So you’re a bear in the forest, and you’re hungry. When you trundle toward a raspberry bush and get your first taste of ripe, sweet fruit, dopamine floods your brain, pleasure as a form of instruction: More of this. Faithful to your body’s signals, you’ll be back to these same bushes throughout the summer, and every summer after that.
The dopamine hits that a tasty meal provides help animals — people included — survive. But ultra-processed food manufacturers have perverted the brain’s built-in reward system, according to researchers, nutrition advocates, and leaders across the political spectrum, keeping people coming back for the Cheetos and Chips Ahoy! that wreak havoc on their health.
