Rehab for the masses

As is probably the case for the majority North Americans, I have struggled with food for the majority of my life. When faced with tasty food, I have often lacked the will power to simply stop when I feel full. My recent Kichadi fast experience has definitely confirmed the idea that the sensory rewards of food, and not satiation, is what compels people to overeat.

Dr. David Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was on The Current today in a segment called "Overeating" and he equated commercial food with a drug, "optimized for bliss" with the perfect combination of fat, sugar and/or salt. Add the "emotional gloss" of advertising campaigns and you have a socially acceptable addiction waiting to happen.

As with any addiction, consumers must reprogram their routine and perceptions to overcome the problem. The strength of sensory cues (sight and smell of food) needs to be acknowledged the same way it is understood that placing bottles of alcohol in front of an alcoholic is asking for a relapse. Addicts must reprogram themselves by breaking unhealthy food's association with a positive experience ("It tastes so good") and instead link them with the negative effects ("The satisfaction is only temporary and then I'll feel bloated and guilty").

Dr. Kessler admits that the lure of food can never be programmed out completely, much like for a reformed alcoholic or smoker. However, replacing the positive stimulation of unhealthy food with a negative connotation will be easier than attempting to exert control over the desire with dieting or willpower. As Kessler states at the end of his segment, "If you want that donut, even if you know that it's not good for you, there's nothing (anyone) can do to get in the way between you and that donut (...) once your brain has been activated."