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The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
Most of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food—when one slice of pizza turns into half a pie, or a handful of chips leads to an empty bag. But it’s harder to understand why we can't seem to stop eating—even when we know better. When we want so badly to say "no," why do we continue to reach for food?
Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now reveals how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans. The result? America’s number-one public health issue. Dr. Kessler cracks the code of overeating by explaining how our bodies and minds are changed when we consume foods that contain sugar, fat, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters. The End of Overeating explains for the first time why it is exceptionally difficult to resist certain foods and why it’s so easy to overindulge.
Dr. Kessler met with top scientists, physicians, and food industry insiders. The End of Overeating uncovers the shocking facts about how we lost control over our eating habits—and how we can get it back. Dr. Kessler presents groundbreaking research, along with what is sure to be a controversial view inside the industry that continues to feed a nation of overeaters—from popular brand manufacturers to advertisers, chain restaurants, and fast food franchises.
For the millions of people struggling with weight as well as for those of us who simply don't understand why we can't seem to stop eating our favorite foods, Dr. Kessler’s cutting-edge investigation offers new insights and helpful tools to help us find a solution.
There has never been a more thorough, compelling, or in-depth analysis of why we eat the way we do.
Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now reveals how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans. The result? America’s number-one public health issue. Dr. Kessler cracks the code of overeating by explaining how our bodies and minds are changed when we consume foods that contain sugar, fat, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters. The End of Overeating explains for the first time why it is exceptionally difficult to resist certain foods and why it’s so easy to overindulge.
Dr. Kessler met with top scientists, physicians, and food industry insiders. The End of Overeating uncovers the shocking facts about how we lost control over our eating habits—and how we can get it back. Dr. Kessler presents groundbreaking research, along with what is sure to be a controversial view inside the industry that continues to feed a nation of overeaters—from popular brand manufacturers to advertisers, chain restaurants, and fast food franchises.
For the millions of people struggling with weight as well as for those of us who simply don't understand why we can't seem to stop eating our favorite foods, Dr. Kessler’s cutting-edge investigation offers new insights and helpful tools to help us find a solution.
There has never been a more thorough, compelling, or in-depth analysis of why we eat the way we do.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
David A. Kessler
18 books61 followers(David Kessler is also the name of another author, a hospice expert who worked with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, although David A. Kessler did co-author a book on elder care.)
David Aaron Kessler is an American pediatrician, lawyer, author, and administrator (both academic and governmental). He was the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from November 8, 1990 to February 28, 1997, and has subsequently held administrative and academic posts at Yale and the University of California at San Francisco.
More information is available at Wikipedia.
David Aaron Kessler is an American pediatrician, lawyer, author, and administrator (both academic and governmental). He was the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from November 8, 1990 to February 28, 1997, and has subsequently held administrative and academic posts at Yale and the University of California at San Francisco.
More information is available at Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,212 reviews
February 13, 2016
What a waste of space and good paper this book is! The author takes information enough to fill MAYBE one page and repeats it over and over and over and over again for three hundred pages. There an unbelievable amount of meaningless, useless fluff in the text. Almost worse than this is how not a single chapter is longer than 3 pages. My IQ scrore has halved from reading this.
FYI, here's every bit of real material in the book:
1. If you eat foods containing lots of salt, fat and sugar, your brain chemistry changes to make you seek out the same kinds of foods over and over again, regardless of whether you are truly hungry.
2. The food industry has been packing salt, fat and sugar into procssed, packaged, restaurant and fast foods in higher quantities than ever. This is why America is obese.
3. It is very very hard, almost impossible, to stop eating these superrich foods once you start, because of the obsessive hold they have on a person.
4. Some people seem to be wired to have greater ability to resist this food than other people.
5. If you overeat, stop (but don't ask how).
There. I just saved you thirty bucks and an hour or two of your life. You're welcome.
FYI, here's every bit of real material in the book:
1. If you eat foods containing lots of salt, fat and sugar, your brain chemistry changes to make you seek out the same kinds of foods over and over again, regardless of whether you are truly hungry.
2. The food industry has been packing salt, fat and sugar into procssed, packaged, restaurant and fast foods in higher quantities than ever. This is why America is obese.
3. It is very very hard, almost impossible, to stop eating these superrich foods once you start, because of the obsessive hold they have on a person.
4. Some people seem to be wired to have greater ability to resist this food than other people.
5. If you overeat, stop (but don't ask how).
There. I just saved you thirty bucks and an hour or two of your life. You're welcome.
June 19, 2016
Are you often distracted by thoughts of food? Do you have trouble controlling your eating? This book helps explain why so many people often overeat or obsess about food.
David Kessler, a pediatrician and former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, wrote that he also struggles with overeating and controlling his weight. Essentially, two-thirds of this book is about how the food industry is trying tokill us, I mean, make us overeat and get fat.
The food industry figured out that humans respond to specific combinations of sugar, fat and salt. A good example of this is in the popular McDonald's meal of a Big Mac, fries and a Coke. There's tons of fat and salt in the Big Mac and fries, and loads of sugar in the soda. There's a lot of other crap in there, too, but that sums up why this meal remains so popular -- it triggers all of those tastes.
Companies will endlessly test and tweak their food products for maximum flavor and sensation (hitting what's called a "bliss point"), which usually means adding lots of extra sugar, fat and salt. Restaurants are also guilty of this, loading up dishes with extra butter, cheese, salt, creamy sauces, and sweetenings to get customers to eat more and come back often.
So as we've shoveled more and more highly processed foods into our gullets — and junk food in America is highly accessible and nearly impossible to avoid — we've gotten fatter and fatter. Hence the obesity epidemic in America and in countries where our famous food chains have set up shop.
If you sought out this book because you want help with your overeating, it does have some useful advice, but it took a long time to get there. The first 150 pages or so was repetitive and could have been edited down. There were innumerable summaries of various food studies and medical research, and these talking points were repeated often. In the last section, Kessler recommends we start our own "food rehab" to combat our bad food habits, change our eating patterns and curb our obsessions. We have to focus on eating for health and nutrition, and not get sucked into the destructive cycle of sugar, fat and salt.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand food obsessions and overeating, but with the warning that you'll probably have to do a fair amount of skimming.
David Kessler, a pediatrician and former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, wrote that he also struggles with overeating and controlling his weight. Essentially, two-thirds of this book is about how the food industry is trying to
The food industry figured out that humans respond to specific combinations of sugar, fat and salt. A good example of this is in the popular McDonald's meal of a Big Mac, fries and a Coke. There's tons of fat and salt in the Big Mac and fries, and loads of sugar in the soda. There's a lot of other crap in there, too, but that sums up why this meal remains so popular -- it triggers all of those tastes.
Companies will endlessly test and tweak their food products for maximum flavor and sensation (hitting what's called a "bliss point"), which usually means adding lots of extra sugar, fat and salt. Restaurants are also guilty of this, loading up dishes with extra butter, cheese, salt, creamy sauces, and sweetenings to get customers to eat more and come back often.
So as we've shoveled more and more highly processed foods into our gullets — and junk food in America is highly accessible and nearly impossible to avoid — we've gotten fatter and fatter. Hence the obesity epidemic in America and in countries where our famous food chains have set up shop.
If you sought out this book because you want help with your overeating, it does have some useful advice, but it took a long time to get there. The first 150 pages or so was repetitive and could have been edited down. There were innumerable summaries of various food studies and medical research, and these talking points were repeated often. In the last section, Kessler recommends we start our own "food rehab" to combat our bad food habits, change our eating patterns and curb our obsessions. We have to focus on eating for health and nutrition, and not get sucked into the destructive cycle of sugar, fat and salt.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand food obsessions and overeating, but with the warning that you'll probably have to do a fair amount of skimming.
November 8, 2011
This book is an experiment in how many times someone can repeat the same concept in different ways.
It sells itself as being a look inside the food industry and food culture, as well as the science of appetite and overeating, but most of the book focuses simply on the fact that popular restaurants and snack food these days layer fat, sugar, or salt together.
The author also has this idea that being overweight is pretty much solely a result of something he calls hypereating-- just eating snacks repeatedly. Which ignores the whole aspects of what artificial things like HFCS and aspartame do, and the fact that different calories are actually processed by the body in different ways, and that portion size is so so important (which he does touch on, but only briefly).
