The inspiration for this novel came from author David Kessler experiencing what many battle with on a day-to-day basis: overeating. Dr. Kessler would fluctuate between various weights for much of his life, never truly being able to conqueror his problem. By writing this book, he sought to find out why overeating inflicts so many people. As it turns out, the food industry has a pulse on what consumers find desirable, and work to exploit this weakness. By utilizing as much fat, sugar and salt as possible, food becomes too good to pass up. Many of the themes that the author touches on relate directly to what we cover in nutrition lecture, including mouth feel, emotion and chemical stimuli from the brain. The major themes that guide this…show more content… Fat, sugar and salt play a vital role in making food as desirable as possible. Not only that, but as the book notes, consuming these ingredients makes one more apt to eat more food overall. These key ingredients aid in the pleasure one feels when eating. In class, we discussed the concept of “mouth feel”, and how foods that have a higher fat content also have a preferable mouth feel for many people. The experiment we ran with the different yogurts confirmed that the one regarded as tasting the best by most also happened to be the fattiest. This gets right at the heart of why many people overeat. Foods that are fatty, salty and sugary have a pleasurable mouth feel that beckons to be maintained by consuming more and more. Additionally, foods rich in these ingredients stimulate neurons in the brain to fire, which leads the individual to seek more of that food to provide for the continuation of neuron stimulation. We have discussed in class about how messages from the brain have the capacity to tell us that we are hungry. Specifically, the hypothalamus, which is located above the pituitary gland in the forebrain, triggers these feelings. This mechanism can activate opioid circuits in the brain when appetizing food is eaten, providing the individual with positive sensations. In order to maintain that feeling, more and more must be eaten, and this is where many people get in trouble.…show more content… Overeating is such a buzz word nowadays to the point where I don’t think people are actually considering its significance. However, knowledge is power, and being aware of the tricks that the food industry plays, and the wirings of our brain that prompts us to crave certain foods can help us to combat excess consumption of food. For these reasons, I would recommend this book not only to people who suffer from overeating but just about anybody because of how easy it is to fall into and out of this bad habit. If I had to nitpick, I would say that the book is a bit repetitive. I feel as though the same message could have been presented in a lot less words. The book is loaded with sources and anecdotes which is good, but many are merely relaying the same idea. All in all, this book is a must read as it is truly eye opening how complex the issue of overeating can
