate some damage to your pancreas. The pancreas is responsible for releasing insulin based on your overall insulin sensitivity. If your pancreas is damaged and your insulin sensitivity is low, then many of the calories you eat will be stored as fat - especially around your midsection. But a healthy pancreas and high insulin sensitivity means that your body is efficient at burning its calories and your stored body fat for energy.

Making the Switch from Hyperpalatable to Low Palatable Foods

Obviously, there are a number of health benefits associated with switching to low palatable foods. But before we go any further, let's clear up one very important misconception about low palatable foods: "low palatable" does not mean "tastes bad". As a matter of fact, there are many delicious low palatable foods out there that are just as healthy for you as they are tasty. The only difference is that they do not contain that "sweet spot" balance of sugar, salt, and fat that triggers an addictive-like response by the reward system in your brain.

If you're interested in making this switch, the first step is to find recipes for low palpable meals that seem appetizing to you. Step two involves practice and repetition. You've been practicing and repeating the process of eating hyperpalatable foods for a while, so your brain naturally gives them preferential treatment. In order to get your brain used to low palatable foods, you have to get into the practice of eating them instead.  

While it may seem like an impossible struggle at first, just understand that your brain will eventually recalibrate itself. This is especially true given the higher nutrient content of the low palatable foods. Once your body senses that you are feeding it the nutrients it needs to get and be healthy, you will start to crave those foods as much - or sometimes even more strongly - than the hyper palatable foods you were eating before!

And we aren't just saying that because of anecdotal experiences from our staff (although for some of us, that is the case). There is concrete scientific proof that this will happen to you. A recent clinical study asked some of its participants to cut 40% of refined sugar out of there diet for just one month. The other participants in the control group were not asked to change their diets at all. After that month, the participants were fed a special putting sweetened with extra sugar. All the participants in the control group reported that the pudding tasted normal; however, the participants who cut sugar out of their diet reported that the pudding tasted much sweeter than most other puddings. This is because their brains, over the course of just one month on a low palatable food diet, recalibrated themselves towards craving nutrient dense foods with lower amounts of refined sugar in them.

So how can you help yourself get accustomed to low palatable foods and boost your weight loss? There are actually 3 easy steps you can take to help your body crave healthy, fat burning foods instead of hyperpalatable junk food. Those steps are:

 

Like we said earlier, the best foods for reducing hunger cravings contain high amounts of fiber and also a high water content. Just to get you started, add these items to your grocery list the next time you stop at the store:

All of the foods above contain either a high water content, lots of fiber, or both. And the best part is that they are also very nutrient-dense, so they will help boost the healing and detoxification process of major organs such as the liver and pancreas (which are actively involved in weight loss).

Switching from a hyper palatable food diet to a healthy, low palatable food diet is not the easiest thing in the world. It will take time, patience, and a lot of trial and error. But with a little effort, you too can make the lifestyle changes necessary to burn away those extra stubborn pounds - and keep them off for good!