Your brain on fats and sweets

More than half the food Americans eat is ultra-processed, often optimized to hit fat and sugar sensors to release dopamine (like the candy, above). That’s like nicotine to a cigarette smoker—engineered to harm. “We don't realize that these are really killing people,” says psychologist Ashley Gearhardt. How can we fight back? The first step, experts say, is being aware of these foods’ precise effects. Read the full story here. Please consider getting our full digital report and magazine by subscribing here.