If you’ve ever thought you were addicted to pizza, you might just be right. A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that some foods really are more addictive than others.

Researchers surveyed people about the foods they can’t put down. The most habit-forming foods typically had two things in common—a high fat content and a high glycemic load, meaning they spike your blood sugar quickly after ingestion. Foods with a high glycemic load tend to be rich in sugars and refined carbs.

These items were most addictive, in order:
Pizza
Chocolate
Chips
Cookies
French Fries
Cheeseburger
Soda (not diet)
Cake
Cheese

(While soda and cheese don’t have the combo of high fat and a high glycemic load, they each score high in one of the categories.)

Meanwhile, the least addicting foods in the study were cucumbers, carrots, beans without sauce, apples, plain brown rice, broccoli, bananas, salmon, corn without butter or salt, and strawberries.

“We found that people who indicated experiencing symptoms of food addiction reported the most problems with foods with a high glycemic load, where the refined carbs hit the system in a rapid, rewarding manner,” says lead study author Erica Schulte, a doctoral student. “It may be that people who consume food in an addictive manner find the blood sugar spike more rewarding than those who don't report addictive-like eating.”

Previous research suggests that eating sugary foods activates brain regions involved in processing reward.

Read the full article "Here's Why One Slice of Pizza Is Never Enough" at Men's Health.