We all have a weakness and some of us are able to manage our cravings better than others. Real food is also more expensive than the fake stuff, which we can buy on sale and with coupons.
But I highly recommend you read The New York Times feature on "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food." It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning author's upcoming book on the same subject, which is already cued up on my Kindle Fire.
The piece opens with one of those secret meetings in 1999 in which big CEOs behave just as we expect them to behave: without any scruples, ethics or morality.
Here's the crux:
The public and the food companies have known for decades now — or at the very least since this meeting — that sugary, salty, fatty foods are not good for us in the quantities that we consume them. So why are the diabetes and obesity and hypertension numbers still spiraling out of control? It’s not just a matter of poor willpower on the part of the consumer and a give-the-people-what-they-want attitude on the part of the food manufacturers. What I found, over four years of research and reporting, was a conscious effort — taking place in labs and marketing meetings and grocery-store aisles — to get people hooked on foods that are convenient and inexpensive.
2 comments:
The junk food is a real problem. But now we find it also in expensive items. I try to eat healthy but it's not easy.
Thanks for this post.
Over Christmas I watched every food documentary I could find (I was visiting relatives and needed something to do :) ), and it was scary to see how much money and energy has gone into the "convenience" food promotion - to the detriment of our health. Can't wait to read the book!
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