BLOG 17

In “The End of Overeating” by David A. Kessler, Elizabeth Kolbert reports Kessler’s experiences with processed food. Kessler write about Kessler’s experience as a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and the experiences that he has endured. Kessler explains that “much of processed food is being reengineered to create addiction.” This is a very powerful statement – especially knowing that it is true. In most cases food scientists add sugar, salt, and fat to our foods to make them more addicting – to which Kessler has invented his own term as “conditioned hypereating”. After reading Kolberts piece I was angry but then happy to find out that “processed food is being re engineered to create addiction.”
I was angry to find out that fast food companies are PURPOSELY adding products like fat, sugar, and salt to make out bodies become dependent on their products. How could a company who “cares” about their consumer poison us at the same time? In a movie I recently saw, Super Size Me, Morgan goes on a 30 day McDonald's only binge. Morgan gets addicted to the products in the food and after 10 days or so, he beings to suffer from depression from the chemical imbalance. My friend Jane is one of the poor people who have fallen into this addiction. She is extremely obese and unhealthy over all. Her diet consists of primarily fast food. Although, this is not the right way of life Jane has no other options. She is a single mother who is always on the run and has no time to prepare her own food. She has fallen for the convenience and McDonald's got her hooked.
I was happy to be enlightened once I finished reading the article. I was not aware of the secret additives in this food we find so easy and convenient. I am happy that I now have the knowledge to make healthier decisions. I will educate others on what I have learned. I have shown the movie Super Size me to many people because knowledge is power. I will definitely think twice before I pick a quick McDouble again!
Kessler recites “Conditioned hypereating works in the same way as other ‘stimulated response’ disorders in which reward is involved, such as compulsive gambling and substance abuse”. To which Kolbert white that “the analogy is not merely rhetorical: research on rats, he (Kessler) maintains, proves that the animals’ brain react to sweet, fatty food the same way that addicts’ respond to cocaine.” If this is the case and we are now aware of it, why not take the effort out to continue to educate ourselves. A healthy diet is just a local farmer market away. And on the bright side, we won’t be like rats addicted to cocaine!