We live in an addiction-prone society, but of all the addictions out there, one of the most deadly is one that is most often overlooked: junk food. The term “junk food” refers to any food that is high in calories, fat, salt, and sugar without bringing any nutritional value to the table. Unfortunately, this food is usually convenient, tasty, and extremely addictive.

Foods that are high in fat and sugar work on our brains like opiates – painkillers – and the more we eat, the more we want. This consequence is also increased by the “empty calorie” effect of junk food. It fills us up for a short period of time, but then, like any addict, we begin to feel tired, depressed, and hungry all over again, and we keep coming back for more of the same.

Junk food becomes a dangerous addiction because its effects are so subtle. When we eat a chocolate bar, a bag of chips, or a meal of fast food, we don’t see our arteries clogging with plaque and fat deposits. We don’t feel ourselves gaining weight as our internal organs become fatty and weak, and most of the time, we don’t associate tiredness, anxiety, depression, or skin problems with the junk food we consumed earlier in the day.

Furthermore, because it seems like everybody does it, eating junk food doesn’t appear to be an addiction. Junk food attacks every age group. Children are addicted, seniors are addicted, most people are addicted for their entire lives without ever knowing it, and without understanding the huge health-related repercussions that come along with the treats and snacks that seem so harmless.