Food that loves you back twice

In 1983 Danny Ainge was playing for the Boston Celtics (he’s now their GM and president of basketball operations) when he and 7-foot-1 Monte “Tree” Rollins, a center for the Atlanta Hawks, got into a scuffle that ended with Rollins biting Ainge’s right hand. “Tree Bites Man” read the headline in the next day’s Boston Herald.

Not much love in that bite. But research shows that when you bite into food, it loves you back — twice! Researchers published a study in Cell Metabolism that revealed when you first taste food, you get a hit of dopamine, the brain chemical that lets you focus on the pleasure — and then when you digest it, bam, you get another dose. Bite. Reward. Reward.

But the research also reveals that cravings can interfere with that reward system. If you’re craving something and take a bite, that first hit of dopamine takes over. After you swallow, the second hit is very small. Cravings seem to be associated with a dysregulation of the whole hungry/eat/feel-full process.

So how can you reduce cravings and protect your double dose of dopamine for maximum eating pleasure and health?

First: Eat slowly. Alternate bites between the foods you crave and foods you don’t crave. For many, that’ll be veggies and whole grains.

Second: If you’re overweight, losing weight may reduce cravings. Research indicates that if you’re obese, the reward you feel from eating is associated with brain changes that are similar to ones associated with addiction. Twelve-step programs, exercise, revised nutritional habits and therapy can help.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.