I was also kind of annoyed that the last fifth or so of his book trod dangerously close to a weird kind of self help-- especially since he recommended negative self talk as a way to eat less. So, maybe you'll end up depressed and hating your body-- but hey, you'll skip a snack! What?
I would not recommend anyone read this book as an intro to food industry critiques because even though it has some good stuff in it, the bad totally outweighs it.
It sells itself as being a look inside the food industry and food culture, as well as the science of appetite and overeating, but most of the book focuses simply on the fact that popular restaurants and snack food these days layer fat, sugar, or salt together.
The author also has this idea that being overweight is pretty much solely a result of something he calls hypereating-- just eating snacks repeatedly. Which ignores the whole aspects of what artificial things like HFCS and aspartame do, and the fact that different calories are actually processed by the body in different ways, and that portion size is so so important (which he does touch on, but only briefly).
I was also kind of annoyed that the last fifth or so of his book trod dangerously close to a weird kind of self help-- especially since he recommended negative self talk as a way to eat less. So, maybe you'll end up depressed and hating your body-- but hey, you'll skip a snack! What?
I would not recommend anyone read this book as an intro to food industry critiques because even though it has some good stuff in it, the bad totally outweighs it.
November 4, 2009
I am really disappointed with this book.
It starts off promising: foods that have a lot of sugar, fat, and salt make us want to keep eating, especially foods with even more sugar, fat, and salt. To add to this fun, some people are wired to overeat while others are able to stop. If you're wired to overeat, it doesn't matter if you're overweight or not - some people have figured out how to compensate and stay at a healthy weight while others are not able to do so and become obese.
And then Kessler repeats this information for the first two-thirds of the book. It was so bad that sometimes I would start a new chapter and think I had already read it because the information was so similar.
It's good that he shows the science behind overeating and explain that it's both biological and emotional, but I thought the point of the book was going to be how to plan your meals better and retrain yourself to avoid the sugar-fat-salt traps.
Once he finally gets to "the end of overeating" it's vague and confusing. It almost boils down to him saying "Some people overeat, especially sugar, fat, and salt. There's tons of science explaining why it is incredibly difficult for you to stop overeating. So... stop overeating."
At some points he does give concrete examples, such as coming up with a set of rules that you don't deviate from, but then he doesn't take the next step and show you an example list. Most of the time he doesn't explain at all. I ended up reading, rereading, then rereading again to try and apply things to myself but couldn't figure out what he was saying. It was extra frustrating because in earlier sections he used anecdotal examples to show the thought processes and behaviors of over-eaters, but doesn't return to this to show how to change the cycle.
Again, it was like he was saying that to break the cycle, you need to break the cycle.
If someone is struggling with overeating and this is their first resource, I can only imagine how frustrating it would be. I was expecting to at least find food lists of healthy choices vs. sugar/fat/salt choices, but Kessler seems to assume that you already know where the traps are, and yet he spends a good portion of the book explaining that a lot of people don't realize what they're eating. I was half expecting to find a sample food plan illustrating his findings, but there wasn't even a list of suggested foods.
I think this book could have been summed up as a magazine article.
It starts off promising: foods that have a lot of sugar, fat, and salt make us want to keep eating, especially foods with even more sugar, fat, and salt. To add to this fun, some people are wired to overeat while others are able to stop. If you're wired to overeat, it doesn't matter if you're overweight or not - some people have figured out how to compensate and stay at a healthy weight while others are not able to do so and become obese.
And then Kessler repeats this information for the first two-thirds of the book. It was so bad that sometimes I would start a new chapter and think I had already read it because the information was so similar.
It's good that he shows the science behind overeating and explain that it's both biological and emotional, but I thought the point of the book was going to be how to plan your meals better and retrain yourself to avoid the sugar-fat-salt traps.
Once he finally gets to "the end of overeating" it's vague and confusing. It almost boils down to him saying "Some people overeat, especially sugar, fat, and salt. There's tons of science explaining why it is incredibly difficult for you to stop overeating. So... stop overeating."
At some points he does give concrete examples, such as coming up with a set of rules that you don't deviate from, but then he doesn't take the next step and show you an example list. Most of the time he doesn't explain at all. I ended up reading, rereading, then rereading again to try and apply things to myself but couldn't figure out what he was saying. It was extra frustrating because in earlier sections he used anecdotal examples to show the thought processes and behaviors of over-eaters, but doesn't return to this to show how to change the cycle.
Again, it was like he was saying that to break the cycle, you need to break the cycle.
If someone is struggling with overeating and this is their first resource, I can only imagine how frustrating it would be. I was expecting to at least find food lists of healthy choices vs. sugar/fat/salt choices, but Kessler seems to assume that you already know where the traps are, and yet he spends a good portion of the book explaining that a lot of people don't realize what they're eating. I was half expecting to find a sample food plan illustrating his findings, but there wasn't even a list of suggested foods.
I think this book could have been summed up as a magazine article.
July 28, 2021
CW: discussing food, overeating, some mention of disordered eating behaviors and eating disorder forums
I want to file a complaint because the title of this book literally promised "The End of Overeating" and yet the contents of the book has no suggestions on how to end overeating for individuals or people as a whole.
If you want to read chapters upon chapters of a guy describing food like it's a sexy lady, using adjectives like sizzling/ decadent/ crispy/ smoky/ cinnamon-y... read on. But I've found that the one thing I don't want to do when I'm trying not to binge eat and when I'm not even hungry is think about food, in depth. I swear, every chapter was an ode to a different, fattening restaurant item! The Monster Thickburger at Carl's Junior. An egg roll starter at Ruby Tuesday's. The entire menu of Chili's. Just... why!
At the beginning he did this to show how real people were so preoccupied with food. He set down M&Ms before an obese man who talked about how he's constantly thinking of food, and at that moment could only obsess over the M&Ms.
But the continuous page after page talking about every junk food and Frankenstein-d menu item? No thank you.
Unlike The Hungry Brain, which laid out reasons why you thought about food, overate, and gained weight, this book was just more about... overeating. Period. By chapter 23 I was skipping any passages that was just him describing food; food scientists describing food; researchers describing food; and interview subjects describing food.
There is some good information in here, but it feels like it comes too little, too late. The last few chapters of the books has summaries on how to break the grip held by food and how to deal with urges... but they are literally summarized and bullet pointed within these chapters, which makes me think this book could have been a long form article.
Also, some of these "tips" remind me of when I was a young teen trolling ana forums online (Livejournal, anyone?). Putting an unflattering picture of yourself above your fridge to curb eating... okay. That sounds psychotic to my 2021 brain. Anyone else??
The only good part of this book can be summarized in this paragraph (direct quote): "Until social norms and values change, you'll have to set your own rules for eating in a controlled manner and maintaining a healthy weight. To live within a framework of planned eating you'll have to understand your own behavior around food and pay attention to everything you eat. You'll need to seek our alternative rewards that satisfy you and find support from people who care about you." There, you don't need to read it!
I want to file a complaint because the title of this book literally promised "The End of Overeating" and yet the contents of the book has no suggestions on how to end overeating for individuals or people as a whole.
If you want to read chapters upon chapters of a guy describing food like it's a sexy lady, using adjectives like sizzling/ decadent/ crispy/ smoky/ cinnamon-y... read on. But I've found that the one thing I don't want to do when I'm trying not to binge eat and when I'm not even hungry is think about food, in depth. I swear, every chapter was an ode to a different, fattening restaurant item! The Monster Thickburger at Carl's Junior. An egg roll starter at Ruby Tuesday's. The entire menu of Chili's. Just... why!
At the beginning he did this to show how real people were so preoccupied with food. He set down M&Ms before an obese man who talked about how he's constantly thinking of food, and at that moment could only obsess over the M&Ms.
But the continuous page after page talking about every junk food and Frankenstein-d menu item? No thank you.
Unlike The Hungry Brain, which laid out reasons why you thought about food, overate, and gained weight, this book was just more about... overeating. Period. By chapter 23 I was skipping any passages that was just him describing food; food scientists describing food; researchers describing food; and interview subjects describing food.
