The most common accepted answer is some sort of superstimulus theory—modern food is so tasty people find it irresistible. This seems backwards to me in its basic assumption—almost any “traditional” food seems to taste better than almost any “modern” food.
I do tend to enjoy traditional foods more when I eat them, I just don’t crave them. For example, I enjoy the taste of homemade Hungarian paprikas more than anything else I eat, but it doesn’t instill the cravings I used to get for a Big Mac, coke, and fries. The more we eat certain high calorie foods, the more powerful our cravings seem to become.
I suspect the superstimulus is more from the spike in blood sugar we get from calorically dense processed foods, rather than the super good taste.
I do tend to enjoy traditional foods more when I eat them, I just don’t crave them. For example, I enjoy the taste of homemade Hungarian paprikas more than anything else I eat, but it doesn’t instill the cravings I used to get for a Big Mac, coke, and fries. The more we eat certain high calorie foods, the more powerful our cravings seem to become.
I suspect the superstimulus is more from the spike in blood sugar we get from calorically dense processed foods, rather than the super good taste.