Just the other day, I was craving some crackers and decided to buy brown rice crackers. They were tasty and had healthy ingredients. What could be the problem? 

The problem was that the next day, I was thinking too much about having some more of those brown rice crackers. My alarm system went off. Those crackers had hijacked my brain!

If you are having problems with overeating or sticking with your nutrition plan, you must become wise about how your brain responds to certain foods. You too could be in danger of brain hijack.

Proverbs 23:3 gives this advice about being careful what you eat: "When you sit down to eat with a ruler, Consider carefully what is before you; And put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, For they are deceptive food (Proverbs 23:3)."

Deception means that some foods appear to be one way, but are really something else. Today's food manufacturers know exactly what combinations of fat, salt, and sugar stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain. This can happen with even so-called "healthy" foods. 

Once hijacked, these pleasure pathways crave to be stimulated again. These are the same ones activated when drugs are used, like heroine and cocaine.

Let's face it - It is rare to hear about someone craving carrots or broccoli, or other natural foods that God made. It's usually food that mankind has messed with and packaged in a bag, box, or can.

I don't like the idea of anything taking control of my brain, especially food. Been there, done that! I aim to have a sound mind.

So I practice this scripture: "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any (1 Corinthians 6:12)." 

I judged those crackers as not helpful to my goals and I've chosen to not buy them again. Each person is different; some foods that may hijack my brain may not hijack yours and vice-versa. That's why you have to know your own body chemistry, document how certain foods make you feel, and eat wisely in light of that knowledge.

How do you know if certain foods are hijacking your brain? Think about the foods that you eat regularly. Some good clues of brain hijack are: 

• Do you have difficulty controlling the amounts you eat of this food?
• Even after you eat it, do you soon crave more, even though your body isn't hungry?
• Are your thoughts preoccupied with getting more of it (even to the point of obsession)?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, now you know what is going on in your brain. You can choose to either keep getting hijacked or end it now. There are plenty of foods that not only taste good, but are good for you.

I'm interested in your feedback. If you are getting brain hijacked, which foods are the worst offenders for you?

Kimberly Taylor

Take Back Your Temple
www.takebackyourtemple.com

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