1557: How Food Is Engineered to Make You Addicted & Fat With Michael Moss

01:16:01

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In this episode Sal, Adam & Justin speak with bestselling author, Michael Moss about how the processed food industry engineers food to make it addictive.

  • What led him down the path of the addictive properties of food? (2:23)
  • Why it’s not so much that we are addicted to food, but how these companies have changed the definition of food in a way that our biology and genetics haven’t had a chance to catch up. (4:46)
  • The science behind how heavily processed foods hijack our brain. (7:16)
  • The allure of the ‘mouth feel’. (10:24)
  • The hidden dangers of empty calories. (11:50)
  • The money that goes into research development to attract us to these foods. (13:49)
  • The fascinating language these processed food companies use to market their products. (15:39)
  • How what you eat at a young age shapes your food palate. (19:15)
  • How the ‘wanting’ drives our actions. (22:08)
  • Why addiction is something that happens on a spectrum. (26:13)
  • The emerging growth of the obesity epidemic outside the US. (31:20)
  • Do these executives have misgivings on the addictive products they create? (33:05)
  • The startling factors that manipulate our desires. (35:16)
  • The beauty of salt. (39:11)
  • The moment the tobacco guys became alarmed about the food guys. (42:26)
  • Does he support regulations of heavily processed foods? (45:05)
  • Do children have a higher ‘bliss point’ than adults? (52:13)
  • His concerns surrounding artificial sweeteners. (54:23)
  • The techniques behind repetition to build habits. (59:29)
  • Has he gotten any push back from these food companies? (1:02:33)
  • The ways the industry is exploiting our efforts of regaining control. (1:04:15)
  • The guys recap the highlights of their conversation with Michael Moss. (1:08:38)

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