Less Chewing Equals More Eating (And Other Food Industry Secrets)

Image Gallery Candy bars, potato chips, french fries — why are some foods “irresistible”? Because industrial chefs have engineered them to be “hyper-palatable,” heaping together fat, sugar and salt to arouse our appetites and override the natural wisdom of the body. In his New York Times best-seller, “The End of Overeating,” David A. Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, explores the fascinating science of the human appetite and how the savvy, profit-hungry food industry has taken advantage of our biological propensity for fatty, sugary, salty foods. COVER: RODALE

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The following is an excerpt from The End of Overeating by David A. Kessler, M.D. (Rodale, 2009). Drawn from the latest brain science as well as interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, The End of Overeating is a groundbreaking investigation into why we eat the way we do, and how our modern diets — highjacked by the food, restaurant and advertising industries — have contributed to our current national health crisis. Shocking, thought-provoking and ultimately empowering, The End of Overeating will change the way you look at food and give you the tools you need to reshape your eating habits. This excerpt is from Chapter 17, “The Era of the Monster Thickburger,” and Chapter 18, “No Satisfaction.” 

U.S. Department of Agriculture data show that today we’re eating more of everything. By far the largest increase has been in the consumption of fats and oils, with a 63 percent jump over a 33-year period, from per capita annual consumption of about 53 pounds to about 86 pounds.

The use of sugars and sweeteners is also up — by a modest 19 percent — and in that same period, we ate 43 percent more grain and 7 percent more meat, eggs and nuts. USDA data also report that we’re eating 24 percent more vegetables, which seems like good news until you learn that a large component of those vegetables are deep-fried potatoes in the form of french fries.

The ready availability of formerly scarce fats and sugars reflects centuries of change in agriculture and more recent developments in manufacturing, distribution and government regulations. Early human diets contained only about 10 percent fat. Sugar intake, primarily from ripe fruit, was also modest. But these commodities were essential sources of the energy needed for survival, and we developed the biological tools to appreciate them when we could get them. That may be why we have 300 or more olfactory receptors to sense the odors associated with fats, as well as an innate preference for sweetness.

When we talk about the complexity of American foods, we aren’t referring to the kind of complexity traditionally associated with fine cuisine or regional or ethnic cooking. The American concept of complexity is built on layering and loading rather than an intricate and subtle use of quality ingredients. Visitors from other cultures often remark on the difference. Yoshiyuki Fujishima, an executive at Ajinomoto, one of Japan’s largest food companies, believes that American food is fundamentally less satisfying than Japanese food.

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