Addictive Fast Food

It may have once contained only recognizable ingredients, but today's fast food is chemically engineered to create a state of bliss in the mind -- a state the brain wants to replicate over and over again.

At least one study has found the magical combination triumvirate of sugar, fat, and salt so commonly found in fast food to be as addictive as heroin.

And don't get us started on fast food companies that get kids hooked early by giving them toys with their entrees.

MSG

The food additive Monosodium Glutamate -- which, probably due to the bad rep it's earned over the past few decades, also operates under the alias Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein -- appears in many processed foods, condiments such as Heinz ketchup, as well as in the fare served at fast food joints and chain restaurants like Friday's.

The book "The Slow Poisoning of America" by John and Michelle Erb claims that MSG is akin to "nicotine for food" -- it's included for its addictive qualities so that once people consume it, they eat more of the food and they come back to have it again.