Hooked: How Big Food Draws You In

The term "addiction" has been subjected to legal debate.  Many court cases revolved around the term, but most of them failed to make the big food companies back down.  

Tobacco was perhaps the major consumer item that battled against government rules and business interests hired very clever lawyers.  Addiction was often a key factor, but for years tobacco lawyers were able to dismiss the notion.  Ironically many of the tobacco companies had excess money and invested much of it with big food companies where its legal expertise would be helpful.

From an unguarded comment a tobacco lobbyist defined addiction as "a repetitive behavior that some people feel difficult to quit" that was adopted by the author.  Some substances are not as addictive as assumed, for example cocaine.

 In the first part of the book, Michael Moss explains how evolution has developed to boost human survival mostly under greater environmental limitations.  Upright on two legs allowed humans to see further and walk more to get a greater variety of foods.  Fire allowed easier digestion which in turn allowed for a smaller stomach.  A smaller stomach allowed for a bigger brain (obviously other factors involved).  Deeper research revealed that humans are the only animal that tastes with its nose adding to the intensity of flavor.  

It was advantageous for the body to store fat as it was really energy that make long treks to get a variety of food (with vitamins and minerals) more easily.

Roy Wise, a researcher at McGill University discovered that a stimulus to a rat's brain could motivate it to eat large quantities of food that had previously been ignored.  We (and food scientists) realized that the brain had as much to do with a desire to eat as the stomach.  The brain retains a memory of various tastes and craves sugar, fat and salt.  The sooner these tastes reaches the brain, the sooner the demand for more. 

In the second part we learn how businesses have exploited opportunities.  Legal issues were examined in detail to make sure they could present optimal appeal to consumers.  Labeling requires more detail than in the past, but it is still possible to hide some details.  For instance serving sizes tend to be less than what people actually eat.  They employ scientists to maximize food appeal and the costs.  

Society has been changing.  A great percentage of women have taken jobs and are looking for easy ways to feed their families.  Many people eat while watching television.  Food can be comforting when dealing with stress and some contend modern life provides much of that.  

Advertising has increasingly become more sophisticated and targeted.  In an advertising agency I was able to look at data reports for radio and tv.  First you got quarterly views/listens for a particular outlet, but then you could view by age and sex.  The advertising firm made their decisions by comparing the cost of reaching a very specific target group.  Undoubtedly they have become even more precise in targeting.

 Dieting has not escaped food scientists.  When they sensed that more people were becoming conscious of their weight and health they searched for ways to retain their loyalty.  Looking for sugar and fat substitutes was relentless.  Some substitutes have been associated with increased risks of cancer and other diseases.

All sorts of diet groups emerged and for most consumers a familiar pattern developed of initial loss of weight followed by a relapse.  Another understanding was learned:  the importance of metabolism and how our bodies reacted to changes in diet.  In order to survive hundreds of thousand years ago the body had to adjust in times of famine by burning less energy. 

One example of how McDonald's can be harmful was provided by Morgan Spurlock who I did a blog on a few years back.    http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/03/the-greatest-movie-ever-sold.html

Many read his book with the motivation to improve their eating habits and therefore their life.  First the author would claim information is power.  You know better what your body (brain) wants and you have a better idea of what big food wants to do.  You know the body reacts quickly to tastes, so you will feel full sooner if you eat slow.  One given example was to snack on pistachios with their shells on.  Chewing gives your brain more time to process information.  Beware of colorful packaging on the shelf and discard at home before eating.

Another blog from a few years ago deals with the habit of being distracted while you eat.  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/mindless-eating-cf-mindful-eating.html 

Acknowledgements are often glossed over, but some reveal what motivated the author.  Michael Moss had written another food book and had won a Pulitzer Prize.  One morning after a barbecue followed by finishing next morning's breakfast before lunch he had a craving for leftover kabobs.  He became curious as to why.  His research went to a psychiatrist studying how heroin went from cravings to addiction and the whole subject of motivation and how we could be manipulated.  Legal experts and scientists provided most of the facts and made for a fascinating account of what effects all of us.  He also thanked his wife and two sons for tolerating his experimental cooking and constant talking about his research.