There is some good information in here, but it feels like it comes too little, too late. The last few chapters of the books has summaries on how to break the grip held by food and how to deal with urges... but they are literally summarized and bullet pointed within these chapters, which makes me think this book could have been a long form article.
Also, some of these "tips" remind me of when I was a young teen trolling ana forums online (Livejournal, anyone?). Putting an unflattering picture of yourself above your fridge to curb eating... okay. That sounds psychotic to my 2021 brain. Anyone else??
The only good part of this book can be summarized in this paragraph (direct quote): "Until social norms and values change, you'll have to set your own rules for eating in a controlled manner and maintaining a healthy weight. To live within a framework of planned eating you'll have to understand your own behavior around food and pay attention to everything you eat. You'll need to seek our alternative rewards that satisfy you and find support from people who care about you." There, you don't need to read it!
March 22, 2011
The first half of the book is pure food porn. Detailed, multisensory descriptions of super-unhealthy menu items from chain restaurants or snack foods - it's just about perfectly designed to send you running to the refrigerator. It's not a huge surprise to discover that the addictive qualities of this kind of food are well-known to people in the restaurant and snack-food industries, and even less a surprise to be told they are, in fact, addictive. So that part is really only good for salivating over descriptions of fried food.
The second half of the book is just dumb. Having spent all of those pages citing behavioral studies in rats, industry studies of humans, and all sorts of information about the neurochemistry of certain salt-sugar-fat combinations, the author then spends the last third of the book basically telling people it's a matter of willpower. (After specifically saying that it's not a willpower issue in the introduction, at that.) Not once does he suggest, you know, eating whole, unprocessed food, fewer carbs, or any of the not-all-that-controversial ideas that seem eminently supported by his research.
To be fair, the hefty end-notes suggest that he had an editor with a machete handy, and the copious industry-insider interviews make me think that perhaps he softened his stance in order to retain their cooperation in future books, but it means that this book is pretty much a waste of dead trees. If you want to drool over the Chili's menu, go to Chili's. At least there you'll have pictures.
The second half of the book is just dumb. Having spent all of those pages citing behavioral studies in rats, industry studies of humans, and all sorts of information about the neurochemistry of certain salt-sugar-fat combinations, the author then spends the last third of the book basically telling people it's a matter of willpower. (After specifically saying that it's not a willpower issue in the introduction, at that.) Not once does he suggest, you know, eating whole, unprocessed food, fewer carbs, or any of the not-all-that-controversial ideas that seem eminently supported by his research.
To be fair, the hefty end-notes suggest that he had an editor with a machete handy, and the copious industry-insider interviews make me think that perhaps he softened his stance in order to retain their cooperation in future books, but it means that this book is pretty much a waste of dead trees. If you want to drool over the Chili's menu, go to Chili's. At least there you'll have pictures.
October 14, 2012
This book is SO mis-titled. A more accurate title would be "The History of Overeating: How and Why the American Appetite Became Insatiable". If you are looking for information about the reasons for the obesity epidmic there is a lot of information here about how certain food characteristics promote overeating, how overeating becomes habitual or addictive, and why food companies tend to promote hypereating in their product offerings and marketing, you will find all that here. If you are looking for an end to overeating, you will be disappointed.
Kessler's solution to overeating, if he can be said to have one, is "whatever works for you." Some of the suggestions he throws at you correspond to setpoint solutions, "good" carb & low glycemic solutions, overeaters anonymous, Jenny Craig or Jared's Subway-style solutions (limiting yourself to a specific limited number of calorie & nutrition-appropriate foods), and negative-response conditioning. Like most, he completely ignores the fact that a large percentage of us live with people who may not be ok with a processed-food-free pantry and freezer. He is also annoyingly inconsistent is his stance on what success looks like. If you avoid the foods that cause overeating you will develop new habits and no longer be tempted. No wait, it's a lifelong struggle. What?
The most interesting chapter to me was the couple of pages he devotes to the effects of phen-fen. Were any follow-up studies done? I would have been really interested in knowing more about the people who lost weight using that drug when it was available. Did their reward pathways get permanently reset? Maybe that would indicate whether it's possible to permanently reset the brain's reward response via Kessler's other suggested approaches. Did they go right back to overeating as though they had never taken the drug? It seems that might help us understand whether the brain chemistry solution, however arrived at, is actually an end or simply a pause.
Kessler's solution to overeating, if he can be said to have one, is "whatever works for you." Some of the suggestions he throws at you correspond to setpoint solutions, "good" carb & low glycemic solutions, overeaters anonymous, Jenny Craig or Jared's Subway-style solutions (limiting yourself to a specific limited number of calorie & nutrition-appropriate foods), and negative-response conditioning. Like most, he completely ignores the fact that a large percentage of us live with people who may not be ok with a processed-food-free pantry and freezer. He is also annoyingly inconsistent is his stance on what success looks like. If you avoid the foods that cause overeating you will develop new habits and no longer be tempted. No wait, it's a lifelong struggle. What?
The most interesting chapter to me was the couple of pages he devotes to the effects of phen-fen. Were any follow-up studies done? I would have been really interested in knowing more about the people who lost weight using that drug when it was available. Did their reward pathways get permanently reset? Maybe that would indicate whether it's possible to permanently reset the brain's reward response via Kessler's other suggested approaches. Did they go right back to overeating as though they had never taken the drug? It seems that might help us understand whether the brain chemistry solution, however arrived at, is actually an end or simply a pause.
June 19, 2013
I remember Dr, Kessler’s name from his stints in the administrations of George the Elder Bush and Bill Clinton. After leaving the US Food and Drug Administration, I’m not sure I knew what he was doing or where. In fact, he was researching, living, and writing this book, The End of Overeating.
Since I know that I’m going to use words that can be construed as puns, bon mots, and perhaps even as double entendres, let me apologize to one and all. This is a serious subject that deserves serious consideration and discussion, but I just like words too much sometimes.
A couple of things surprised me about this book:
First, it was written much later than I initially thought (2009).
Second, the trend towards accelerated weight gains that he reports started a decade later that I believed they did (1980s, not 1970s).
This book consists of 48 chapters collected into six sections along with an Introduction, 50-plus pages of Endnotes, several pages of author Interviews, and the more usual closing Notes, Acknowledgements and an Index. For all that it is a slim volume with the text ending on page 251.
Because the chapters generally short (2-10 pages) it reads very quickly. I got the impression that the author and editors tried to limit each chapter’s length in order to make them more digestible, just as the author tells us that the food industry has done with much of what we eat. For me this became a bit of an annoyance. More than once, I wanted a particular chapter to continue with additional depth or details only to have it end. The next chapter sometimes continues the previous one’s primary concept, but often it shifts it into a parallel thread or changes focus. Often a later chapter will return to the same topic. I did not have a problem reconnecting the parts, but for some readers it may be more difficult.
As I though about writing this review (several days after finishing it) it occurred to me that this pattern of delayed repetition reminded me of the Pimsleur method of language learning. Perhaps the goal of the short chapters wasn’t to break up the material into very short morsels, as much as it was to re-introduce the same “flavor” notes at various intervals to aid in the reader’s retention and understanding. Fascinating concept if true!
Since there is a glut of information about obesity trends, the associated illnesses, and the dangers of processed foods and unrestricted calorie intake, the observant reader should not be too surprised at many of the book’s claims. But despite the basting of our consciousnesses with this information, this book does present facts that even a mindful person may have missed.
Like the tobacco industry, the food industry learned long ago how to entire its customers to buy more and thus jack up profits. Even though no one has gone around claiming that a hamburger is a “drug delivery system”, the fact that the most attractive foods (at least to our senses) tend to be loaded with sugar, salt, and fats, make it a moral equivalent if not a literal one for many people.
I say this because the book contains may references to studies which show (and prove) the addictive-like qualities of these substances both singly and in combination. Like chemicals use in photography, when used together they produce a superadditive effect that is greater than the sum of the individual components. The other reason I say this is because a few individuals (named and anonymous) who were part of the industry admit that they know these facts and design new foods specifically to appeal (and addict) people to them. But don’t just take my summary for granted, go ahead and read it for yourself.
