So, I’ve been reading a fantastic book by Dr. David Kessler, called “The End of Overeating.” The entire book is absolutely brilliant, but there are a few of his words that I cannot resist sharing with you.
“A change in perspective cannot be imposed with mandates, but must evolve as a social consensus. The goal is not to vilify all food and those who serve it, but to change our thinking about big food, those huge portions of layered and loaded (with fat, sugar, and salt) food with little nutritional value. We need to look differently at the people and places that serve it. When their power to manipulate our behavior becomes fully transparent, cues will lose their capacity to entice. Instead of expecting food to materialize at every social and business occasion, we’ll realize that many offers of food outside mealtimes do not serve anyone’s interest.
In the future, new social norms and values will emerge, and food choices, offered in smaller portion sizes, will seem ‘right’ to us. That will be what we come to expect, and that will be what we want!
Until then, you’ll have to set your own rules for eating in a controlled manner and maintaining a healthy weight. To live within a framework of planned eating, you’ll have to understand your own behavior around food and pay attention to everything you eat. You’ll need to seek out alternative rewards that satisfy you and find support from people who care about you. You’ll need to bear in mind how the brain processes stimuli and how that drives your behavior in the presence of food and food cues. And you’ll always need to remember what the food industry is trying to sell you and why.
Only then will you be able to see clearly what’s on your plate.”
Kessler, David. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. New York: Rodale Inc., 2009. 249.
This book as an easy read, but so incredibly informative. This blog post is not to persuade you to buy the book, although it would be the best $25.95 you ever spent, but it is to encourage you to join me in making smart choices about what and how much we eat. Let’s make the change in social norms (in relation to eating habits) begin with you and me!
Yours in health,
Brook