DANIEL GOLEMAN'S LOOK AT FOCUS IS RIVETING.

Daniel Goleman helped us become more aware of Emotional Intelligence, even though we always suspected there was something more critical than intelligence to being successful.  Goleman constantly pursues social psychological factors for our success and happiness.

Focus is a problem for me and the author proved it on page 16.  He also wrote about the increasing distractions offered by our internet world that weaken society as a whole.  Multi tasking is not the best way to extract the most out of this book.

Focus is an old concept, but not necessarily fully understood.  Most of us think of it as a substitute for concentration, but you always have a focus, although you might not be conscious of it.  The automatic part of your brain evolved to help you survive.

He starts with what might be called the wandering mind.  You know, where your mind drifts to one idea and then to another seemingly unrelated.  Goleman explains this is normal--your automatic brain has an enormous number of details stored in it.  Creativity is the result of linking all these minutiae in unique ways and often these links come with little effort. Many of those with ADD (attention deficit disorder) are in fact more creative.

Goleman differentiates between automatic control and executive control.  Executive control is where you make conscious decisions.  Automatic control requires less energy

Video games are often argued as bad, but in reality they have potential to develop attention.  They become bad when  they encourage obsessive behavior.  Obsessed youngsters do worse in school and improve when cut off.  Video games can encourage violence or calming.

Everything is part of a bigger system.  While you are focusing on some small (maybe important) detail you will need to be aware of how that detail fits into a greater whole. An example given is the efforts to develop electric cars overlooking the fact that for the most part the energy often still comes from coal utilities and can eventually lead to more road construction.  Looking at the overall energy system can lead to better solutions.  Understanding a system requires enough time for feedback loops to be witnessed.

In a New Zealand study done in Dunedin it was concluded that no mental skills matter as much in life success as executive control.  By that they mean the ability to ignore impulses, filter out irrelevant facts and stay focused on goals.  Impulse/executive control can be developed.

In Singapore they have few natural resources and have realized people are critical to economic success.  They have embarked on a program to develop emotional intelligence which they have found also boosts health and reduces crime.  The strategies a person develops (or is guided to) can help develop attention.  Mindfulness helps develop attention

Strategy boils down to what should be focused on.  Involves deciding what not to do as well as what to do.  Exploitative strategies focus on established patterns and are focused on improving efficiencies.  Exploratory strategies are aimed at discovering new information and new patterns.

Goleman spends quite a few pages on leadership.  Leaders need to balance focuses on their inner self, the outer circumstances and other people.  Ideally they will be empathic, but have self-control.  Leaders know how to get to the point that needs focus by a group.  One effective method is to tell stories.  A really good book on that is "Tell to Win" and you can learn about it and how I used it to develop a story at:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/06/tell-to-win-offers-winning-formula.html

I am also reminded of another blog about a wonderful Bollywood movie that explains how a story teller discovered his talent:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/02/tamasha-wonderful-story.html

An interesting quote from Greystone Bakery,"We don't hire people to bake brownies.  We bake brownies to hire people."  They are noted for hiring ex convicts and believe in giving people a chance.

The author concludes "We must ask ourselves in the service of why exactly are we using whatever talents we might have."

Daniel Goleman has lots of interesting perspectives on psychology you might find beneficial.  Check his website:  http://www.danielgoleman.info

The joy of half a cookie

Our society is obsessed with food, but also with dieting.  Most of us wrestle with temptation and our body shape.  There are all sorts of diets, but we humans find it difficult to stick it out for very long.  There is a lot of commercial interests probing our psyches to tempt us to eat unhealthy (but profitable) foods.  There are countless books dealing with this situation and the best ones deal with the psychology.  The problem is not what you decide to eat, but how you approach this most natural activity.  You really need to integrate a life style.

Jean Kristeller suggests both inner wisdom and outer wisdom should be cultivated.  There are three types of signals that your inner wisdom can learn that you have eaten enough.  The first is taste and this leads to one of the critical strategies.  If you taste your food mindfully you will enjoy it more and also notice that the taste you enjoy starts to fade.  The second signal is fullness which might escape you if you are not paying attention, especially if you eat fast.  You can learn to feel your stomach distending.  The third signal is satiety which refers to blood sugar telling you your body has taken enough nourishment.

