The end of overeating
taking control of the insatiable American appetite
by David A. Kessler · first published 2009
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Explains how food engineering, with precise mixes of fat, sugar and salt, drives overeating through psychological and chemical triggers. Useful for readers wanting the science behind weight gain and processed food.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Most of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food--when a handful of chips leads to an empty bag. But it's harder to understand why we can't seem to stop eating, even when we know better. Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now cracks the code of overeating by explaining how our bodies and minds are changed when we consume foods that contain sugar, fat, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire a
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…appetite, then go for a goddamn run already. You'll be happier for it. If you're not managing your appetite, work on that—exercise will not help you lose weight until you do. There's a great book—The End Of Overeating—which details the intersection of modern food science, evolutionary psychology, cognitive psychology, and human physiology. If you're interested, give it a go. (BTW, bringing up elite athletes doesn't…
on “Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin” ↗A category of food that had escaped me as highly processed was food at specific kinds of restaurants. David Kessler has an eye opening chapter "A visit to Chili's" in his book, The End of Overeating. Everything they serve at chili's, even seemingly innocuous things like a chicken breast meal have been made or modified to make them hyper-palatable, easy to chew, swallow, and overeat. For non-American's,…
on “Ultraprocessed Foods – A New Theory of Obesity” ↗I'd also recommend The End of Overeating (David Kessler) which posits that the obesity explosion is due to recent advances in food science re: foods engineered (precise ratios of fat, sugar and salt) to make you want to eat more ("conditioned…
on “A Mathematical Challenge to Obesity” ↗…However this rule is not that well enforced because of how much outrage people have over being told to pay extra because of their weight. (A condition which most people have little control over. Read The End of Overeating for the biochemistry behind how the modern food industry induces overeating.) Personally I would be in favour of a surcharge on anyone who significantly inconveniences their seatmate, with a fraction…
on “Boeing’s 787 Is as Innovative Inside as Outside” ↗While I agree, it's the combination (plus salt) that's been identified as particularly nefarious. See The End of Overeating by David Kessler, former FDA commissioner.
on “The Fat Trap: Our Bodies Are Fighting Against Us” ↗…of sugar, fat and salt triggers emotional reactions that cause people to crave and consume. If you're a food manufacturer who wants to increase sales, this is a good thing. For more on this read The End of Overeating.
…pre-processed chicken. In particular if you pay attention while chewing you realize that the pre-processed chicken doesn't have a lot of internal texture than the home cooked chicken does. Read The End of Overeating for more details.
on “To Cut Calories, Eat Slowly” ↗…sugary slop. And now, we have medical companies, who also pay out heavily, trying to cash in even more. I highly suggest reading “ Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us“ by Michael Moss, and “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David A. Kessler, former head of the FDA.
on “Older Americans Are About to Lose a Lot of Weight” ↗If you want it from an industrial perspective, I suggest checking out “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us“ by Michael Moss, and “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” by David A. Kessler, former head of the FDA.
on “How a scientist is pushing to supersize research into ultra-processed foods” ↗…management right away. I can tell you from experience that it's a lot easier to lose 20 pounds than it is to lose 70, so you can't win by waiting. Also, a great book on the subject is David Kessler's "The End of Overeating." He goes into great detail on the psychological and chemical triggers that induce hypereating. Now, on the other hand, if you're just prone to snacking on junk in fairly moderate ways, you ought to…
on “Ask HN: Food hacks for eating well?” ↗I have to second this recommendation. Everybody concerned about nutrition should read * Good Calorie, Bad Calorie; * The Omnivore's Dilemma * The End of Overeating. In order: the science of fat and weight, as best as can be explained today; what's in your food, and what you should be eating; and how companies influence your eating decisions and how to take control…
on “Sugar: The Bitter Truth (UCSF lecture)” ↗Or just eat less. To quote former FDA commissioner David Kessler from the book I just read (and the impetus for this post), The End of Overeating, “People get fat because they eat more than people who are lean…we finally have strong evidence that weight gain is primarily due to overeating.” Period. This has been conventional wisdom for years now.…
on “Look at me, I'm skinny” ↗I was referring to concepts presented in "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite" by David Kessler. Of course, I wouldn't expect a lot of people on HN to agree, thus the down-votes. A lot of the food industry is based on pumping…
on “Complete Notes to Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes | Higher Thought” ↗…tendencies are comparable to controlled drugs. The combination of sugar, fat, and salt, for example, has been experimentally shown to be as addictive as cocaine (this is a central premise of the book The End of Overeating; its author, David Kessler, is a former commissioner of the FDA, and medical researcher). While I don't condone drug use, I feel its criminalization has caused far more problems than it's resolved, and…
on “Anonymous Cancels Operation Cartel as Los Zetas Track Hacktivists” ↗fat+salt+sugar The book 'The End of Overeating' says that modern food is engineered to maximise this enjoyable aspect of food, to make it hyperpalletable. (It feels like a reasonable book, the biases are clear, it's just popsci so it's a bit flaky…
on “McMenu: Do-It-Yourself McDonald's Restaurant Recipes” ↗