Be careful with what “your body is asking for”

We hear a lot of advice about giving your body what it asks for. As an endocrinologist, I would ask you to be careful with that phrase: what the body asks for is often not a physiological need, but a learned response to products designed to produce exactly that.

The industry sells, it does not care for you

There is still no genuinely reliable regulation of the food industry. Products on the shelf are designed to sell; your health is not their objective. It is worth remembering that every time a package promises wellbeing.

Carbohydrates and the brain

Fast-absorbing carbohydrates are highly addictive for your metabolism and for your brain. They activate reward circuits very similar to those of other substances: that is why you cannot stop with certain foods and you can with others.

Additives and endocrine disruptors

Preservatives, colourings, sweeteners and flavour enhancers form a group whose long-term effects we still do not know precisely; many act as endocrine disruptors. What is documented is that rising consumption of ultra-processed food is associated with a long list of diseases, cancer included.

Two simple rules

Always choose natural food and always read the nutrition label. Those two habits solve a good part of the problem before it reaches your plate.