Opinion: Fat dependency

EDITOR's NOTE: This article originally published in The Advocate on Dec. 7, 2011. To view original post, visit AccentAdvocate.com.

Happiness only costs $1.

It can be found under the golden arches with over a billion served, and is available in all flavors.

Ice keeps it chilled and if there is not enough to quench one's thirst, there are free refills.

And customers can never have enough as they walk away feeling temporarily euphoric and satisfied. But they'll be back.

The quick smile from that first hot, salty french fry becomes a look of disgust as fast food addicts wonder why they continue to shove the potato sticks down their gullet.

The craving may have started as an annual treat, but a craving becomes a habit and, before long, it becomes an addiction.

Tasting, chewing, and smelling specific flavors release certain chemicals in the brain, creating a chemical dependence similar to drugs like cocaine.

The salty, fatty, sugary instant regret that is fast food is a key contributor in childhood obesity not because of the toys it offers with its kids meals, but because the grease-soaked dish with the iced sugar water is received in the brain as a happiness meal.

As humans evolved, grazing their ways across the continents, their tongues also adapted to different flavors.

The tongue has a particular affinity for salts, sugars and fats.

When ingesting food with these particular flavors, John Hopkins University neuroscience professor David Linden wrote earlier this year, the brain's pleasure centers overload with dopamine when eating energy-dense, fatty and sugary foods.

This is the same reaction from stimulants.

These pleasure signals are received as highly rewarding and, in turn, become addicting.

It has become so easy to get that fix, it is no wonder childhood obesity and diabetes has increased in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Not only do adults go out for a quick Coke and fries before bed, but some will bring their children along.

When that kid's meal comes out, though, it has major affects on that child's development.

Not only does the meal provide no nutritional benefit, it reinforces the addictive behavior, especially when combined with a caffeinated drink, another stimulant drug.

The high sugar content in the soft drinks, food and condiments, create a chemical dependence.

When a person habitually drinks caffeinated beverages or eats foods high in fat or sugar, one can experience withdrawal symptoms, including headache and irritability within 12 hours and they can last up to five days.

Introducing children to these chemicals at a young age is dangerous.

Whether it is fast food, candy or sodas, refined sugars have a negative impact on a growing body and mind.

Raising children in a world of late-night drive-thru pleasure windows is positive reinforcement of addiction.

The nutritional benefits are non-existent, but it also creates a culture of conditioning.

Instead of eating a piece of fruit or a vegetable, which has the nutrients all humans, young and old, need to survive, drive down to the local burger shack for a milkshake because it will make one feel better.

Although natural foods have natural sugars, glucose, in them, the flavors taken in provoke a response greater than the purest honey could aspire.

Fast food addiction has a number of health risks attached to it.

Obesity, diabetes and heart issues are the most prominent, but depression, withdrawal and acne also surface as a result of the addiction.

These are contrary to the environment in which children should be raised.

Fast food has become an American staple and its industry knows how to attract and retain new customers each day.

They keep showing up younger each day because the price of happiness is cheap and the result is so sweet.