Michael Moss

Traces the rise of the processed food industry and how addictive salt, sugar, and fat have enabled its dominance in the past half century, revealing deliberate corporate practices behind current trends in obesity, diabetes, and other health challenges.

How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Salt, Sugar, Fat

Matthew Royal

This book is surprisingly not a health rant propped up by pseudo-scientific studies and conspiracy theories. It outlines the effects that each substance -- salt, sugar, and fat -- have on the body, in small amounts, in large amounts, and the different ways they taste to us. Concrete numbers in grams are given for historical consumption versus consumption today, and exceptions are noted, such as when salted fish increased salt consumption to extraordinary levels even when compared with today.

This book outlines the individual motives of consumers, food scientists, C-level executives of food companies, and investors on Wall Street to paint a complex picture of all the factors that cause the food giants to maximize the amounts of salt, sugar, and fat in processed foods, and the endless cycle of blame each one throws to the other for worrisome trends like childhood obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. 

With no trite solutions offered, this book's best weapon is information about the reality of our publicly-traded, food processing system. Thanks to mandatory nutrition facts labeling started in the 1990s during the Clinton administration, Americans can exercise choice over what they consume, and vote with their dollars about what these companies sell. Even the executives who create new sugary snacks and prepackaged, salty kids meals recognize these things shouldn't be eaten regularly, and personally avoid the foods they make. The real losers in this system are those who, willfully or not, don't know about nutrition and blindly whatever is cheapest at the corner store.

Let's just say I'm rethinking everything I've ever put into my body and want to figure out a way to radically change the way I eat and purchase food. I listened to this on audio so I definitely want to pick up the print version at some point to get more into the footnotes and bibliography.

Nathan

Main takeaway, we should choose to eat/cook raw food as much as we can due to the food capitalism

vins

As quoted from the epilogue, "...this book is intended as a wake-up call to the issues and tactics at play in the food industry, to the fact that we are not helpless in facing them down", this book does what it intended to and magnificently excel in that aspect.

Michael Moss did terrific effort in doing his research and write the gems he obtained into something even a layman will easily digest. I did put this book off for about one to two weeks due to its repetition on stressing some things, though I know it is just Moss' way in reminding us about the danger salt, sugar, and fat pose to public. But it's overall a revealing experience.

I would like to recommend this book to those who are interested in neuroscience, food research, nutrition, marketing, advertising, business, and their own personal health.

PS, Michael Moss made me throw out the potato chips I was eating while reading this book. He also made me rethink my trip to the nearest convenience store and rise my suspicion on every food label I come across. You got me there, Moss.

Maggie Delano

Part of me wants to say I'll never eat processed food again after reading this book, but in reality, I probably will. A lot less of it, though. This book totally opened my eyes to the complex marketing tricks used to get us to eat processed foods, and I'd definitely recommend it to help become a more savvy consumer.

Jeni Enjaian

I absolutely loved this book. Over the years I have consumed (no pun intended) a lot of media whether in print or film/tv regarding nutrition and the perils of things like sugar and processed food. Some of it is good as in, well put together if a little bit preachy. Some, on the other hand, climb up high on their soapbox and shy away from the science and facts that actually support their cause.
This book, however, supersedes everything I have read. Moss creates a powerful narrative that presents the insidious facts of exactly what his subtitle reads, "how the food giants hooked us." His simple presentation of the facts maintains solid objectivity which makes his case so much stronger than the die hard rabid anti-processed food advocates.

I highly recommend this book.

Salt, Sugar, Fat How the Food Giants Hooked Us

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