Review: The End of Overeating, by David Kessler, MD

I originally became interested in this book because of an interview with Kessler I heard on NPR. Typically, books on diet and nutrition generally aren't of specific interest to me, because I find them either trite, boring, or so over-sensationalized that they immediately turn me off. However, while listening to the interview, I decided that this particular book sounded like none of those things, and put it on my list to read.

What really reeled me in was Kessler's discussion regarding the book cover, which has a gorgeous piece of carrot cake on top, and a pile of carrots on the bottom. He talked with Diane Rehm about why the cake looked so much better, and why she thought that she wanted it. She replied with something about how it feels in her mouth, the sensations it would deliver and the expectations she had of pleasure. In a nutshell, that is what the first 2/3 of The End of Overeating is about: why we want what we want, and how companies' greed makes us want more. The second half, which is less compelling than the first, discusses ways to take control (thus the subtitle of the book, 'Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite) of what we want and move forward.

Really, I found final 1/3 of the book to be almost unnecessary after reading Part Two, The Food Industry. I was so disgusted by most of what I read, I may never eat out again just from that! Kessler goes beyond the usual, companies-are-plotting-against-you material and includes interviews with industry executives who really spell it out in a very basic, horrible way. My favorite quote, which sums up the entire issue, is this:

"If you can find that optimal point in a set of ingredients, you may well be on your way to converting that array of chemicals and physical substrates into a successful product." - Howard Moskowitz, consumer behavior expert, on companies' useage of what are basically non-foods to form a chemically-modified irresistible food product.

Doesn't that make you want to go out and grab a bag of Doritos (one of the products discussed in detail)? All I could think about at that point was the old movie 'Soylent Green', where companies used what turned out to be a boiled-down human base in foods, which people in turn found irresistible.

Other little tidbits:

- Even if you think you're getting healthy food when you eat out, you probably aren't - most 'lean meats' that have any flavoring in them are injected with the flavorings at a manufacturing plant, often including huge numbers of needle pricks with concoctions of flavoring that a) deliver fatty marinades directly into the meat and b) tenderize the meat so much that it is basically "pre-chewed", which is why it seems to melt in your mouth. Oh, did you, like me, think those meats were prepared fresh at Applebees, Friday's, etc.? Sorry. That would be a big NO.

- Want to know why you can supersize drinks so cheaply? It's because sugars and fats, particularly engineered chemical sweeteners, are so inexpensive for companies that that extra $.99 of soda only costs them $.03 to deliver. Soda companies did specific studies on how they could make you want water less, and soda more. Sip on *that* next time you get a vat of soda at the theater.

- Sugars and fats stimulate the brain so much that lab rats pushed a button 77 times to recieve chocolate Ensure a mere 14 times. They work approximately the same amount to receive CRACK. They also repeatedly walked over flooring that zapped each step, their desire was so great.

I could go on. Really, these sections on the food industry are what make the book worthwhile. The later sections, on stopping overeating by creating 'rules' for yourself, which are supposedly easier for the brain to obey than generic willpower, don't make much sense to me because you have to use willpower to get to the point where those rules will actually mean something to you. So, it really is the same, obvious message: it's hard, make a plan, stick to it, get help. The corporate studies, though, and the interviews, are extremely engrossing. It's like watching a hidden-camera show because of that 'gotcha!' quality, although it's hard to be sure who's been gotten, when you really think about it.

Rating: 3.5 stars. Great industry and nutritional breakdowns, educational and engrossing, which are way more of a deterrant than the 'food rehab' portion. Mildly repetitive in sections, occasionally a bit science-y for non-science people, but still worth a food-consumer's time.