Did anyone else see this article in the New York Times about the food industry? The former head of the FDA has written a book about the ways that foodmakers make it easier (intentionally or not) to overeat. His claim is that they’re great at finding the perfect combo of fat, sugar, and salt that overrides our hunger signals and makes us want to continue eating even when we shouldn’t. My favorite quote:
“And Dr. Kessler reports that the Snickers bar, for instance, is “extraordinarily well engineered.” As we chew it, the sugar dissolves, the fat melts and the caramel traps the peanuts so the entire combination of flavors is blissfully experienced in the mouth at the same time.”
So true, my friend. So true. I don’t have time to read the book, but it sounds useful – apparently it’s not so much an expose of food companies as a guide for overeaters to help stop those behaviors. I wonder about his argument though – sometimes I find that those comfort processed foods just make me want to keep eating, but other times I find that they feel so decadent that I’m totally satisfied after eating a normal portion.
And would one of these
gomaxgofoods.com
have the same nasty effects as a Snickers? I know they’re made from much less suspect ingredients, but there are still sugars in them.
What do you think? Is overeating a result of the way modern foods are processed, or is it just about willpower? Are some people more prone to overeating than others? What foods make you ignore your body’s signals to stop eating?
Summer of the CSAs 