Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

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

May 20, 2021

Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, reveals the processed food industry's tricks to keep us hooked on unhealthy options. He discusses how food is engineered to exploit our biology, creating addictive products loaded with sugar, fat, and salt. Moss explains the emotional ties to food, particularly for children, and the manipulative marketing tactics that shape our cravings. He also touches on the alarming growth of the obesity epidemic and shares insights into the science behind our eating habits, pushing for more mindful food choices.

01:16:01

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Episode guests

Michael Moss

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Unearthing the Addictive Nature of Processed Foods

3min

Food Addiction and Corporate Engineering

30min

The Science of Food Manipulation

16min

Sweetness and Brain Development

8min

Marketing and Food Preferences

15min

Understanding Food Addiction and Taste Perception

2min

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)