Yesterday, Chris Shugart of T-Nation published an article on the subject of food addiction and withdrawal. Considering that all they do is push toxic supplements, one can only guess what his “solution” will be. A shit ton of protein powder perhaps, since protein can be quite satiating?
Well, let’s see what he has to say, and I’ll add my thoughts along the way.
“Dave needs a hit, man. It’s been a couple of hours since he’s had a fix, and his drug of choice wears off fast. Now he has a headache, he’s irritable and moody, lightheaded, and tired. He feels weak and his stomach cramps. Classic withdrawal symptoms.
But Dave isn’t withdrawing from the latest street drug; he’s withdrawing from food… really crappy food. And the only way to relieve the withdrawal symptoms is to either eat more processed junk food or wait days or even weeks for the addiction to dissipate.
That’s the general idea behind food addiction and a concept called toxic hunger, a term popularized by physician Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Are food addictions and toxic hunger real? Let’s discuss where Dr. Fuhrman gets it right and where he might be missing part of the equation.”
That was quite the preface. And we’re already going straight downhill with the mention of the charlatan, fraud and Whole Food partner Dr. Joel Fuhrman — a “celebrity doctor” who advocates the slave diet of plant-based foods. Even more comical is that he advocates “nutrient-dense” foods, which is an oxymoron if you at the same time recommend a plant-based approach — as all plant-based foods are totally void of bioavailable nutrition and also full of toxins (we will cover all this in a second.)
What is Toxic Hunger?
“In a recent T Nation Instagram 3 poll, 25% of our followers said they struggle daily with overeating. Could this be due in part to toxic hunger?”
T-Nation is a bodybuilding- and fitness website run by a supplement company. You would think that their readers would be somewhat educated when it comes to nutrition, but apparently not. With that being said, considering that “nutrition science” is all backwards and a product of the food industry, the governing elites, and the pharmaceutical industry, it is not really that surprising. Pretty much everyone is fooled. I was fooled in many areas too until early 2018. Although I always favored animal-based foods and a ketogenic diet, I still believed in some plant-based pseudo-science crap such as phytonutrients and antioxidants (extremely toxic defense chemicals) and the extremely toxic supplements that I used during 27 years of my coaching career. And although I never struggled with overeating or food addictions, and neither did any of my clients (due to my nutrition plans being animal-based,) I can still relate as most people’s actions are governed by complete disinformation and ignorance.
“Here’s the quick-and-dirty version of Dr. Fuhrman’s ideas:
- There are different types of hunger. Real hunger means your belly is empty and your body is asking for nourishment. This type of hunger makes us seek out mostly nutrient-dense foods.”
No, you should never get hungry as soon as your “belly is empty.” That is a sign of malnutrition as hunger is simply a signal of your body being deficient in one or many nutrients. If you consume real food, as in animal-based foods that actually contain bioavailable nutrients, you should be fully nourished and able to go days without food and without feeling hungry or getting cravings. This is why we who follow our natural species-specific carnivorous diet can do 5, 7 or even 11 days of dry fasting without feeling hunger or cravings. I’ve explained this many times.
And hunger does not necessarily make us seek out ‘nutrient-dense’ food, as you seldom see hungry people going for steaks, eggs or organ meats — most people simply seek out what they have been programmed to consume, what they are accustomed to, and what they think will satisfy them in that instant.
Only when you follow our natural diet, when you have been de-programmed and your body has been reconditioned to recognize real food will you get cravings for a fatty steak, a liver, or a handful of eggs after being without food for a while.
- “Toxic hunger, on the other hand, isn’t really hunger: it’s a set of withdrawal symptoms misinterpreted as hunger.”
Yes, this is actually true. And this is the “problem” of which the charlatan Dr. Fuhrman will try to sell you the solution, which of course will be even worse for your health as he is in deep with the food industry — and since he pushes the extremely unhealthy and damaging plant-based agenda to keep people weak, docile and sickly, he is also a very evil bastard only in it to push the elite’s agenda while making money.
Within biology and physiology, we know that plant-based foods are inferior and toxic to humans, and we also know that only animal-based foods can provide us with the nutrients we need.
To quickly summarize, withdrawal from highly processed (HP) foods can lead to cravings and hunger pangs. Some research suggests that HP foods, rich in refined carbohydrates, chemicals, and seed/vegetable oils, can activate reward centers in the brain, making them highly palatable and potentially addictive. Studies have drawn parallels between quitting junk food and drug addiction. When individuals abruptly stop consuming HP foods, they may experience withdrawal symptoms, including cravings and increased hunger. This phenomenon is thought to be driven by the brain’s adaptation to the constant presence of these foods and the hits of dopamine, leading to a dependence on their presence to regulate appetite and mood.
