Why We Eat: why we eat series, #1

By Jeffry Weiss

Since 1950, the amount of nutritional information available to the public has roughly doubled every seven years.  During that same period (1950-2000), obesity rose by 214% until today, where 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese.  In that light, one might conclude that there is a direct correlation between knowledge of obesity and obesity itself.

 

The point is people aren't foolish.  They know that a salad is better for them than a pizza; that grilled chicken is better than a smothered burrito; that tofu is better than hamburger; that fresh fruits and vegetables are better than candy bars and French fries.  People are swimming in information.  They are anesthetized by information.  More has not, and will not, lead to enlightened behavior, less craving for food, or improved health.

 

The strategy of focusing on what we eat is turning people away from the real problem.  That message has been unsuccessful for decades.  Further studies, weight loss programs, and media emphasis on the same note, will not bring the desired results. 

The first and foremost question to ask is why we eat.

 

Early man ate only enough to satisfy his appetite.  People today continue to eat beyond the point of satiation for a very different reason: to gain euphoric feeling through the chemicals released by the foods we consume.  And what are these chemicals that are so powerful as to induce behaviors that are sometimes irrational and often detrimental to our health and continued evolution?  Endorphins. 

 

Endorphins are neurochemicals in the body that reward us with a euphoric feeling when we interact with certain stimuli such as food.  Endorphins are at the very core of all of our motivations.  The satisfaction or pleasure we derive from our pursuit of stimuli is measured by endorphin release. 

 

There are, in fact, four OTHER ways to trigger their release.  And while food may be the quickest and most accessible means of generating this response, in actually it produces the most fleeting effect.  The other methodologies are expanded upon in the body of the text, revolutionizing the way we will attack obesity in this country. 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jeffry Weiss
• Release date: Jan 29, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514264386

Jeffry Weiss

BIOGRAPHY Mr. Weiss attended Central High School, at the time recognized as the top High School academically in the U.S.  He then attended Drexel University where he gained a BS in History, Temple University where he earned an MA in Economics and the University of Pennsylvania where he received an MA in International Affairs.  Those studies provided him with unique insights in the realm of foreign policy, military capabilities, détente, and trade. He has been a writer for forty plus years and has penned hundreds of articles on social, political, and economic issues.  He has written position papers for the Carter and Clinton Administrations and his work on social issues has received recognition directly from the office of the President of México.  He speaks regularly with Noam Chomsky on political, economic, cultural, and military issues. Mr. Weiss writes political, military, economic and scientific thrillers.  There are now twelve books in the Paul Decker series.  All his stories come right off the front pages of the major magazines and newspapers but none of his plots has ever found their way into novel before.  His characters are ones readers can relate to: flawed, not superheroes.  His stories do not require a leap of faith or use deus ex machina. Finally, he has written a stage play, “Einstein at the Guten Zeiten (good times) Beer Garden, and an urban horror novel: “The Art of Theft”, a modern day version of “The Picture of Dorian Grey” by Oscar Wilde.

Book preview

By

JEFFRY WEISS, Ph.D.

OTHER BOOKS BY JEFFRY WEISS

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DIET / NUTRITION

Why We Eat...And Why We Keep Eating

The Perfect Day

The Caffeine Diet

Turning Off the Hunger Gene

Warning

Living a Alzheimer Free Life

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Why Diets do not work       i

Our Promise        iii

About The Book        iv

About The Author       v

Acknowledgements       vi

Disclaimer        viii

Chapter 1 - A New Day Dawns      1

Climbing The Mountain       1

That Old Argument: Nature Vs. Nurture     2

Is Obesity Genetic?       2

Can It Be Proved?       3

Asking The Right Question      6

Oh My God, What Now       8

Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin – the Path to Pleasure 8

What To Do        10

To Sum Up        11

Chapter 2 – Food: Friend or Foe     13

Sugar And Fat: The Ultimate Endorphin Triggers    13

Our Ancestors Weren’t So Dumb – But What About Us?   16

The Glycemic Index - Hidden Appetite Stimulants   17

The Balance Beam       18

Eat To Live, Or Live To Eat      19

The Story Of Digestion       20

If Darwin Only Knew       21

A New World: The Agricultural Revolution     24

March To Modern Times: The Industrial Revolution   26

To Sum Up        27

Chapter 3 – Getting Into Gear: Endorphins and Exercise  29

The Endorphin connection      31

Do Or Die        32

Making It Fun        34

The Benefits of Exercise      36

To Sum Up        40

Chapter 4 –The Search for Enriched Environments   41

Mice Try        42

Out Of The Cage       46

Work as an Addiction       47

The Value Of Laughter       49

Music To Your Ears       53

To Sum Up        56

Chapter 5 –Path to Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin 58

Disconnection: The Story of Modern Man    59

Reconnecting        60

Keeping Love Alive       64

To Sum Up        66   

Chapter 6 – Putting Your Eggs In More Than One Basket  67

Don’t Go It Alone       68

Egg Gathering: Finding More Baskets     69

Don’t Tell Me I Have To Change      70

To Sum Up        72

Chapter 7 - Why We Eat What We Eat     73                 

Carbs, Fats, Protein - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly   74

