Thursday, July 2, 2009

The End of Overeating

I have been reading a new book by David A. Kessler, MD. It's called "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite". It's really been fascinating reading about how the food industry has manipulated our food so that we get a lot of salt, sugar and fat in nearly everything. I saw him on TV the other day and ordered his book. It was an instant best seller. I guess all of us who have yoyo'd for years are interested in knowing why. He has been fat and thin and fat and thin several times in his life

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.

Dr. Kessler says his study has led him to know that the food industry purposely loads of food with these three things to make them more appetizing so we'll eat more and more.

Yoshiyuki Fujishima, an executive at Ajinomoto, one of Japan's largest food companies, believes that American food is fundamentally less satisfying than Japanese food. "The food I eat in Japan has complex flavor, and I can get satisfaction with less quantity" he said. By contrast, with American food, "you have to eat a lot to be satiated."

Europeans say the same thing. To more sophisticated palates, our cuisine lacks finesse..."There's no curiosity in it...you are swamped with very strong tastes", one source told me. He called American food, "over the top".

Where traditional cuisine is meant to satisfy, American industry food is meant to stimulate.

2 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Great post, Margie, and so very true! Wonder if it will ever change?? Having lived in Europe, I have to agree the food quality is different and it is more satisfying. Never thought about why really until I read your post. Excellent! Now if someone could just convince the food industry! Hmmmm fat chance, I suspect.

Margie's Musings said...

Nope...it's the food industry that's doing it. Anything for a profit. Capitalism is greed driven.