The other newish and vastly important section of this book is the strength of the addiction to food for many people and how tough it is to stop overeating. Throughout the book we read about the struggles of associates, friends, and survey participants to not overeat – or how they are compelled (mentally) by certain foods or even all day to the next food. Again, like nicotine or “hard drugs” breaking the addiction is neither easy nor trivial. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. Each person must work out a method that they can use and live with for one day, one month, one year, and all their life.
This book is not a self-help book of the common variety. Instead it is a book that means to inform us, to teach us, and to show use that we are not alone if we suffer from these tendencies. The author himself writes of his struggles and how when he thinks he is making progress nutritional experts and coaches tell him how poorly his meal choice still are. But we, like him, can learn from these things; making better choices and modifying our behavior. I’ve forgotten why I added this to my TBR list long ago, but I’ll know who led me to it shortly. But, I’m thanking you in advance, whoever you are.
Four Stars for content, clarity, and precision. One additional star for the critical nature of this epidemic and everyman’s need to combat it. Five Stars (5.0)
P.S. I was more than halfway through the book before I noticed that it had been published by Rodale. It’s not surprising, as they promote a healthy lifestyle in a number of ways, including publishing Bicycling magazine.
October 22, 2009
Apparently food tastes good because of the sugar, salt and/or fat in it. Really!? In addition, the evil food industry manipulates the amounts of sugar, salt and/or fat in their food to make it taste better! Oh the humanity! Forget who was or was not on the grassy knoll in Dallas; here is the Great American Conspiracy.
For a much better treatment of the horrific flaws in the american diet and the malevolence of the food industry read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Micheal Pollan's In Defense of Food An Eater's Manifesto. Then to wield this knowledge in the kitchen I highly recommend Food Matters A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes by Mark Bittman
Admittedly Kessler's credibility with me was severely shaken when he stated in the introduction that the inspiration for the book came while watching Dr. Phil on Oprah. I'm just saying.
For a much better treatment of the horrific flaws in the american diet and the malevolence of the food industry read Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Micheal Pollan's In Defense of Food An Eater's Manifesto. Then to wield this knowledge in the kitchen I highly recommend Food Matters A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes by Mark Bittman
Admittedly Kessler's credibility with me was severely shaken when he stated in the introduction that the inspiration for the book came while watching Dr. Phil on Oprah. I'm just saying.
September 19, 2012
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – The End of Over-eating by David A. Kessler
Ever since I have been going through the Battle of the Bulge I have literally struggled to lose weight. I soon realized that the biggest challenges I had was not exercise. Rather my inability to stay away from Food. The Aroma of Cinnabon, the thought of a Mouth Watering entre from Pizza Hut, the Steaming Delicious Burgers from Burger King and the Tender Chicken of KFC would throw my will-power and self-control out of the window.
So what was it?
Was it a case of Weak Will Power or Bad Case of Self Control?
Was I an undisciplined person?
Or Was it something I didn’t know about?
In came the life saver – The End of Over-Eating by David A. Kessler.
David Kessler, a Harvard Educated Pediatrician, the Head of the Food and Drug Administration served two presidents and battled Congress and Big Tobacco Industry. And though he was successful there, it was his Achilles heel – Chocolate Chip Cookies, that made him commit to the research and produce this Masterpiece.
Now this book is a Brilliantly Complied, Systematically Presented and Attractively Communicated Research on the serious subject of overeating. The book is broken into 6 parts with chapter ranging from 3 pages to the majority of them being around the 7 to 8 pages per chapter – which makes it really compelling and easy to read. The information is presented with interesting facts, plenty of examples and the fluidity is truly easy on your mind. In fact, I found it surprising to know that a subject as complex as this could be presented in such an interesting manner.
I literally devoured the book!
Here is the summary of the Chapters.
Part 1
The 3 ingredients of Addiction - Sugar, Fat and Salt and Why people eat and overeat.
Part 2
The Food Industry and how they chemically engineer food to make it give us the flavor we want and cannot resist.
Part 3
How we get trapped into the Vicious Cycle of Conditioned Hyper-eating
Part 4
Theoretical Tips over how we can break the over-eating habit.
Part 5
How we can stop over-eating.
Part 6
The End Of Overeating and the challenges ahead.
I am sure you would like to know some of the tips to counter-attack overeating.
So here are his recommendations:
1. Become aware of what you are compulsively saying to yourself about a food cue.
2. Engage in a competitive behavior to cause habit reversal.
3. Formulate thoughts that compete with, and serve to quiet, the old ones.
4. Get support
5. Create rules to guide your eating behaviors.
6. Change your emotional connection to certain foods.
Overall Verdict
It is an Intense, Thought-Provoking, and Compelling Master-piece. A Must Read Book for Anyone and Everyone.
Overall Score
10 out of 10.
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com
Ever since I have been going through the Battle of the Bulge I have literally struggled to lose weight. I soon realized that the biggest challenges I had was not exercise. Rather my inability to stay away from Food. The Aroma of Cinnabon, the thought of a Mouth Watering entre from Pizza Hut, the Steaming Delicious Burgers from Burger King and the Tender Chicken of KFC would throw my will-power and self-control out of the window.
So what was it?
Was it a case of Weak Will Power or Bad Case of Self Control?
Was I an undisciplined person?
Or Was it something I didn’t know about?
In came the life saver – The End of Over-Eating by David A. Kessler.
David Kessler, a Harvard Educated Pediatrician, the Head of the Food and Drug Administration served two presidents and battled Congress and Big Tobacco Industry. And though he was successful there, it was his Achilles heel – Chocolate Chip Cookies, that made him commit to the research and produce this Masterpiece.
Now this book is a Brilliantly Complied, Systematically Presented and Attractively Communicated Research on the serious subject of overeating. The book is broken into 6 parts with chapter ranging from 3 pages to the majority of them being around the 7 to 8 pages per chapter – which makes it really compelling and easy to read. The information is presented with interesting facts, plenty of examples and the fluidity is truly easy on your mind. In fact, I found it surprising to know that a subject as complex as this could be presented in such an interesting manner.
I literally devoured the book!
Here is the summary of the Chapters.
Part 1
The 3 ingredients of Addiction - Sugar, Fat and Salt and Why people eat and overeat.
Part 2
The Food Industry and how they chemically engineer food to make it give us the flavor we want and cannot resist.
Part 3
How we get trapped into the Vicious Cycle of Conditioned Hyper-eating
Part 4
Theoretical Tips over how we can break the over-eating habit.
Part 5
How we can stop over-eating.
Part 6
The End Of Overeating and the challenges ahead.
I am sure you would like to know some of the tips to counter-attack overeating.
So here are his recommendations:
1. Become aware of what you are compulsively saying to yourself about a food cue.
2. Engage in a competitive behavior to cause habit reversal.
3. Formulate thoughts that compete with, and serve to quiet, the old ones.
4. Get support
5. Create rules to guide your eating behaviors.
6. Change your emotional connection to certain foods.
Overall Verdict
It is an Intense, Thought-Provoking, and Compelling Master-piece. A Must Read Book for Anyone and Everyone.
Overall Score
10 out of 10.
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com
May 15, 2009
I've always wondered why despite the successes I've had in just about every aspect of my life, I cannot control my eating. I now think I have a clue as to why this is as a result of reading this book. The first part of the book is a little dense since he talks about the principles of neuroscience and how people who overeat have a certain wiring in their brain that reinforces their overeating. The good news is, it's possible to "rewire" your brain so the typical, unhealthy reactions you have that lead to overeating can begin to dissipate. It's only been a few days since I finished the book but I feel like the power food has held over me my whole life is not as strong. My internal dialogue to myself when I am tempted to overeat is "Sorry I can't eat you right now, I'm busy rewiring my brain". I normally laugh when I say it, but that is really how I feel.
The second part of the book focuses on the food industry and how food high in fat, sugar & salt exacerbate overeating and essentially how awful processed food is - although that certainly isn't a revelation for most people.
The third part of the book examines the theory behind overeating and the last part focuses is on what to do about it. He doesn't have a step by step process but summarizes key ideas and ways to alter how you think about food and view food that I found to be very helpful.
This book is a wonderful complement to The Beck Diet Plan which I also highly recommend.
The second part of the book focuses on the food industry and how food high in fat, sugar & salt exacerbate overeating and essentially how awful processed food is - although that certainly isn't a revelation for most people.
