March is National Nutrition Month and during this month I am inviting everyone to learn more about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and activity habits.

According to a recent New York Times article summarizing current research, certain foods are “especially likely to elicit ‘addictive-like’ eating behaviors, such as intense cravings, a loss of control, and an inability to cut back despite experiencing harmful consequences and a strong desire to stop eating them.”

You’re not broken for being tempted by these highly processed foods like: white flour, white sugar, white salt and oils.

One of the biggest advantages of sticking with a whole food plant-based diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices in infinite tasty combinations, is that these foods don’t offer the same dopamine hit as those that are stripped of nutrients and then processed with oils, sugars, salts, flours, etc. to make them hyperpalatable.

Most importantly, we can arm ourselves with peace knowing there isn’t something wrong with us for desiring those foods and not being able to stop eating them once we start.