There are few foods more comforting and enjoyable than bread...
Whether it is a warm piece of focaccia dipped in olive oil… a sandwich on a chewy baguette… a flaky croissant… or even the simplest slice of toast with butter…
Just thinking about these foods makes your mouth water!
And the blissful “intoxication” you experience when you eat bread is real.
In fact, you might say bread is the original food addiction.
Traditional bread produces compounds called gluteomorphins. And as their name implies, these compounds engage opioid receptors in your brain – the same receptors triggered by drugs like morphine and heroin. Very similar compounds, called casomorphins, are found in cheese. That would certainly explain the euphoric rush of pleasure you feel, when biting into a crusty slice of pizza with bubbly, melted cheese!