The third part of the book examines the theory behind overeating and the last part focuses is on what to do about it. He doesn't have a step by step process but summarizes key ideas and ways to alter how you think about food and view food that I found to be very helpful.
This book is a wonderful complement to The Beck Diet Plan which I also highly recommend.
September 26, 2010
This book has changed the way I will look at food forever. In an attempt to lead a healthier life and eat cleaner this book has made a huge impact on my views of advertising, marketing, and food production. The author has hammered into my head that almost everything processed is layered with sugar, fat, and salt. These tempting treats make us want more sugar, fat, and salt. No wonder American's are so fat and unhealth! We spend trillions of dollars on health care and what we really need to do is change the way we allow companies to feel people garbage.
September 16, 2016
So far this my favorite book on palatability, food reward and the effect of the modern environment on obesity. The book is very engaging and easy to read. I've listened to it in the audio and it kept me hooked all the way to the end. Some of the concepts of what creates hyper-palatability were also mentioned in the book on Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss which is another fantastic read if you're interested in more about the topic.
January 2, 2019
This may appear to be related to a New Year’s resolution, but I’ve been reading it on and off since last summer, so no, leave me alone.
Like other non-fiction books I’ve read for the general public, it is repetitive in various ways. I learned something by reading so many case studies and expert quotes, but, at the same time, I am not so sure my knowledge was enhanced enough to justify the amount of time it took to read this many pages. Skimming is an essential reading skill. Practice it with this book...
Basically, food corporations want to sell products. To do that, they create products that are highly palpable and irresistible. This often involves layering sugar, fat, and salt with more sugar, fat, and salt. Stunning, inventive examples of restaurants and companies doing this may gross you out enough to dull the effect, especially as you read more and more. It’s understandable, what they do, but the human animal did not evolve to be in an environment where so much sugar, fat and salt are so readily available. The author describes the effect on many of us as “conditioned hypereating”. Less of the book is about what you can do about it, but all that information up front just might provide the necessary motivation, because the overeating habit is hard to break. It’s not just a matter of willpower, but of the human condition and of being in an environment of bombardment. The steps to breaking free are probably familiar: awareness, competing behavior, competing thoughts, and support.
I don’t have a huge problem with overeating, but I know it is hard to make even the small changes I promise myself, so you have my sympathy if you are down on yourself about your eating and if you assume it is a lack of willpower. Read this book for that reason alone. Learning about how food engineering has changed over the last few decades will give you the bigger picture and may help you fight the cues to eat that evolution has wired into you.
Like other non-fiction books I’ve read for the general public, it is repetitive in various ways. I learned something by reading so many case studies and expert quotes, but, at the same time, I am not so sure my knowledge was enhanced enough to justify the amount of time it took to read this many pages. Skimming is an essential reading skill. Practice it with this book...
Basically, food corporations want to sell products. To do that, they create products that are highly palpable and irresistible. This often involves layering sugar, fat, and salt with more sugar, fat, and salt. Stunning, inventive examples of restaurants and companies doing this may gross you out enough to dull the effect, especially as you read more and more. It’s understandable, what they do, but the human animal did not evolve to be in an environment where so much sugar, fat and salt are so readily available. The author describes the effect on many of us as “conditioned hypereating”. Less of the book is about what you can do about it, but all that information up front just might provide the necessary motivation, because the overeating habit is hard to break. It’s not just a matter of willpower, but of the human condition and of being in an environment of bombardment. The steps to breaking free are probably familiar: awareness, competing behavior, competing thoughts, and support.
I don’t have a huge problem with overeating, but I know it is hard to make even the small changes I promise myself, so you have my sympathy if you are down on yourself about your eating and if you assume it is a lack of willpower. Read this book for that reason alone. Learning about how food engineering has changed over the last few decades will give you the bigger picture and may help you fight the cues to eat that evolution has wired into you.
July 28, 2018
Great audiobook. It is eye-opening and has practical tips I could really apply in daily life. Well-written and informative. Hopefully this will help me keep “the appetite” in check. A recommended read for everyone (which is most everyone) who has to deal with the American food business.
June 16, 2009
The first two parts were pretty tedious. The first part is called "Sugar, Fat, Salt" and reiterates that this combination of things is what we prefer to eat. The second part "The Food Industry" explains that the food industry knows that we like sugar, fat, & salt and adds as much as possible to their foods so we will crave them.
Now, I just explained in two sentences what it took the author two sections, 26 chapters, and 140 pages to say.
Part 3 introduced the concept of conditioned hypereating, which is basically alcoholism but with food (esp. sugarfatsalt food). I did find the chapter on Phen Fen interesting. Apparently when it wasn't killing people it was altering the release of chemicals in the brain (seratonin and dopamine) so make hypereaters relate to food like regular people. They stopped being obsessive and thinking about food all the time.
Part 4 is the first part that begins to discuss what I thought this book would be from the start. It explained the theory of treatment. If you want to change your action with food, you need to change the way you think about food.
Part 5 expands on part 4, adding specifics that coincide with the theory. It's called "Food Rehab" and sets guidelines for how to change your thoughts about food. Make food plans for what you will eat for the day, practice talking yourself out of deviating from this plan, and finally avoid temptations as much as you can until you've changed your thinking. Also, relearn what a portion is and find foods that will satisfy you (so you don't feel hungry and deprived) that aren't sugarfatsalt.
Part 6 "The End of Overeating" is the cultural solution to end obesity. I found this chapter a huge stretch because I don't think it can really ever be achieved. The author tells us to change our individual response to marketing. To see it more as a "demon" trying to convince us to get off the healthyeating path. That's doable. But then he also says the food industry needs to change to stop loading everything up with sugarfatsalt and serve normal portion sizes. Not going to happen. He also emphasizes a public health campaign to repeatedly tell people about healthy eating, and to eventually change the way sugarfatsalt foods are thought of. Like cigarettes, he wants culture to demonize these foods as well as big portions instead of glorifying them the way they are now.
So overall I give this book 2 stars. It starts out presenting the cases of people who have abnormal feelings towards food, who feel like they have no control when certain foods are around. Their stories draw you into the book, especially if you can sympathize with them. Unfortunately, then the book takes a LONG detour into the science behind food, repeating the same thing over and over and over. By the time you return to the cases, and the author starts presenting advice to how to curb overeating tendencies and how to regain control over food, the book is almost over. I wish the first three parts had been condensed, the fourth and fifth parts combined to present theory and actions together, and the sixth part expanded, as that was question the book presented. Also, a minor complaint is the format. A 250 page book with 45(?) chapters made for a really choppy read. I think that's where part of the redundancy came from. Each chapter in a section would restate the previous chapters, which meant you were reading a summary every 5 pages.
Now, I just explained in two sentences what it took the author two sections, 26 chapters, and 140 pages to say.
Part 3 introduced the concept of conditioned hypereating, which is basically alcoholism but with food (esp. sugarfatsalt food). I did find the chapter on Phen Fen interesting. Apparently when it wasn't killing people it was altering the release of chemicals in the brain (seratonin and dopamine) so make hypereaters relate to food like regular people. They stopped being obsessive and thinking about food all the time.
Part 4 is the first part that begins to discuss what I thought this book would be from the start. It explained the theory of treatment. If you want to change your action with food, you need to change the way you think about food.
Part 5 expands on part 4, adding specifics that coincide with the theory. It's called "Food Rehab" and sets guidelines for how to change your thoughts about food. Make food plans for what you will eat for the day, practice talking yourself out of deviating from this plan, and finally avoid temptations as much as you can until you've changed your thinking. Also, relearn what a portion is and find foods that will satisfy you (so you don't feel hungry and deprived) that aren't sugarfatsalt.
Part 6 "The End of Overeating" is the cultural solution to end obesity. I found this chapter a huge stretch because I don't think it can really ever be achieved. The author tells us to change our individual response to marketing. To see it more as a "demon" trying to convince us to get off the healthyeating path. That's doable. But then he also says the food industry needs to change to stop loading everything up with sugarfatsalt and serve normal portion sizes. Not going to happen. He also emphasizes a public health campaign to repeatedly tell people about healthy eating, and to eventually change the way sugarfatsalt foods are thought of. Like cigarettes, he wants culture to demonize these foods as well as big portions instead of glorifying them the way they are now.
