Listening 39 – Listen for specific words

If you just can’t seem to cut down on cookies, Fill in the blank 1 of 24 , and soda, it may not be entirely due to a lack of willpower on your part. The disturbing Fill in the blank 2 of 24 is that food companies have intentionally designed their products to be addictive.

The addictive Fill in the blank 3 of 24 of junk food are illustrated in an experiment in which rats were allowed to binge on high-fat foods for several weeks. The junk food was then taken away and healthier food was Fill in the blank 4 of 24 – but the rats preferred to starve themselves rather than eat the healthier food. Researchers then offered the rats a choice between eating junk food, which was Fill in the blank 5 of 24 with an electric shock, and regular food – and the rats still preferred the unhealthy option, regardless of the pain.

Here are three examples of the sneaky tactics that are used to Fill in the blank 6 of 24 our taste buds and keep us hooked on food that is harmful to our health. One is something called the “bliss point” – the specific Fill in the blank 7 of 24 of flavors that maximizes your pleasure while still leaving you craving more. If there is too little taste, you won’t enjoy the food – but if the flavor is too Fill in the blank 8 of 24 , it will satisfy you and dampen your desire to overindulge.

One brand of soda Fill in the blank 9 of 24 61 formulas with subtle differences and tested them with thousands of people until it gathered enough Fill in the blank 10 of 24 to determine the perfect blend of ingredients – perfect for turning you into an addict, that is. The Fill in the blank 11 of 24 soda drinkers can consume upwards of 1,000 cans a year, resulting in million-dollar profits for the company.

Chips and other puffy snacks take Fill in the blank 12 of 24 of a phenomenon called “vanishing caloric density” – because they are light and easily melt in your mouth, your brain Fill in the blank 13 of 24 there’s no calories in them – and you can keep eating them forever. Of course, the chips are loaded with salt and fat, which Fill in the blank 14 of 24 to high blood pressure and myriad health problems.

Finally, misleading advertising and labeling Fill in the blank 15 of 24 can confuse even people who are trying to be health-Fill in the blank 16 of 24 . Eighty percent of food sold in the United States – even food that is billed as “healthy” such as whole wheat Fill in the blank 17 of 24 – has added sugar. But you might never know it, because there are fifty-six different terms for Fill in the blank 18 of 24 sugar. So if you don’t see the word “sugar” on the label, it may be masquerading under a different name.

Sometimes the Fill in the blank 19 of 24 advertises a positive point to convince us we’re making a healthy choice – conveniently omitting the fact that unhealthy ingredients lurk within. The label “all Fill in the blank 20 of 24 ” may be slapped on a product that is high in sodium, and the word “light” may mean the food has less fat, but the same number of calories. Many “fat free” foods are loaded with Fill in the blank 21 of 24 , and snacks that claim to be “made with real fruit” may only include a tiny percentage of it.

Perhaps the most insidious trick has to do with the Fill in the blank 22 of 24 serving size – to make the product look lower in calories, the nutritional information on the label is based on an Fill in the blank 23 of 24 small serving. Most people eat two or three times that amount in one sitting – so the next time you’re looking at a label, remember to Fill in the blank 24 of 24 the calories for the serving size listed.