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You Are What You're Tricked Into Eating

Posted by Unknown on from the pizza-is-a-balance-diet dept.

Rambo Tribble (1273454) writes "Two prominent nutrition experts have put forth the theory that the current obesity epidemic is, in large part, the result of processed foods tricking our appetite control mechanisms. They argue that evolution has given humans a delicately balanced system that balances appetite with metabolic needs, and that processed foods trick that system by making foods high in fats and carbohydrates have the gustatory qualities of proteins. As the researchers put it, 'Many people eat far too much fat and carbohydrate in their attempt to consume enough protein.'"

3 of 499 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ass time by Sique · · Score: 5, Insightful
    It's not about a conspiracy. The facts are in the open, and no one is actually hiding anything. Fat and carbohydrates are cheaper than proteins, thus processing them and adding flavors to trick the metabolic system into taking them as protein ersatz is just the old art of cooking. And we got better and better at it, able to produce and process giant amounts of fat and carbohydrates and refining them into meals that taste to us just as good as a protein rich diet.

    The food industry didn't need to conspire for that. It was just that the food that was cheaper while still tasting nearly as good sold better than the high quality one, and with enough processing and flavoring, the cheaper food actually tasted even better. If you want success in the market, you have to offer the prices and the tastes only processed, flavored food can offer. Providers of high quality foods with low processing just got outcompeted. That's the invisible hand of the market, combined with thousands of years of cooking experience: selling shit for food.

    --
    .sig: Sique *sigh*
  2. Evolution has given humans the following: by Ihlosi · · Score: 5, Insightful
    1. If there's food, eat it.

    That's it. Humans with exactly this strategy were most likely to survive the periods of hunger that were very much normal until a few decades ago.

    Of course, this strategy fails completely if food is always available and hunger periods never occur. Constant availability of food is a relatively new phenomenon, too new for humans to have adapted to it.

  3. A much more reasonable explanation is... by blahplusplus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... food companies have scientists working 24/7 to hack human tastebuds for profit.

    Much of this problem simply comes down to the fact that bad food is engineered to taste better than natural food we found in our environment over evolutionary history. The problem is our bodies aren't designed to deal with this new food environment and hence obesity. The environment that kids are raised in by clueless over stressed parents and shitty school environments doesn't help either.

    Last but not least, human beings are not free. Probably one of the biggest myths that go along with the myth of responsibility.

    Sam harris on free will

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...