So overall I give this book 2 stars. It starts out presenting the cases of people who have abnormal feelings towards food, who feel like they have no control when certain foods are around. Their stories draw you into the book, especially if you can sympathize with them. Unfortunately, then the book takes a LONG detour into the science behind food, repeating the same thing over and over and over. By the time you return to the cases, and the author starts presenting advice to how to curb overeating tendencies and how to regain control over food, the book is almost over. I wish the first three parts had been condensed, the fourth and fifth parts combined to present theory and actions together, and the sixth part expanded, as that was question the book presented. Also, a minor complaint is the format. A 250 page book with 45(?) chapters made for a really choppy read. I think that's where part of the redundancy came from. Each chapter in a section would restate the previous chapters, which meant you were reading a summary every 5 pages.
May 24, 2012
I started reading this book in tandem with my viewing of the HBO documentary miniseries, The Weight of the Nation. The two dovetail nicely - covering many of the same topics, but reinforcing, not repeating what you already learned.
The book begins strong, with the author's personal stories and observations, but also from case studies, and interviews with restaurant industry professionals. The holy trinity of the regular American diet - sugar, salt, and fat - are covered extensively. The author highlights many of psychological and sociological reasons for overeating, and the basic notion that the more sugars, salts, and fats we eat, the more we will want - backing up every claim to "you can never have just one."
The middle of the book lagged - reflected in my 3-star rating. He delves into the psychology and science of hypereating, and each chapter seems to repeat the thesis of the previous chapter.
However, the book ends on a high note, speaking about overcoming the challenges, breaking the cycle, and how to change relationships with food. This is not a diet book, and there is not a single diet encouraged or advocated in these pages. It preaches portion control and calorie counting, pure and simple.
Recommended for the strong beginning and end - there are some great "take-away" points that will make you think.
The book begins strong, with the author's personal stories and observations, but also from case studies, and interviews with restaurant industry professionals. The holy trinity of the regular American diet - sugar, salt, and fat - are covered extensively. The author highlights many of psychological and sociological reasons for overeating, and the basic notion that the more sugars, salts, and fats we eat, the more we will want - backing up every claim to "you can never have just one."
The middle of the book lagged - reflected in my 3-star rating. He delves into the psychology and science of hypereating, and each chapter seems to repeat the thesis of the previous chapter.
However, the book ends on a high note, speaking about overcoming the challenges, breaking the cycle, and how to change relationships with food. This is not a diet book, and there is not a single diet encouraged or advocated in these pages. It preaches portion control and calorie counting, pure and simple.
Recommended for the strong beginning and end - there are some great "take-away" points that will make you think.
July 8, 2009
This is a fascinating account of the measures that the food industry takes--both in marketing and in its attempts to load food with as much sugar, fat and salt as possible--to make its often very unhealthy products irresistable to consumers, and how it thereby has helped usher in the epidemic of obesity in the U.S.
Kessler, a former FDA chief best known for his anti-tobacco efforts, struggled for most of his life with a need to eat more that was good for him, a need he shares with an increasing portion of the U.S. public. Kessler describes in some detail what happens in the brains of people who frequently eat high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt food, which seems to be akin to what happens in the brains of habitual drug users. He thereby makes a convincing case that people who suffer from an inability to stop eating should not be accused of a lack of will power.
Finally, he gives recommendations--and they sound like very good ones--for ways of lifting the spell that these foods hold over some people; and he concludes with concrete policy recommendations.
I know quite a lot about food, and I found what Kessler had to say extremely enlightening. Highly recommended.
Kessler, a former FDA chief best known for his anti-tobacco efforts, struggled for most of his life with a need to eat more that was good for him, a need he shares with an increasing portion of the U.S. public. Kessler describes in some detail what happens in the brains of people who frequently eat high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt food, which seems to be akin to what happens in the brains of habitual drug users. He thereby makes a convincing case that people who suffer from an inability to stop eating should not be accused of a lack of will power.
Finally, he gives recommendations--and they sound like very good ones--for ways of lifting the spell that these foods hold over some people; and he concludes with concrete policy recommendations.
I know quite a lot about food, and I found what Kessler had to say extremely enlightening. Highly recommended.
March 10, 2019
As a European I have no idea if this is new to the American public. However, I believe most of the content of this book is well known by a lot of people. Nothing new, but good for a basic idea.
What was interesting though is the way the ‘food’ industry plots out to get us to eat bad st7ff for the sake of money.
What was interesting though is the way the ‘food’ industry plots out to get us to eat bad st7ff for the sake of money.
November 7, 2012
There is no question about David Kessler’s strong sense of purpose in his book The End of Overeating. He wants you to know what commercial food preparers do to make you want their food even when you are not hungry, and he is going to make sure you get the message. Even if he has to say it a very large number of times.
And that’s the primary problem I had with this book. I listened to it as an audiobook, which can be quite a different experience, so I’ll disclose that to begin with. The book focuses on the way current U.S. culture is designed to make the average consumer eat more often, more volume & faster. On the outside, it is a really good idea – as someone who struggles with overeating there’s no question that many things in the book rang true. Unfortunately the rhetoric is tiring and repetitive. To borrow an idea from my friend Fred, it’s like having a pamphlet’s worth of helpful information and stretching it out into book form.
Popular science books are hard to review from an authoritative position when you’re not… well… a scientist so from here on out I’ll just review it as a layman. I felt this book had some good things to say about possible psychological triggers for overeating, and tools to use to overcome them. You may appreciate those tools… if you can make it through the first 4/5ths of the book which are generally discouraging. (Literally – the book is 250 pages, and only 45 are on the deconditioning.)
I mean, it is very hard to read (or in my case, listen to) someone describing for over 6 hours the ways in which food is designed to make you feel powerless to resist it. The words “hyper-palatable” and “satiety” were new to my vocabulary at the beginning of the book, and like torture by the end. Maybe he was trying to get you to associate torture with really tasty food. Actually that’s not too far off the mark, I think.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t entirely work that way. And I think many people who try to read this book are going to get turned off before they can get to the useful part. I know I had to really force myself to listen to the whole thing. If that’s happening, you’re not necessarily helping people, which is ostensibly the goal here. Not to mention, describing the horrific amount of fat in a food made me feel revulsion only about half the time – the other half I was thinking, “Turn this car around and get me to a Pizza Hut, stat!”. Come on, Dr. Kessler! Sprinkle some of the helpful info throughout to keep the reader engaged! A simple “if this is you, don’t worry, we’re getting to the part where you can cope” would suffice.
Ultimately, if Kessler wants us to create a cultural shift like the one we’ve seen for tobacco (the last answer he gives in that article), that’s a real uphill climb. It probably shows the bias in my vices to say that I think accepting that smoking tastes like crap is far easier than accepting that buttermilk biscuits taste like crap. Getting people to be snotty to each other about biscuits is more about recipe preference than moral superiority.
I wasn’t even going to write about this book, but this week I’ve been ill for days thanks to a lifetime’s poor nutrition habits. So when I sent Jack to the store to get me bran muffins, it was quite a treat to read the label and find that the %DV of fiber was far outclassed by the %DV of fat. These are tasty, commercially viable muffins. Sadly I am in need of the far more difficult to market, actually beneficial muffins.
If you really, really want to dig into cognitive ways to deal with an overeating problem you perceive that you have, then I can say that I would recommend reading this book. It will not be the most fun you ever had, but some things just take work. If you’re just reading because you want to learn more about food science, maybe find another book.
And that’s the primary problem I had with this book. I listened to it as an audiobook, which can be quite a different experience, so I’ll disclose that to begin with. The book focuses on the way current U.S. culture is designed to make the average consumer eat more often, more volume & faster. On the outside, it is a really good idea – as someone who struggles with overeating there’s no question that many things in the book rang true. Unfortunately the rhetoric is tiring and repetitive. To borrow an idea from my friend Fred, it’s like having a pamphlet’s worth of helpful information and stretching it out into book form.