- “According to Dr. Fuhrman, when the body isn’t digesting food (especially pro-inflammatory foods), it begins to “detoxify” – breaking down and eliminating waste products. He believes the symptoms of toxic hunger are part of this detoxification process.”
Again, inflammation is the noticeable ‘symptoms’ of our body’s healing process. So, calling something “pro-inflammatory” is the same thing as calling it “pro-healing.” This is introductory-level understanding in physiology. What the complete imbecile Dr. Fuhrman might be hinting at, are foods that contain a lot of toxins — which is hilarious as plant-based foods, especially processed plant-based foods, have the highest toxic load of all edibles.
As for detoxification, it is actually an ongoing process 24/7. However, every time you eat or expose your body to any kind of load or stress, your organs have to prioritize that immediate stressor and detoxification is slowed down or even temporarily halted. So, full-throttle detoxification can only occur when you are in a fasted state, which usually is when you have digested a meal, it has passed through the small intestine, and all nutrients have been absorbed, as in blood concentration of nutrients has returned to base levels. This usually happens within 4 to 6 hours after a meal, depending on its size. So, as most people consume multiple meals a day, and also have snacks, they can only detoxify a little during the late hours of sleep, which is far from enough to stay healthy.
- “To fix this, we must learn to recognize the difference between physiological hunger signals and withdrawal symptoms from poor food choices. Dr. Fuhrman’s cure is time and eating a plant-based diet with a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. He’s not a full-vegetarian, but his Nutritarian approach leans that direction.”
Again, this Fuhrman is a complete retard and an evil fu**er at that. Adding in more plant-based slave-foods will prolong digestion due to fiber and toxins, fooling you into feeling “satiated” for longer periods of time. It will also increase the toxic load, overriding some of the symptoms that can arise from withdrawal. You’re simply switching a basket of poison for another basket of poison.
Controversial Topic, Compelling Research
“Numerous studies show that certain foods have what could be called “addictive” qualities, usually processed foods containing all three of the Terrible Trio: sugar, fat, and salt.
The Terrible Trio triggers the release of dopamine, the pleasure/reward neurotransmitter. Eat those foods often and the brain gets accustomed to the dopamine spikes, leading to cravings and dependency. In studies where the Trio was consumed separately, sugar, salt, and fat didn’t have such a profound triggering effect.”
That’s one hell of an oversimplification. You guys need to be more specific. It’s not fat, it’s oils, as in seed/vegetable oils.
Actually, “the terrible trio” is the combination of carbohydrates, as in various sugars, seed/vegetable oils, salt, preservatives and stabilizers, texture additives, artificial sweeteners and flavorings, and similar chemicals and additives that are used to enhance taste and mask the bitterness of all plant extracts.
“Of course, junk food makers know this and reportedly test their products on animals to ensure dependency. If the animals eat until they’re satisfied, that new kid’s breakfast cereal they’re testing is reformulated until the rats eat themselves sick and get hungry again soon after.
This was tested in the lab in 2015. The rats eating normal rodent chow ate until they were full. The rats getting chocolate breakfast cereal binged, then experienced drug-like withdrawal symptoms when the researchers pulled the cereal. The cereal triggered addiction-like responses in their brains, and the same thing happens to humans. The researchers said that combo sugar/fat foods do have addictive properties: certain foods can indeed trigger compulsive eating.”
Yes, that is correct, that is how the food industry operates. Also, those are the guys who wrote most of your “nutrition science.” You guys better wise up.
The Missing Protein Piece
“Dr. Fuhrman is right about a lot of things, but he may be underestimating protein. Protein is the most filling macro, but it also has a leveraging effect on hunger.”
And here it comes, the plug for protein powders, how surprising. And no, Dr. Fuhrman is not right about anything, only that he acknowledged food addiction and food withdrawal. That’s it. Other than that, he’s an evil shill pushing the deadly plant-based diet while running the errands of the food industry and big pharma.
I will not cover the rest of Shugart’s article, as I already covered the ‘protein leverage effect’ in one of his previous articles, which can be found here.
In short, protein is very satiating, so it will blunt hunger temporarily for a longer time than any other macronutrient. However, hunger is still a signal from your body indicating nutrient deficiencies. So, the only way to be fully nourished and not experience any hunger pangs or cravings is to follow an animal-based diet, preferably our natural carnivorous diet.
And as for junk food withdrawal, it can be managed by actually nourishing your body and assisting it in detoxifying all the chemicals while resetting your brain. While you may still get cravings and feel nauseated at times, by gradually removing all the processed and plant-based crap from your diet while introducing real food such as fatty meat, organ meats, eggs, butter, etcetera, you can minimize these withdrawal effects.
Also, if your nutritional status is somewhat decent, a dry fast can fix any addictions within a few days.
If you need help with your health, nutrition, and/or transitioning from your current way of eating to our natural species-appropriate, species-specific way of eating, I’m available for both coaching and consultation.
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