What's wrong with the diet? Physiological component of the diet.

Chapter 5. Is it important to follow a diet?

What we're exploring: What is the dangerous environment that influences weight gain?

What's new: What food is like a drug?

What we will learn: Distinguish between hunger and food reward.

1. Over the past few decades, Americans have come to rely on the convenience of eating out. Unfortunately, foods away from home (FAFH) often contain fewer fruits and vegetables and more calories, fat, and sodium [salt, ed., author] than foods prepared at home (FAH), and consumption of FAFH is associated with obesity [1].

2. FAFH and obesity. There is a link between obesity and eating out, USDA research shows. This study proves that food that has become a habit is contrary to WHO nutrition recommendations, which recommend: - "reducing fat, sugar, and salt in processed foods" and "ensuring the availability of healthy food choices", i.e. other items on the menu, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, vegetables and fruits. [2]. Therefore, eating out creates a dangerous environment that promotes obesity [3, 4].

3. Hazardous environment. How dangerous is this environment, you ask? This environment is responsible for preparing food for a person, which, like a drug, makes him dependent on its aroma, taste, availability, convenience, and pleasure [5]. Food that takes a minimum of time to acquire and provides maximum pleasure when eating it. Food that can be consumed anywhere - on the street or in catering establishments, in the car or sitting in the park, at a picnic or in the office, at a corporate party, or at home. Takeaway or fast food is served in disposable dishes, which allows you to quickly get rid of waste and avoid wasting time on washing. Food that is available at any time of the day - morning or evening, afternoon or midnight. Food, the distinctive feature of which is the abundance of fat, salt and sugar, caffeine-containing drinks, as well as the presence of strong flavors in it, which makes it many times more aromatic, appetizing, tempting, very tasty and quickly filling in a short time: "Fast food contains a lot of the amount of all these nutrients [fat, salt, sugar, caffeinated drinks, ed., author] and therefore represents an ideal combination for nutritional rewards" [ibid.].

4. Food reward and hunger. Eating quickly helps to reward yourself for the stress of anxiety caused by the frantic pace of the Western lifestyle. But very soon the desire again arises not to satisfy hunger, but to relieve stress through the pleasure of such food (reward process), although people are sure that hunger is prompting them to eat such food [4, 6]. The cycle repeats itself, and with it excess food, leading to obesity and, as a consequence, harm to health. Thus, such nutrition becomes an integral part of the lifestyle of people who are too busy to pay due attention to their health (fr. 4.2). Who creates a dangerous environment that produces addiction to food as drugs? [12, 13].

5. Food addiction. Dependent food is prepared in three formats of the main types of restaurants:

• QSR – fast food restaurant or fast food, where customers at the counter order and pick up what they ordered; these include the most famous brands McDonald's, KFC, Subway, and Tim Hortons, located around the world.

• FSR is a full-service restaurant where waiters serve customers at their tables, from taking orders to cleaning the table after they leave; these include popular brands in the USA - Texas Roadhouse, Seasons 52, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, etc.;

• FCR – the format of this type of restaurant emphasizes informal design and a non-committal choice of dishes. Therefore, in a format such as a fast-casual restaurant, there may or may not be waiters serving part of the tables; These establishments include popular brands in the USA - Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill, The Halal Guys, etc.

Many medical studies have revealed the reasons for the attractiveness and therefore the popularity of QSR, FSR, and FCR restaurants.