Popular science books are hard to review from an authoritative position when you’re not… well… a scientist so from here on out I’ll just review it as a layman. I felt this book had some good things to say about possible psychological triggers for overeating, and tools to use to overcome them. You may appreciate those tools… if you can make it through the first 4/5ths of the book which are generally discouraging. (Literally – the book is 250 pages, and only 45 are on the deconditioning.)
I mean, it is very hard to read (or in my case, listen to) someone describing for over 6 hours the ways in which food is designed to make you feel powerless to resist it. The words “hyper-palatable” and “satiety” were new to my vocabulary at the beginning of the book, and like torture by the end. Maybe he was trying to get you to associate torture with really tasty food. Actually that’s not too far off the mark, I think.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t entirely work that way. And I think many people who try to read this book are going to get turned off before they can get to the useful part. I know I had to really force myself to listen to the whole thing. If that’s happening, you’re not necessarily helping people, which is ostensibly the goal here. Not to mention, describing the horrific amount of fat in a food made me feel revulsion only about half the time – the other half I was thinking, “Turn this car around and get me to a Pizza Hut, stat!”. Come on, Dr. Kessler! Sprinkle some of the helpful info throughout to keep the reader engaged! A simple “if this is you, don’t worry, we’re getting to the part where you can cope” would suffice.
Ultimately, if Kessler wants us to create a cultural shift like the one we’ve seen for tobacco (the last answer he gives in that article), that’s a real uphill climb. It probably shows the bias in my vices to say that I think accepting that smoking tastes like crap is far easier than accepting that buttermilk biscuits taste like crap. Getting people to be snotty to each other about biscuits is more about recipe preference than moral superiority.
I wasn’t even going to write about this book, but this week I’ve been ill for days thanks to a lifetime’s poor nutrition habits. So when I sent Jack to the store to get me bran muffins, it was quite a treat to read the label and find that the %DV of fiber was far outclassed by the %DV of fat. These are tasty, commercially viable muffins. Sadly I am in need of the far more difficult to market, actually beneficial muffins.
If you really, really want to dig into cognitive ways to deal with an overeating problem you perceive that you have, then I can say that I would recommend reading this book. It will not be the most fun you ever had, but some things just take work. If you’re just reading because you want to learn more about food science, maybe find another book.
July 27, 2009
The title is a pipe dream, but I suspect it was chosen by someone other than the author.
My appreciation of this book varied depending on the section, but taken as a whole it has a lot of value.
The first part, "Sugar, Fat, Salt" is five-star material. Those of you who don't normally read nonfiction should at least read this section. It explains the brain science showing why "hyperpalatable" foods are irresistible to many people, and how these foods lead to uncontrolled eating. Fascinating stuff! I'll be re-reading this section.
The next section looks at restaurant and other processed foods, and the way they design them to be "layered" with salt on fat on fat on sugar, etc. to make it "craveable." (Yes, "craveable" is an actual food industry marketing term.) This section was interesting if a little repetitive.
Later sections deal with "food rehab," offering the tools you need to break away from habitual choices and gain control over your impulses. I was glad to see how Kessler placed the responsibility for change squarely back on the individual. Restaurant chains and food manufacturers create this garbage food because IT SELLS. While it's regrettable that they don't offer healthier options, they're not force- feeding anyone.
We are set apart from other animals in that we can change the way we talk to ourselves about a stimulus and make better choices. I'm fortunate never to have developed a taste for the foods described in the book, but I think some of the behavior modification tips will be helpful to me in overcoming the occasional temptation.
My appreciation of this book varied depending on the section, but taken as a whole it has a lot of value.
The first part, "Sugar, Fat, Salt" is five-star material. Those of you who don't normally read nonfiction should at least read this section. It explains the brain science showing why "hyperpalatable" foods are irresistible to many people, and how these foods lead to uncontrolled eating. Fascinating stuff! I'll be re-reading this section.
The next section looks at restaurant and other processed foods, and the way they design them to be "layered" with salt on fat on fat on sugar, etc. to make it "craveable." (Yes, "craveable" is an actual food industry marketing term.) This section was interesting if a little repetitive.
Later sections deal with "food rehab," offering the tools you need to break away from habitual choices and gain control over your impulses. I was glad to see how Kessler placed the responsibility for change squarely back on the individual. Restaurant chains and food manufacturers create this garbage food because IT SELLS. While it's regrettable that they don't offer healthier options, they're not force- feeding anyone.
We are set apart from other animals in that we can change the way we talk to ourselves about a stimulus and make better choices. I'm fortunate never to have developed a taste for the foods described in the book, but I think some of the behavior modification tips will be helpful to me in overcoming the occasional temptation.
July 6, 2009
I heard the author in an interview on NPR and made a mental note to check out the book. It seemed like an interesting take on "dieting." The author is a former commisioner for the FDA, and also a pediatrician, and started researching this book because he grew alarmed at the increase in clinically obese children that he saw. This book talks about food, the development of the food industry, and habits: the neural wiring of habits, how habit-forming these "hyper-palatable" foods are, and how difficult it is to break habits. It was very interesting read, meticulously researched (60 plus pages of endnotes, not including the index) and gave me food for thought, so to speak. My only criticism is that he tends to over-illustrate his points, and I think this book could have been 25% shorter with some tighter editing.
In a nutshell, humans are hard-wired to enjoy foods that are sweet, fat, and salty, a survival mechanism boon for our hunter-gatherer ancestors for whom food was literally feast or famine. Nowadays it is harder to imagine "what to make for dinner" than "where can I FIND dinner?"
Also, in the 50's (or so) the US started developing a "food industry" where none had existed previously. The industry has spent the past half-century developing "hyper-palatable" food -- in other words, food that we love and crave and are hard-wired to eat a lot of. Hand in hand with the actual foods, the "food industry" also has spent 50 plus years refining and honing the marketing of these foods.
The conflux of these two things has led to a nation of overweight and obese people, because of something the author dubs "conditioned hypereating."
In a nutshell, humans are hard-wired to enjoy foods that are sweet, fat, and salty, a survival mechanism boon for our hunter-gatherer ancestors for whom food was literally feast or famine. Nowadays it is harder to imagine "what to make for dinner" than "where can I FIND dinner?"
Also, in the 50's (or so) the US started developing a "food industry" where none had existed previously. The industry has spent the past half-century developing "hyper-palatable" food -- in other words, food that we love and crave and are hard-wired to eat a lot of. Hand in hand with the actual foods, the "food industry" also has spent 50 plus years refining and honing the marketing of these foods.
The conflux of these two things has led to a nation of overweight and obese people, because of something the author dubs "conditioned hypereating."
November 12, 2009
The author is a former FDA commissioner, dean of Yale medical school, and currently a pediatrician. So he is extremely well informed and yet so down-to-earth that he commiserates with all of us who are tempted by sweet and salty junk foods, convenience foods, and fast foods. What I really liked about this book is that the author really investigates the chemical reasons behind the temptations and shows the reader that it's not completely our fault we tend to overeat the wrong kinds of food. The junk food industry, like the tobacco industry before it, spends all its time and resources thinking of ways to hook us into eating their products and worse, to never get complete satisfaction from it. Thus we keep returning to the food, like the addicts we are. It goes beyond salt, fat and sugar and involves things like making foods more soluble so we don't have to chew as much so that we eat faster and thus more. The author's research involved interviews with top executives at Frito-Lay and Chili's restaurant to name a couple, and it is amazing how candid these people were about the lack of nutritional value and the competition to attract more consumers. If you substituted just a few words, you could swear you were listening to top drug lords trying to make their drugs more addictive. And the whole advertising industry for these foods involves convincing the viewer that their lives will be enriched by eating these foods because the experience will be so much fun or will represent familial love. "nothin' says loving like something from the oven". Right. And that would be the industrial ovens at the Pillsbury factory?
June 6, 2009
Written by an MD who is a former FDA commissioner, this is not really a "diet book" per se. It's not going to tell you to just eat grapefruit, or protein, or low-fat. I've thought to myself many times in my life that my addiction to food (and I don't think that's too strong a word) is a lot like that to a drug. At least with drugs, I could just abstain. But you HAVE to eat! This book describes how the combination of sugar, fat and salt are layered together in foods that you wouldn't even think of, and over time your brain is rewired such that, not only do you crave these types of food and choose them without even really thinking about it, but once you start eating them, the stimulus is self-reinforcing to the point that you just want more and more (again, a lot like some drugs). Just like with other types of addictions, some people are more susceptible than others. This is why I am amazed at someone who can eat a cookie and be completely satisfied, whereas for me that first cookie is so good that I can't stop thinking about the rest of them until they are gone. This book is really helping me understand my relationship with food and is helping me find ways to make better, concious choices.