Outer wisdom  is compiled as you learn about food values such as calories.  Complex foods take longer to digest, releasing energy over a greater period of time.

She draws upon research for both mindless eating and mindful eating.  Awhile back I read two books back to back and I notice Kristeller has encompassed much of their points.  Read my earlier views at
http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2011/09/mindless-eating-cf-mindful-eating.html  covering books by Brian Wansink and Jan Chozen-Bays.  We have been studied and corporations have figured out how to get us to eat more without thinking about it.

Jean takes a simple test I had read about and expands it.  One strategy suggested in an earlier book was to put down your knife and fork between bites to slow down.  She thinks that is unnecessary and perhaps too obsessive.  Personally I found it one way I could slow down my own gulping mindlessly. Nonetheless Jean has widened my view.

One of the strengths of her book is that it is not too rigid.  Jean freely admits that most of us will sooner or later have a small transgression and then rationalize that "I've blown it" and go back to our old habits.  She wants us to focus on becoming more mindful over time and discusses many common difficulties such as buffets, family, friends, fast food, emotions and distractions.

A personal problem I have not uncovered in the book, but have read about elsewhere is the effect of tiredness (from lack of sleep).  It is easy for me to mistake the feeling of tiredness for that of hunger and I tend to eat for a quick pick up.  Ironically it seems I eat too much late in the evening and that aggravates my sleeping which in turn assures that I will feel weak the next day.  I can appreciate how the concepts of mindfulness and meditation can help break the cycle.

"What will I regret more?  Will I regret not having this splurge/treats/special time?  Or will I regret feeling uncomfortably full for a few hours?"  Every one's answer is different, but you should ask the question more often.  You can read more at:  http://www.mb-eat.com

An earlier book I think would be helpful (as outer wisdom) is "Vb6" and you can read about it here: http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2013/11/vb6-vegan-before-6.html  The author, Mark Bittman also acknowledges that rigid rules usually undermine efforts to change eating habits. " Vb6" translates to Vegan before 6, but please don't let that scare you--it is very practical and motivating.

RESOLUTIONS FOR 2016

I hesitate to get involved with resolutions again.  You were supposed to help keep me on track and I certainly could have used a push.  However, really it is my fault that I have more lame excuses than accomplishments.  At this natural time of reflection it is an opportunity to re-direct myself.








Here are my resolutions from last year.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/12/christmas-eve-resolutions-for-2015.html

I feel exercising was my poorest result.  I did run into both physical and mechanical problems and really didn't come close.  More importantly I didn't walk as much, although I have made short noon hour walks almost a habit (thanks for the suggestion, Greg).

Mindfulness is not easily measured, thank goodness, because I definitely slipped in this regard.

Nicer?  That is decided by others, but I would say not really--maybe even slipped a bit.

I didn't read as much as usual (about 2/3 of goal), perhaps because I did over achieve in watching movies.  I think I got more out of the movies than previously, but still it is mostly passive.

Blogging, superficially can be measured, but I am convinced that a lot of my so called page views are really robots and doubt that very many were read all the way through.  I did get significantly more views, but am very sure a good measure of them were  not legitimate.  On the positive side I did almost reach my goal of 2 a week.

My New Zealand repeat visit is still a dream, but am thinking about it more.  My goal is now within 24 months and includes Heather.  The photo at the top is to help remind me.

I will continue to work on sit-ups and pushups.  The elliptical will be replaced with a stationary bike which I will measure by time.

Blogging is still enjoyable and gives some senseof purpose.  Goal is to have 3 views per hour. bringing me up to 106,500.

Goal of 20,000 pages read and 225 movies.

Spend more focused time selling and preparing to sell.

Mindfulness needs to be developed.  Eating, walking.  Diet to be logical and aided by mindfulness.

Simple, but if it was easy I wouldn't need to remind myself.

CHRISTMAS EVE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2015

I have decided to write my resolutions for Chrismtas Eve instead of the usual New Years Eve.  Why waste good intentions when you are seeing people you don't see very often and when your nose is not to the grindstone?

The purpose of resolutions is to improve oneself or to get more out of life.  Putting them down on paper and letting others know creates a stronger determination.

