Incredible new book on Food Addiction!!

For those of you who didn't read my 30-day blog, in January I took a one month challenge to be raw vegan. I enjoyed a lot of it and learned things that forever changed my lifestyle, but my conclusion after so many slips was that I was addicted to certain foods. I ended the blog with a new quest to learn more about this because I have friends who don't have problems sticking to the green smoothies.

A dear friend emailed this to me recently and I am going to email the information to a few clients I know will appreciate it, but I want to share it with everyone really because I am reading the book now and OMG is the most appropriate reaction to almost every page of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler.

What was sent to me was an AARP article--an interview with the auther by Carol Kaufmann. Here's the article opening:

Ever wonder why you can’t eat just one potato chip? A single slice of pizza? How about a solitary bite of cheesecake or a lone chicken wing? David A. Kessler, 57, a Harvard-trained doctor, lawyer, former Yale Medical School dean and one-time commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, believes he has found the answer.

Regular exposure to palatable foods rich in salt, sugar and fat can change the way our brains work, Kessler says in his new book, The End of Overeating (see book excerpt http://bulletin.aarp.org/opinions/othervoices/articles/excerpt_from_the_end_of_overeating_taking_control_of_the_insatiable_american_appetite.html). Famous for taking on Big Tobacco and mandating nutrition labels on grocery-store food, Kessler spent the past seven years interviewing physicians, scientists and food industry executives—and uncovered a vicious cycle. Humans are naturally wired to focus on the greatest stimulation in their environment. And when it comes to food, dishes high in fat, salt and sugar—the ones so popular on the American food-scape—fit the description.

The thought of such foods travels straight to the reward center of the brain, releasing dopamine, the chemical associated with pleasure. Eating foods you crave releases other chemicals, opioids, which provide emotional satisfaction. Over time, these neural pathways are strengthened, and soon enough the whiff, even the mention, of a favorite food sets the cycle in motion. Suddenly, it’s a habit—we don’t know when to stop—something Kessler calls “conditioned hypereating.” It’s an addiction, and as with all addictions, we want, even need, more of our favorite foods to gain the same satisfaction. Give someone a bag of chips, and soon, voila! The bag is empty, proving the slogan “Betcha can’t eat just one.”

The author talks about the tricks that are used against the public. If anyone has read this book, I would love to hear from you. I am interested in knowing if you are as shocked and appalled as I am at the food industry. It's not ALL my fault after all. Quite frankly, I was always skeptical as to why Phillip Morris had such an interest in the industry. I think it's because they don't get the American cigarette money anymore, so they'll hook you on something you literally can't live without! No wonder we are the fattest country in the world. We've been duped! Well, if I lacked motivation before, I have it now. I'm not even half way through and I've already lost 12lbs just reading it!