10 Of The Most Addictive Foods You Can't Stop Munching On

While taking part in a fast at the very beginning of the year, one which required me to forgo meats, processed foods and any drinks other than water (and maybe 100 percent fruit juice), I found myself with the urge to snack early on. Trying my best to stay the course, I decided to try what I thought would be a healthy mix — peanuts and raisins. I would mix them in a napkin, and found that the combination was so delicious, it almost became a dessert for me. And while it should have been a harmless snack, even after my fast ended, it became something of a necessity.

I would buy a new carton of raisins and container of peanuts pretty much every week, and while I knew it was a lot, I didn’t realize it was becoming a problem until I went to the doctor. I stepped on the scale and had gained eight pounds since my fast ended, which was the last time I measured my weight. I knew almost immediately it was the peanuts and raisins, the three, sometimes four servings of each I would eat when I got home from work. Because aside from that, my meals were pretty light and dense with veggies.

What started as a healthy snack turned into the same old addiction I’d had to previous sweets and mindless snacking. I didn’t see it coming, but should have known better — too much of anything can be a bad thing.

It got me to thinking about all the foods we treat ourselves to, and how many of us can just have one slice, one serving, one scoop. But then there are others that we consume where one turns into three cups and a handful of chips transforms into the entire bag. To help you avoid falling into the usual addictive habits, it makes sense to know what foods are the most habit-forming. Once you know, you can be more careful about what you have in your home based on your tastes.

A study done by the University of Michigan late last year on 518 individuals, who were given a list of 35 foods, was able to identify 18 of the most addictive.  We bring you 10, and as you might guess, the majority are processed. Hit the flip to see which ones you might want to be careful in the ways in which you consume, and here’s to mindful munching!

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Pizza

This cheesy mix of bread and tomato came in first place as most addictive.

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Chocolate

Your favorite sweet came in second place. A suggestion on how to consume it? Opt for a couple of Hersey’s Kisses as opposed to a whole block of chocolate.

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Chips

Sugar and salts tend to be the most addictive, so it makes sense that chips landed at third place. Swap them out for popcorn, the air-popped kind, or our favorites, baked snap peas.

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Cookies

You can’t have just one. That’s why cookies ended up in fourth place.

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Ice Cream

Everyone screams for ice cream, hence its placement in the fifth position. If you must have something sweet and cold, we recommend bars made 100 percent of fruit.

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French Fries

In the sixth position is French fries. Remember what we said about salts? Again, sweets and salts are often the most addictive, so if you find yourself in trouble with these babies, have a salad or vegetables with the food you often pair fries with.

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Cheeseburgers

What could be more addictive than a meal of a cheeseburger and fries? Landing in the seventh place is your favorite burger. We don’t have an alternative for this one since even chicken and turkey options are outrageously good. But we’d say pass on the sliders, which you can overdo it on, and just enjoy one hearty burger every now and then.

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Soda (Not the Diet Kind)

In the eighth spot is soda, or pop — depending on who you ask. Soda is actually one of the easiest things to push out of your diet. One trick to doing it? Infuse water with your favorite fruits to give it a “sweet” taste.

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Cake

In the ninth position is cake. Oh, delicious, fluffy cake with even sweeter icing. There’s a reason Miranda threw a whole box-made version away on Sex and the City. We recommend buying solo slices as opposed to bringing an entire cake into your home.

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Cheese

Maybe cheese isn’t as addictive in the form you see in the picture above, but gooey cheese is beloved by many. That’s why it landed in the 10th spot. Thankfully though, there are low-fat cheese options available if you can’t resist.