In today's New York Times, Tara Parker-Pope writes of former FDA chief Dr. David A. Kessler’s new book, “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite.”: At the FDA, he accused cigarette makers of intentionally manipulating nicotine content to make their products more addictive. "Dr. Kessler finds some similarities in the food industry, which has combined and created foods in a way that taps into our brain circuitry and stimulates our desire for more.... [B]y combining fats, sugar and salt in innumerable ways, food makers have essentially tapped into the brain’s reward system, creating a feedback loop that stimulates our desire to eat and leaves us wanting more and more even when we’re full... [H]e offers descriptions of how restaurants and food makers manipulate ingredients to reach the aptly named “bliss point.” Foods that contain too little or too much sugar, fat or salt are either bland or overwhelming. But food scientists work hard to reach the precise point at which we derive the greatest pleasure from fat, sugar and salt.” Results include “hyper-palatable food that requires little chewing and goes down easily.” Read more.
2 comments:
I was just about to post this article to your FB page. I can testify about vegetarians reacting to animal protein. Anecdote - after a recent overseas illness (pretty bad, in fact), I felt the urge to have a steak or two to gain some strength back. When holding a packaged steak in my hand, however, the thought of eating it made me nauseous. I didn't buy it, but it was an interesting reaction to observe.
I watched Food, Inc. a few days ago. Since you're an avid, er, consumer of food lit, there's not too much new information. Good that's it out there, though.
PS - I need to start using the phrase "bliss point" more often.
JT
Glad you fought off that marketing-embedded notion. Often the weak feeling comes from the body trying to purge the bad stuff. Adding more unnecessary/bad stuff gives the body something to metabolize but it doesn't aid health. I do this with refined carb crap, due to the reward center reaction...and I never feel as good as when I just stop eating for awhile (aside from water and salad). During some recent outdoor activities with folks much younger, the vegan's speed, energy and endurance had them thinking about their food suppositions.
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