This might be a tough one to swallow, but it turns out that training your brain to crave vegetables instead of junk food can actually be done!

We may be able to condition ourselves to want low-calorie healthy foods instead of unhealthy, higher-calorie foods. We don’t start out in life loving french fries and hating, for example, whole wheat pasta. This condition happens over time in response to eating repeatedly out in the toxic food environment. Once unhealthy food addiction circuits are established, they may be hard to reverse.

However, as long as it takes to establish this unhealthy food addiction, it can be easy to reverse. The brain’s reward center is associated with learning and addiction. Adding 1-2 healthier meals or snacks a day that you enjoy will trigger the reward center in your brain. This will allow your brain to associate healthier foods with satisfaction and enjoyment, eventually leading to a “learned addiction” to heathy foods.

So do your brain and body a favor by training your brain to be addicted to the healthier choices of food. This will be the only time I will encourage an “addiction.” Good Luck.