In an earlier post I started a review of “The End of Overeating” by D. Kessler. Well, I finally finished the book and would like to give some final thoughts. Overall, I feel that the book was well written, though reading it reminded me of some of my neuroscience or psychology textbooks I read in college. That being said, I think that he made many of the concepts quite accessible to people who may not be as familiar with subjects such as behavioral psychology or neuroscience.
As stated in my first post, he draws a tight parallel between what he calls “conditioned hypereating” and substance abuse, which all but makes the industrial food manufacturers our national pushers. And, the author’s solutions to dealing with the problem involve techniques used by cognitive-behavioral psychotherapists. Given that these techniques have been found to be successful for some individuals attempting to deal with drug or alcohol abuse (including people trying to quit smoking) then it is logical that these techniques could work for some individuals who fit the description of conditioned hypereaters. Thus, from the perspective of the utility of the information presented, I think many people may find this book quite interesting and helpful.
However, there were certain aspects of the book with which I either did not agree or found lacking. First, he repeatedly emphasizes that it is the combination of sugar, fat, and salt that food manufacturers use to make foods “hyperpalatable.” And while this may be true, I think the repetition used throughout the book could lead many to conclude that these constituents themselves are the problem. Personally, I think we have done enough to demonize fat in this country. The damage that the “dietary fat / cholesterol = heart attack, stroke, etc” hypothesis has done to our health and eating behavior is incalculable. In fact, the “fat is bad” idea is so ingrained in our national psyche now that I think many who read my previous statement will react negatively toward it. And given the pervasiveness of this myth (that’s right, folks, I am saying it is a myth that fat is bad), I think Kessler’s often repeated use of pointing toward sugar, fat, and salt will just reinforce the low fat culture in our country, even though I don’t think that was his intent. The point, I think, is that agri-business uses just the right combinations of these ingredients, plus enough artificial flavorings and food additives, to make foods hyperpalatable but that these ingredients are not inherently bad for you. I didn’t get the feeling that this point was explicitly stated.
My other issue with the book is the idea that, through cognitive-behavioral techniques, one can gain control over conditioned hypereating. But, this brings me to a kind of sticky place, because one can view what Diane and I are doing as employing some of the exact suggestions he makes. In fact, he even recommends (very deep in the book, and only one sentence) that one “eats as close to nature as possible” making use of both plant and animal foods. Here again, however, he advises only the use of lean meats. Ah, those poor, inhumanely treated chickens that supply us with their ample but not very tasty breast meat. But, I digress. I guess my issue here is that many of the suggestions or strategies he puts forth sound much like what you would hear from any standard dietician, eat an apple not an apple pie, avoid desserts, don’t visit the snack machine, etc. The issue for me is that anyone who has ever attempted to diet is already quite familiar with these admonitions. He cautions people against becoming obsessive in avoiding hyperpalatable foods (since this sets up the desire to eat the food to reduce the mental tension) while simultaneously providing an extensive list of strategies for changing eating behavior. Again, though, he recommends (a single sentence, buried deep in the book) that one achieve a simple relationship with food.
For me, the natural extension of his basic thesis, that the food industry has developed (in recent years) hyperpalatable foods that drive conditioned overeating, is that one should avoid these foods altogether. Of course, here is my own bias, since Diane and I have found that our current experiment is providing so many benefits, both in terms of health (see Diane’s recent post) and in terms of enjoying food again. I have to say that I believe we have found the way to have a simple relationship with food, and that is to just eat real food, as people have done for thousands of years. Beyond that, I don’t find I need any other psychological techniques to deal with one of the most basic acts of existence.
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