Have you ever read a book which resonated so much with your own opinions or view of the world that you wanted to email the author? I feel this way about David Kessler's new work, "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite." The former FDA commissioner devotes over one hundred pages in his NY Times best seller to describing how the food industry has engineered popular snacks and quick-serve meals to be "hyperpalatable."
Kessler claims that "chronic exposure to highly palatable foods change our brains, conditioning us to seek continued stimulation." He has coined a term which encapsulates the resulting behavior: "conditioned hypereating." Americans no longer eat only when they are hungry and stop when they're full because food has been loaded with salt, sugar and fat. Processed foods are so jam-packed with caloric ingredients and artificial flavors that the food industry has essentially hijacked the brain's hardwiring. Food scientists and chefs have succeeded in making popular packaged products and menu items literally irresistible. Through interviews with dozens of industry experts and behavioral scientists, as well as conversations with consumers, Kessler describes how foods that offer a multisensory experience are the most craveable and likely to activate the reward center in the brain.
Chapter 18, titled "No Satisfaction," intrigued me the most because it reinforces the merits of Ayurvedic cooking. In the first seventeen chapters, Kessler describes some of the outrageous recipes and combinations of ingredients that give Americans a multisensory experience when dining out at places like Outback Steakhouse and Chili's. He notes the difference between the concoctions served in the United States versus traditional meals found in other countries. A food executive from Japan sums it up nicely: "The food I used to eat in Japan has complex flavors, and I can get satisfaction with less quantity."
It is no wonder that Americans crave enormous portions. The typical fare served at our favorite restaurant chains stimulates us to want more, more, more. European also criticize American "cuisine" for its lack of finesse. Just because a meal has bold seasoning doesn't mean it will satisfy.
Ayurvedic cooking is all about the art of balancing the six tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent) in a way which promotes equinimity on the gross and subtle levels. While a single dish, like kichari or dal, could contain as many as 10 different spices; the ingredients are blended in just the right proportions to please the palate without being overwhelming. Ayurvedic chefs also intentionally mix and mingle specific foods to maximize the healing properties of subtle energetic effects that the tongue can not even detect but linger in the body for hours after a meal has been consumed.
While Kessler condemns salt, sugar and fat across the board, Ayurveda recognizes both the beneficial and detrimental properties of these ingredients in the human diet. Due to its hydrophilous nature, too much salty taste causes water retention (which can lead to edema, characteristic of a Kapha imbalance). Excessive salt will also aggravate Pitta resulting in ulcers, skin eruptions and bleeding disorders. However, Vata-types can benefit from the laxative effect and electrolytes found in salty foods.
Eating too much sugar and sweet foods increases Kapha so contributes to weight gain, congestion, tumors, and diabetes (sound familiar?). But skinny and active people benefit from moderate amounts of natural sugars (found in both simple and complex carbohydrates) because the proper of use of the sweet taste promotes tissue growth and strength. There is no denying that lightly sweetened beverages help to quench the thirst and will cool down Pitta more effectively than plain water on a hot, summer day.
Fat lends an unctuousness to food and serves as a carrier of flavor making it an essential ingredient in Ayurvedic cuisine. Nevertheless, the quantity of fat used in a dish should be adjusted to meet the needs of the diner's predominant dosha and to compliment the qualities of other ingredients. (Quality of fat is also a factor, which I have discussed in prior posts).
Every edible substance in the world is a double-edged sword. When consumed with intelligent moderation and in a conscious manner, all foods are truly satisfying on all levels - physical, mental/emotional, energetic, and spiritual. However, abuse, misuse and mindlessness can ruin the nuturing potential inherent in the delicious resources provided by Mother Nature.
