Think, Eat, Be Healthy

Book Review: “Your Food Is Fooling You” by David A. Kessler, M.D.

A former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration speaks out about overeating and the dangers of highly processed foods.

A former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration speaks out about overeating and the dangers of highly processed foods.

“Your Food Is Fooling You” was written by David A. Kessler, M.D. and published by Roaring Brook Press in 2013. The book’s subtitle is “How Your Brain Is Hijacked By Sugar, Fat And Salt”. Dr. Kessler is former head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The premise of this book is that modern highly processed foods are deliberately designed to bypass the brain’s natural satiety response and make us keep eating even after we are full and no longer hungry. These foods also stimulate the brain’s reward center, creating an addictive response similar to opioid drugs. Combined with pervasive advertising, many people easily fall into a cycle of almost constant eating that leads to weight gain and ultimately to obesity and chronic disease.

During most of our evolution, food was scarce and high-energy foods(such as fats and sugars) were very scarce. Most whole natural foods trigger a feeling of fullness when we have eaten enough, causing us to no longer feel hungry and to stop eating. Foods high in fats and sugars, however, do not produce this feeling of fullness as there was no chance of eating too much of them in our early history. This is no longer the case and high fat/high sugar foods are now everywhere and always available.

Food manufacturers have taken advantage of this, designing highly processed foods full of fats and sugars that are also very easy to chew and swallow. Our brains tell us that we can never eat enough of these foods that also make us feel good while we are eating them. The resulting positive feedback spiral leads to cravings and almost continuous eating. The result are great for the food manufacturers’ profits but not so good for our health and well being.

The solution offered by Dr. Kessler is to develop new habits for what and when to eat. We must retrain our brains and develop new habits of healthy eating. The primary change he suggests is switching to a diet of primarily natural whole foods because these foods do trigger feelings of fullness that prompt us to stop eating when we have had enough. Kessler also suggests setting standard times for eating meals, controlling portion sizes, limiting snacks and eliminating most desserts. Several strategies are presented for retraining the brain into these healthier eating patterns. He likens the battle against modern manufactured processed foods to the battle against smoking cigarettes and every bit as difficult.

David Kessler began the research that led to this book because he was overweight and could not control his own eating. He wanted to understand why he could not resist eating so many foods even though he wanted to lose weight. His sincere belief is that understanding the problem will allow us to develop our own solutions to the problem of highly processed foods.

4 thoughts on “Book Review: “Your Food Is Fooling You” by David A. Kessler, M.D.

  1. Michael Dahl

    John:

    I haven’t read this book. I want to. I just know the basics … less than you shared.

    When it came out I was pretty astounded that something so bold could come from a former head of the FDA. It somehow made me proud that someone who was once at that level of government and feeling the pressure of so many powerful interests would fight back with such a strong statement / book.

    Hey, I wanted to know if you’ve read Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss. It’s on my real food bookshelf, and I am considering it one of my next reads.

    Thanks.
    Michael

    1. John Rivard Post author

      Kessler is one of the brave that was willing to look at the evidence, change his mind and try to start making a difference. When I got this book I did not remember who he was. There is not really anything new in the book, the impressive part of the message is the author delivering it. I wander if the AMA will threaten to revoke his medical license, or Dr. Oz’s, because of this book? They are about to issue guidelines for medical doctors requiring AMA approval for all statements to the public media outlets. Can’t have those doctors getting out of line and saying things that go against official AMA policy!

      I have not read “Salt, Sugar, Fat”, but it is on my list as well. I am in the middle of a new illustrated text on home butchering at the moment, so it might take me a while. There is so little hope of the federal government, the AMA or other large, national organizations actually putting their weight behind meaningful policy to address our current health problems that I feel the need to concentrate more on individual responsibilities. I want to provide information and resources so that individuals and families can take themselves as far off-grid as they want to be. Becoming as self-reliant as possible and refusing to buy into the current system of overpriced health insurance to pay for overpriced healthcare that is only necessary because of poor diet is a good way to start the fight against these things. As David Letterman has said about the US, “The rest of world cares about soccer a lot more than we do, sort of the same as education, healthcare and gun control.” No-one is going to rescue us from this health predicament. We have to rescue ourselves, one person at a time. This will very much be a grass-roots movement to better health through real food and backyard gardens.

      1. Michael Dahl

        Thanks for sharing this, John. As I told you, I am a lobbyist for economic / housing justice issues. I’ve seen how major policies — often from long ago, but sometimes even now — do some real good.

        However, I must agree, on food issues it seems the federal government is (if not a lost cause) a place where those with really thick skins must play constant defense.

        I have hope though. It is a long-term hope. If enough people can be taught to see how real food can help them individually, they can see how federal food policy is complete lunacy. So many are hungry, so many are ill, so many really do care about the environment. There’s base to work with … to teach.

        Michael

        1. John Rivard Post author

          Concerning public policy on food and health issues, I think the huge amount of money(profits) involved is the biggest deciding factor. The food manufacturers, fast-food restaurants and soda/juice companies do not want to give up the market share that has made them international powers. The large pharmaceutical companies, health management organizations and insurance companies all depend on a large and growing number of chronically ill people to support their financial empires. All of these players pour rivers of money into advertising to constantly remind us of how hungry and how sick we are and how easily they will make us feel better. They pour even more money into political campaigns to ensure that elected politicians continue to support every individuals’ right to eat themselves sick and then get insurance subsidized pills to treat the symptoms. Trillions of dollars of revenues and profits and campaign donations would evaporate overnight if everyone suddenly decided they did not want to be sick anymore and started eating healthy whole food diets. This is why no politician, no pharmaceutical executive, no food manufacturer or no insurance CEO is going to stand up and call on the public to eat a healthier diet any time in the near future.