First reflect back on how well I lived up to my 2014 resolutions.  I am in the process of describing my year in a post that will be released January 1st.

Exercising not too bad--but one weak spot was pushups

Reading and movies overachieved--perhaps too obsessive, but feel I did broaden my awareness.

Mindfulness--went backwards a bit--  did listen to more music, usually displacing repetitive news casts

Superficially I achieved my blogging goal, but suspect it is misleading.   At work I am wrestling with what social media stats really mean.  My blog stats don't balance and sometimes seem irrational.  Probably I don't understand the logic behind it.  I assume higher numbers mean more attention, but suspect that too often much of the higher numbers are meaningless.  Very few people actually follow me and I don't generate much awareness.

One can always do better, but selecting the right goals is important.

Time management is the key to everything else.  Do more activities on the A and B lists instead of floundering around. There is always enough time to do significant things if not wasting opportunities.

Fitness- is a combination of exercise, diet and rest.  They are all related.  Work to do 60 sit-ups and 50 pushups while doing 3000 kilometres on elliptical machine (to 7300).  Walk as much as possible.

Mindfulness is not meant to be measured, but need to pay more attention as I do things--eating being one good example.  Tapping, tai'chi are other areas to explore.

Getting older and need to cultivate my real social network which is more important that social media network, but not unrelated.  Be nicer.

Blogging is one of my most enjoyable activities.  Like looking at old photos, writing personal memories while I can is enjoyable.  Although I   did achieve goal of page views, it doesn't seem accurate. Although the numbers don't add up would again set the goal of 2+ page views per hour or a total page view count of 61,000. Getting more followers and comments would be a good indicator.   Will set out to average 2 posts a week while continuing to review past work for grammar, tag words and giving links between related posts.  Also use social media a bit more to draw attention.

Read 20,000 plus pages and watch 200+ movies.

In the next 30 months I hope to put three of us to visit New Zealand.

Eleven Rings

Basketball is just a game, like hockey or baseball or soccer. Each has its peculiarities and we assume they are not as serious as business.  But one thing they have in common is that business involves a group effort that can be optimized with co-operative energy.   Of course at its highest level sports are business enterprises trying to maximize revenue and minimize expenses.

Phil Jackson is unusual in his approach to coaching. A lot of people would consider him weird with his emphasis on spiritual matters and others attribute his success to the luck of having Hall of Fame players to guide.  Bottom line, he has participated in more NBA championship winners than any other person--11 of them referred to in the title.

Phil was born in a remote community in Montana and played high school and university basketball in North Dakota.  Like almost anyone who makes it to the NBA he was a key player at the high school and university level and used to getting a lot of attention.  But he was not a superstar and had to learn to blend in with others with more talent in the NBA.  As a player he won one championship while a reserve player and actually was off a whole season due to an injury when the New York Knicks won a second championship. The injury gave him the opportunity to work with coach Red Holzman who he credits with teaching coaching basics.

In Phil's mind, the NBA has become too glamorized with the marketing strategy concentrating on celebrity players.  This has made too many players shoot for glory rather than fitting in with a team to optimize their effectiveness..

With talent comes a lot of ego. Can you imagine players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant?  Or Dennis Rodman?  Or Shaquille O"Neal?  They were all capable of critical contributions, but they also could demotivate others that were capable of blending their talents towards victory.  Coaches were constantly dealing with the others who felt they were not getting a fair chance.  Phil was fortunate to associate with wealthy club owners, but they all had problems with melding expensive talent to expected championships.

Two of his greatest players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippin once felt threatened by the Chicago manager drafting a European player, Toni Kukoc and overpraising him.  They ganged up on Toni at the Olympics, but later teamed up with him under the guidance of Phil.  All three players contributed to a championship ring.

Kobe Bryant came straight from high school with more talent than almost anyone and an exceptionally developed ego.  He resented anything that did not revolve around him getting the shot. Phil teamed him up with Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most physically dominant centers of all time and used to getting a lot of attention.  It was a long time before they became buddies.

Phil studied psychologist Carl Rogers who believed it was virtually impossible for anyone to change unless they thoroughly accept who they are.

