← Back to Topic List for Tribe Food
Former FDA commissioner Dr. David Kessler has been on the media circuit discussing his new book about the causes of excessive eating. His message is that the U.S.'s problem with obesity results from a surfeit of "hyper-palatable," high-caloric density foods laden with fat, sugar, and/or salt. This type of food has the ability to "hijack" certain neural circuitry in our brains related to reward and conditions us to want to consume more for psychological (not nutritional) reasons.
The increasing marketing and consumption of these foods, he says, has been a major contributor to the meteoric rise in type II diabetes in the past decade and is particularly worrisome for its impact on children, where this sort of conditioning can set them up for life-long problems. Here are some links:
Washington Post (27 Apr 2009):
Crave Man
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/26/AR2009042602711.html
Wall Street Journal (28 Apr 2009):
The Science and Psychology Behind Overeating
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124084009832659309.html
Interview with Moira Gunn on Tech Nation (3 May 2009):
Our Brains on Food & Other Tales of Modern Life
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/moira-gunn/our-brains-on-food-other_b_194584.html
SF Bay area appearances, 8 May 2009:
http://events.marinij.com/san-francisco-ca/events/show/86657011-david-a-kessler-the-end-of-overeating
http://events.mercurynews.com/palo-alto-ca/events/show/86812149-david-kessler-presents-the-end-of-overeating
His book:
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-End-of-Overeating/David-A-Kessler/e/9781605297859
OK, so the food industry and their marketers are onto humanity's weakness for salty-fatty-sugary stuff. In the face of the multimedia, multimillion dollar, ever-present ad campaigns, is there any hope for us?
The key to our success here, Dr. Kessler believes, is changing our perception of these sorts of food offerings. The sort of perceptual change he's looking for is akin to how our perception of smoking went from glamorous to annoying/damaging, which lead to lots of positive societal changes around smoking (bans, taxes). It's harder to do with food because you have to continue eating and you will continually be tempted to give in. It helps, he says, if you can physically remove yourself from situations that will create these temptations.
Another thing to remember: you have the ultimate power in deciding what goes into your mouth.
An important factor that Dr. Kessler doesn't mention much (or at all) is the social aspect of eating. Much of our eating is done with others and is highly sensitive to the attitudes and tastes of those around us. It's not enough to change your food attitudes and eating behaviors toward foods themselves: You have to be able to withstand social pressure that goes against your better judgement. If your meals are prepared or purchased by others, the challenge is even greater. But it's not insurmountable. Make your intentions clear to your fellow eating partners and be flexible. You don't need to make dramatic changes overnight. Gradually adopt healthier habits over time until you find what works best for you.
