Earlier quoted context omitted.
> If your parents didn't stop you, would you be able to choose and have only 1-2 servings of your favorite sugar snack? or if left alone would you go through a long process of rationalizing just one more and before you know it the entire bag is gone. "You can't eat just one." Fortunately I seem to be able to easily resist the lure of potato chips/crisps and actually feel full after eating a few of them. I think the g…
I used 'sugar' for a reason, comparing it to potato chips is an apples to oranges comparison. We are talking about addiction, and how the brain at young ages can't really perceive or moderate highly addictive behaviors. Sugar is provably addictive and has been compared to cocaine, heroin, and other opioids for the flood of dopamine it causes. Those optimized foods you refer to often simply have a lot of sugar process…
But hyper-palatable foods aren't just sweet - they're savory, spicy, tangy, salty, fatty, all sorts of delicous! They also smell amazing. I recall reading that simply smelling pizza can be enough to cause your blood sugar to spike, presumably in anticipation.
Paradoxically artificial sweeteners can apparently raise blood sugar as well, as can black/unsweetened coffee.