p>Another problem, Katz said, is that the food industry appears to spike processed food with superfluous flavors such as sugar in salty food and salt in sweet food. Often, the consumer cannot even detect these additions because they are accustomed to eating processed foods, and one flavor masks another. For instance, some breakfast cereals have nearly as much salt as potato chips and many types of crackers, sauces, salad dressings and other foods are loaded with sugar. This may not register on your tongue, but it does influence the hypothalamus, where the result is more appetite.
"Flavor additions stimulate the hypothalamus to produce more neuropeptide Y, a hormone that increases appetite, and this is a major reason why people have difficulty exercising portion control," he said. "We say that variety is the spice of life, and in this regard, our diets are just way too spicy." He notes that controlling flavors through subtle repetition and thoughtful distribution so that there is variety over time, without too much variety at any one time, has a soothing influence on the appetite center.
Katz said his motivation for writing the book was the epidemic rise of obesity among children as well as adults, and the fact that obesity is the driving force behind all of the chronic diseases in this country. He also cites the national preoccupation with weight control, and the need to give people an empowering alternative to unbalanced, fad diets.
Katz said his book has three goals: to empower people to pursue their weight loss goals immediately and responsibly; to play a significant role in changing the way America thinks about the very concept of dieting, and to change the food supply.
"There are lots of ways to change the food supply," he said. "You can legislate, litigate or you can change what people demand. If people start buying more and more healthy food, there will be more healthy food available. The food industry, after all, wants to keep
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Contact: Jacqueline Weaver
jacqueline.weaver@yale.edu
203-432-8555
Yale University
5-Jan-2006
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