WITH Pringles, they say that once you pop you can’t stop.
The delicious crisps are so addictive you can end up finishing a tube in one sitting if you're not careful - and now it turns out there's a reason for this.
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The answer is that the finger-licking snack targets a specific part of the brain that is responsible for pleasure and reward.
Although they are identified by many people as crisps, the product has less than 42 per cent potato, with the rest of it being made up of wheat starch, sunflower oil, maize oil and rice flour.
In addition to this, they contain a co*cktail of ingredients designed to tickle the taste buds and get the brain tingling, including the holy trinity of junk food – sugar, fat and salt.
Our bodies crave these three substances even when we aren’t hungry, and they light up areas of our brain associated with pleasure, in a similar way to how we respond to drugs and alcohol.
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A 30g serving of original-flavoured Pringles – which equates to around 13 crisps – contains nearly 10g of fat and has just less than 0.5g of salt and 0.5g of sugar.
And many of us aren’t content to just stop at 13 Pringles in one session, let’s face it.
The craving for sugar, fat and salt, which is often called “hedonic hunger”, stems back to a time when our ancestors hunted on the plains of Africa.
When food was scarce, it was obvious for early humans to stockpile these “super ingredients” whenever they were available, but with food readily available in Britain today, it can lead to unhealthy eating habits.
While Pringles by themselves are extremely moreish, added flavours can also affect your body.
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For example, varieties such as Texas Barbecue and Paprika are coated in monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a meaty-flavoured salt frequently added to Chinese food.
This meaty flavour appears to trick the brain into thinking Pringles are a source of protein, and this, coupled with the curved shape designed to fit onto your tongue, maximises the taste and appeal.
Of course the small bites can easily lead to over-eating as before you know it, you are consuming them repetitively without noticing.
Pringles were brought into existence by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the late-Sixties as a superior alternative to generic crisps.
The concept was simple – uniform appearance, standardised shape and simply addictive in taste.
Recently it emerged that only ONE side of the crisps are sprinkled with flavour when they're made.
Shocking, right?
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A Pringles spokesperson told The Sun Online: “Many people think that Pringles are seasoned on both sides.
"In fact, only the top side gets a sprinkling of seasoning in the factory.
"When Pringles are stacked in their can, some of the seasoning rubs off onto the next chip – which is why they’ve always been a little uneven."
This means that to maximise your flavour hit, you should turn the crisp upside down before popping it in your mouth so that the seasoned side comes into contact with your tongue.
Previously, these fake Pringles look almost better than the real thing… and people can’t get over the packaging.
You’ve been eating Pringles all wrong… What's the correct way?