August 10, 2009
I'm not known for my girth, but I found this book to have a powerful effect on me. Although it is boringly written, it delivers a delicious helping of muckraking journalism against food companies. I found that the same lessons about how to avoid compulsive eating apply to compulsive internet surfing, etc. -- rather than saying a "I should eat less" or "surf the web less," you give yourself rules to follow, and you learn to think of a plate of French Fries as disgusting. Wow, that just sounds like typical diet advice, I guess you have to read the book to realize how it's not a diet book, it's more like a "how to be a sane eater in our fucked up food-obsessed country" book. I eat healthy but I'm not a sane eater.
Did you know that the reason cereal has so many different types of sugar (molasses, sucrose, sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup solids, etc.) is that it allows them to avoid listing "sugar" first on the list of Frosted Flakes ingredients? They pretend corn is the first ingredient when you're actually buying a box of diabetes.
Kessler makes lots of interesting analogies to quitting nicotine, which seems really smart but I was never a smoker. Are French Fries better or worse than cigarettes? I always preferred sweet potato fries, so I'm in the clear.
Did you know that the reason cereal has so many different types of sugar (molasses, sucrose, sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup solids, etc.) is that it allows them to avoid listing "sugar" first on the list of Frosted Flakes ingredients? They pretend corn is the first ingredient when you're actually buying a box of diabetes.
Kessler makes lots of interesting analogies to quitting nicotine, which seems really smart but I was never a smoker. Are French Fries better or worse than cigarettes? I always preferred sweet potato fries, so I'm in the clear.
January 13, 2011
This is not a self-help book, nor is a diet book. I found the title misleading when I picked it up at the local branch of my library. Instead it is a book that about public health, the so-called obesity epidemic, and the science of human appetite. Written by a doctor who self-describes as fat, this title explores why a good majority of us can't stop eating fat, sugar, and salt. The premise, thoroughly explained scientific studies is that for some people it's not a matter of willpower, that these three things become nearly addictive because of our brain chemistry. Another large section of the book explains how the food industry exploits this, driving many Americans to overeat because of these tendencies. The author offers suggestions for overcoming this on a personal level.
Although well-written, I found it troublesome that much of what was offered from the multiple experts seemed tiny fragments of sentences, easily taken out of context. The notes at the end of the book helped, but the authors walking of the line between writing for a large audience and dumbing down the text wasn't always skillful. Additionally, readers who shy away from animal experiments and those who align themselves closer to the fat power movement than I might find this book less than thrilling.
Although well-written, I found it troublesome that much of what was offered from the multiple experts seemed tiny fragments of sentences, easily taken out of context. The notes at the end of the book helped, but the authors walking of the line between writing for a large audience and dumbing down the text wasn't always skillful. Additionally, readers who shy away from animal experiments and those who align themselves closer to the fat power movement than I might find this book less than thrilling.
October 5, 2019
Some thing that you read here in this book you know. Like the fact we all like, love and crave foods that are high on fat, salt and sugar. But it will give you information about food design and its designers, the physiological part about our eating choices and habits and also some coping methods. I really find it important and useful.
July 31, 2009
This NY Times bestseller has been featured on several television and radio shows, partly because it is written by Dr. David Kessler, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Kessler spends a huge portion of the book discussing how food manufacturers and restaurants add fat, sugar and salt to make it more palatable and how our body reacts to these ingredients. He even dedicates whole chapters to chains like Cinnabon and goes over many of the tastier items on the Chili's menu. He discusses the biology of food addiction and he gives some suggestions (avoid contact with unhealthy foods), but after finishing the book, I didn't feel like I knew how to turn my penchant for sweets into a craving for celery. I did find myself craving a Cinnabon though. I admire Dr. Kessler for all that he has done in trying to get full disclosure in food labels and restaurant selections. His goal of ending childhood obesity is wonderful. But, his book is not going to end chubby thighs, at least for me. Hopefully his work will lead to healthier choices and a better overall awareness of the causes of obesity. So, if you are interested in how our food industry is contributing to obesity in our society or want to know how many teaspoons of sugar are in a Strawberry and Cream Frappuccino (18!!), then you will find this book interesting and informative. But, if you are looking for a diet book, then this is not it.
October 13, 2009
pretty good description and analysis of changes in eating patterns in the US, aided and abetted by food/restaurant industry, toward "conditioned hypereating", resulting in high rates of overweight and obesity.
No real explanation for individual differences in this phenomenon, gives short shrift to relevance of exercise in weight maintenance/reduction, and advocates habit reversal [one of his go-to interview sources in the behavior change section is a researcher who mainly focuses on trichotillomania, so the application to overeating is metaphorical and conjectural:] without reviewing in any detail its track record of success for impulse control disorders.
Stylistically a boring book -- small bites (48 chapters for 249 pages) consisting often of a description of an animal study documenting the relevant aspect of the phenomenon, then a quote from a researcher making the analogy to a human eating mega-portions at Chili's or what have you, then author's personal confession related to hyper-eating, then repetition of the main point. Lather, rinse, repeat. A bit of a slog to get through.
Important topic, though, and if you have either failed to realize that sugar, salt, and fat in excess are bad for you or are unfamiliar with loss of control eating then it would be an informative read.
No real explanation for individual differences in this phenomenon, gives short shrift to relevance of exercise in weight maintenance/reduction, and advocates habit reversal [one of his go-to interview sources in the behavior change section is a researcher who mainly focuses on trichotillomania, so the application to overeating is metaphorical and conjectural:] without reviewing in any detail its track record of success for impulse control disorders.
Stylistically a boring book -- small bites (48 chapters for 249 pages) consisting often of a description of an animal study documenting the relevant aspect of the phenomenon, then a quote from a researcher making the analogy to a human eating mega-portions at Chili's or what have you, then author's personal confession related to hyper-eating, then repetition of the main point. Lather, rinse, repeat. A bit of a slog to get through.
Important topic, though, and if you have either failed to realize that sugar, salt, and fat in excess are bad for you or are unfamiliar with loss of control eating then it would be an informative read.
August 8, 2012
I think the title of this book is slightly misleading. What it sounds like is a self-help book; what it is is an in-depth examination of the internal and external forces that cause many people to overeat.
It's extremely detailed, and provides tons of references to scientific research. There are a few places where it gets a bit too detailed, but overall I really enjoyed the book. The author outlines how restaurants and the food industry have capitalized on our biological urges for combinations of sugar, fat and salt, and how consuming those foods affects our brains (and, therefore, our feelings about and future behavior toward that food).
At the end, the author does tack on some self-help advice, but it feels a bit like an afterthought and doesn't seem all that helpful. But, it's worth reading (or listening to) for the fascinating look at why we we are drawn to certain foods, why we seemingly have no "willpower" against certain foods, how the food industry uses our urges to encourage us to buy more of their product, and how social cues have created new, unhealthy eating habits for most Americans.
Lots of thought-provoking stuff in here; especially for anyone who's ever felt powerless to resist certain foods (in other words, almost everyone).
It's extremely detailed, and provides tons of references to scientific research. There are a few places where it gets a bit too detailed, but overall I really enjoyed the book. The author outlines how restaurants and the food industry have capitalized on our biological urges for combinations of sugar, fat and salt, and how consuming those foods affects our brains (and, therefore, our feelings about and future behavior toward that food).
At the end, the author does tack on some self-help advice, but it feels a bit like an afterthought and doesn't seem all that helpful. But, it's worth reading (or listening to) for the fascinating look at why we we are drawn to certain foods, why we seemingly have no "willpower" against certain foods, how the food industry uses our urges to encourage us to buy more of their product, and how social cues have created new, unhealthy eating habits for most Americans.
Lots of thought-provoking stuff in here; especially for anyone who's ever felt powerless to resist certain foods (in other words, almost everyone).
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