This article is a must read for anyone who consumes fast food. It is an excerpt from a book called The End Of Overeating: Taking Control Of Our Insatiable Appetite, by David A Kessler, published in today’s edition of the Guardian.
Contrary to popular belief, the smart people are out there. These people are asking the right questions and thanks to the internet have a tool to share their findings, it’s just up to the people to explore them.
This article explores the mass manipulation of fast food and popular snacks and why millions of people around the world are compelled to consume them.
“Three decades ago, fewer than one Briton in 10 was obese. One in four is today. It is projected that by 2050, Britain could be a “mainly obese society”. Similar, and even more pronounced, changes were taking place in the US, where researchers found that not only were Americans entering their adult years at a significantly higher weight but, while on average everyone was getting heavier, the heaviest people were gaining disproportionately more weight than others. The spread between those at the upper end of the weight curve and those at the lower end was widening. Overweight people were becoming more overweight.
What had happened to add so many millions of pounds to so many millions of people? Certainly food had become more readily available, with larger portion sizes, more chain restaurants and a culture that promotes out-of-home eating. But having food available doesn’t mean we have to eat it. What has been driving us to overeat?”
“Higher sugar, fat and salt make you want to eat more.” I had read this in scientific literature, and heard it in conversations with neuroscientists and psychologists. But here was a leading food designer, a Henry Ford of mass-produced food, revealing how his industry operates. To protect his business, he did not want to be identified, but he was remarkably candid, explaining how the food industry creates dishes to hit what he called the “three points of the compass”.
Sugar, fat and salt make a food compelling. They stimulate neurons, cells that trigger the brain’s reward system and release dopamine, a chemical that motivates our behaviour and makes us want to eat more. Many of us have what’s called a “bliss point”, at which we get the greatest pleasure from sugar, fat or salt. Combined in the right way, they make a product indulgent, high in “hedonic value”.”
Click through to read the full article…..If you dare!
Filed under: Health & Wellbeing, Words & Rants, body conscious, eat more greens, fast food, fat, health, information overload, obesity, vitality
