According
to Mic.com, a recent article in The New York Times dove
into the issue of the addictiveness of junk food. While most consumers
understand that consuming too much processed food is inherently unhealthy, what
is less understood is how such foods are purposely engineered to be addictive.
The Times article, adapted from the book Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the
Food Giants Hooked Us, goes into detail about how scientists and marketers
in the employ of such food giants as Frito-Lay, Coke and Kraft have manipulated
the American consumer into buying more and more processed food by adjusting
both the recipes and the messaging around the foods found on the shelves.
Considering
the increasing prevalence and cost of obesity-related illness in this country,
revealing this manipulation of the food system and determining methods to
combat the sway held by food companies should be a top priority.
There
is hard science behind food addiction. As outlined by the Times piece,
food scientists search for what is called the "Bliss Point," that
balance of ingredients, packaging and experience that make certain products all
but irresistible. By manipulating the ratio of salt, fat and sugar in a product,
as well as fiddling with product presentation and "mouth feel," food
scientists can fool the brain into wanting more even when a sufficient number
of calories have been consumed.
A
great example given in the Times article centers on Cheetos. The food scientist
who was interviewed proclaimed Cheetos "one of the most marvelously
constructed foods on the planet, in terms of pure pleasure." He noted that
the most powerful addictive attribute of Cheetos is the fact that the snack
melts away in the mouth. This melting fools the brain into thinking that no
calories have been consumed.
For more information, log onto:
He
who controls the seed controls the food supply, and he who controls the food
supply controls the world. There is no question that Monsanto is on a mission
to monopolize the conventional seed market. In fact, they are steadfastly
working towards the goal of creating a world where 100% of all commercial seeds
are genetically modified and patented - basically a world where natural seeds
are extinct.
To
see some fascinating and interesting clips regarding the truth about the
addictiveness of junk food, one can easily log onto:
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