The End of Overeating

David Kessler, head of the FDA during the Bush and Clinton administrations, has written an important book on the obesity epidemic that has occurred in the US.David Kessler-Author of The End of Overeating

He notes that much processed food today is simply "adult baby food"--it requires little chewing and facilitates getting it into the stomach as quickly as possible.

Many natural foods require more chewing and if we don't have enough teeth to easily process a healthy diet, we will tend to eat the foods laden with sugar corn syrup, fat and salt that pack as many calories into bite-sized easy delivery.

Having a healthy oral environment is the start of achieving a healthy diet. The Mouth is the gateway or first step to our body's food processing organs. Poor chewing can determine poor nutrition.

This is a well-written, easily understandable, interesting book on the very serious subject of overeating. The book is broken into six parts with relatively small chapters ranging in size from approximately three pages to eleven pages in length with many in the four to seven page range. The first part, for example, has 13 chapters so there is much information but it is presented in a way which flows well together.

When I got this book I was interested in the subject matter but I was worried that the book would be boring or so technical that I would lose interest. I read this book in two days and it has changed my approach to eating.

Part One of the book, Sugar, Fat, Salt, talks about why people eat and overeat. It looks at the physical as well as psychological aspects of overeating.

Part Two of the book (my favorite), The Food Industry, gives specific examples of how restaurants and the food industry contribute to the problem by creating food that people want to eat but is not healthy. For instance I never new that bread had so much salt because it takes away the bitter taste of the flour and brings up the flavor. The author also addresses how nutrition information on packaging is manipulated by the food industry. For instance if a food contains more sugar than any other ingredient it must go first on the list but if you use a number of sources of sugar like brown sugar, corn syrup and fructose each is listed individually and goes lower on the list.

Part Three, Conditioned Hypereating Emerges, talks about how we get trapped into an overeating pattern. It references numerous studies and explores whether overeating is nature, nurture or both.

Part Four, The Theory of Treatment, talks about theoretical ways people can break the overeating habit.

Part Five, Food Rehab, offers practical ways individuals can stop overeating. The advice is great.

Part Six, The End Of Overeating, talks about the challenges ahead to end overeating. While it will not be easy, each individual has the power to end his or her overeating despite roadblocks created by the food industry or our own physical or mental makeup.

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite (Hardcover)

byDavid Kessler