Before a game, especially a tough one it is common for coaches to try to rouse up their players' emotions, but Phil preferred to try to quiet their minds.  He encouraged his players to meditate and practice mindfulness.   Yoga and Tai Chi were on his agenda.  He also took from Lakota Indians, including their way of handling anger.

From Red Holzman, "Practice doens't make perfect.  Perfect practice does."  Red also realized the importance of bench players and made a point to warn them when they would be expected to play and to watch the 24 second clock so they wouldn't be caught off guard.

Phil comments that a lot of details are just as important as the ones that get recorded.  An example is the assist which is awarded to the player who makes the pass that leads to a score.  He feels the pass that leads to the pass that leads to a score is just as important.

His approach to basketball is unique.  He was fortunate to have the physical and mental requirements to be a professional basketball player and wise enough to learn how to get others to achieve great success on the court and to find greater meaning in life.

MINDLESS EATING cf MINDFUL EATING

The titles of these two books clash, but the authors are mutually appreciative. In "Mindless Eating" we gain some understanding of the multi tentacled conspiracy to persuade us to eat more than we need. In "Mindful Eating" we are encouraged to enjoy food more and to eat only what we need.

In "Mindless Eating" we learn about how corporate researchers have turned our innate human nature against our best interests. The author points out many of the corporate tricks and suggests how we can combat them.

Larger containers and bigger plates encourage us to eat more with little awareness that we have done so. Advertisers of course, know how to appeal to our desire to eat tasty things and manufacturers are putting taste patterns together that are very difficult to leave alone. Many experiments are described showing that in fact people often do not realize how much they have eaten. or even really tasted their food. The author, Brian Wansink points out that taking smaller portions and slowing down can make a lot of mindless difference when trying to lose weight.

The mindless part refers to the idea that you will tend to eat whatever is served on your plate without thinking. So if your plate is loaded you will eat it and think it normal, but that you can easily get used to smaller portions. If you find some way to eat slower such as using your non dominating hand, eating with chopsticks (assuming you are not used to them), putting down fork between bites or make a conscious effort to develop the habit of eating slower (eventually mindlessly) you will enjoy your meal more and not pack on unneeded calories.

Brian Wansick does not think you need to do away with your comfort foods, but just take smaller portions and again eat slower.

If you do something drastic like reducing your food intake by 500 to 1000 calories per day your body's metabolism will adjust and you will sooner or later tire of the effort. On the other hand if you reduce your calorie intake by 100-200 calories per day you will gradually lose weight painlessly (really mindlessly).

"Mindful Eating" is in some ways more encompassing. The author, Jan Chozen Bays, MD admits her own weaknesses. She tells us that while writing this book she was eating a lemon tart and at first enjoying the taste, but then she starts to thinking about writing this book, and gets up to sharpen her pencil and realizes the taste has diminished. Then re-focusing she enjoys the taste again. She tells us not to feel guilty about what we crave, and in fact savour it, but with mindfully eating our body can tell us when we have had enough.

She refers to many of the experiments in "Mindless Eating" to make her points. One of her underlying themes is that your body actually knows what it needs and how much. We have lost our ability to listen to our needs. She describes seven forces that encourage us to eat; the eye, the nose, the mouth, the stomach, the cellular system, the mind, and the heart. These are all triggers to make us want to eat and at one level necessary for our survival. At another level distortion can easily take over when we become obsessed with specific foods or eat almost anything without much thought.

Accompanying "Mindful Eating" is a 70 minute CD. The author has a calming and clear voice delivering a number of separate topical tracks that help explain her message.

Both books are useful for people wanting to lose weight. "Mindless Eating" identifies several ways corporate interests encourage you to overeat with some counter strategies. "Mindful Eating" points out by slowing down and really enjoying your food you will feel less need to over eat. Your body actually tells you what it needs, but we have learned to ignore that voice.

On another level "Mindful Eating" points out the importance of focused thinking. Mindful eating could be just the starting point to get more out of life. Enjoy the moment.

I started this post many weeks ago, but decided to post it just after Thanksgiving. Some of us have a lot to be grateful for. Thanksgiving is that time when we over eat. There are so many temptations and a load of tradition. Now we can slow down and be truly grateful for the opportunities we have been given and better appreciate them.