Our Love Affair with Breads, Pastas and Pastries   76

Fat – It’s Not What You Thought      81

Food Cravings: Women are from Venus, Men Are from Mars  82

Chocolate – Better Than Sex?      83

Controlling Food Cravings      86

Caloric Density        89

Debunking The New Food Pyramid     94

To Sum Up        98

Chapter 8 - Why We Keep Eating     99

Food As A Drug        101

Quiz For Carbohydrates Addiction     104

Why Diets Don’t Work       108

To Sum Up        109

Chapter 9 – Tobacco: Your Health Up In Smoke   110

Seduced By Nicotine       111

I Can’t Stop – What Now?      112

To Sum Up        113

Chapter 10 – Alcohol: A Toast To The Truth    114

Alcohol – Embalmed, Not Bombed     114

Why We Drink, why we can’t help it     114

The Cost Of The High       117

Can The Damage Be Reversed      118

Alcohol And Your Waistline      118

To Sum Up        119

Chapter 11 – Television and Obesity     120

The Evolution Of The Couch Potato     120

How Television Works Its Magic      120

Keep It Coming        121

Television Simulating Life      121

Television As A Drug        122

To Sum Up        123

Chapter 12 – Diet and Depression     125

Caution         125

The Physiology Of Depression      125

We Were Meant To Be       127

I Eat Therefore I Am...Depressed     129

Exercise And Depression      132

To Sum Up        133

Chapter 13 - Why We Get Sick      134

Star Wars of The Body       134

Alien Invaders        135

Alien Attack Leads to Blindness      136

The Cancerous Environment      137

Exercise and Cancer       140

Get Your Sleep        142

The Social Connection to Disease     142

Sunlight and Disease       143

To Sum Up        143

Chapter 14 - Alzheimer’s And Diet: A Clear Connection  144

The Silver Bullet Theory of Medicine     144

It’s Not Just Your Granddad      144

Alzheimer’s – What It Is And Is Not     145

Deception in The Grocery Store      146

Progression of The Disease      147

The Alzheimer’s/Obesity Connection     148

How To Ruin Your Brain in Three Easy Steps    148

What Nature Intend       153

Outsmarted By Technology      155

Live To Eat Or Eat To Live      156

Their Diet vs. Ours       157

High Carbs and Low-Fat vs. High Protein and High-Fat   158

Old Diet For An Overweight Planet     161

Top Ten eating Tips       162

Different Strokes for Different Folks     150

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Chapter 15 - What To Eat      153

20 Ways to Make Food Tasty w/o Piling on the Calories   164

22 Healthy Alternatives To Bad Choices     166

A Master Plan For Eating Out      167

The Healthiest Foods In The World     168

Ten Foods That Can Sabotage Your Diet    172

The Benefits of A Healthy Diet      174

What to Drink        174

Coffee: Two More Ways to Lose Weight     177

What Not to Drink       178

To Sum Up        179

Chapter 16 - How to Eat      180

You Are Not What You Eat      180

Dividing Up The Day’s Calories      180

Where To Eat        182

When To Drink        183

Breakfast        184

A Comparison of Popular Breakfasts     185

Snack Time        190

27 Snacks That Can Keep you from Bingeing    190

Lunch         191

Comparing Lunch Options      192

Comparing Fast Food Choices      193

A Sampling Of Pizzas       194

Dinner         194

The Restaurant Hall Of Fame/Shame     196

The Best And Worst Desserts      197

How Much Should You Eat      198

Nutrient Density        209

To Sum Up        200

Chapter 17 – Five Ways To Curb The Appetite   201

The Limitations Of Modern Medicine      201

Motivation        201

You’re hungry, Not Thirsty      202

1) Food Choices       202

The Hundred Best Diet Tips Of All Times    207

2) Exercise        215

The Top 50 Ways To Burn Fat      217

The Perfect 10 Minute Exercise Routine     219

3) Lifestyle Changes       221

4) Social Opportunities       223

5) Supplements        226

To Sum Up        234

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Chapter 18 - Questions and Answers     200

Chapter 19 - Future Possibilities     203

Appendix A - Exercise Routines     205

Appendix B - Meal Planning      223

Appendix C - Recipes       238

Appendix D – Keeping Score Of Your Health    276

Appendix E – Best Options For Burning Calories   279

Appendix F - Bibliography      282

WHY DIETS DON’T WORK

Until now, no one has been able to tell you why weight loss programs do not work.  Why you can lose weight at first, but then becomes impossible to keep it off.  Why 95% of us who go on a diet fail, and over 50% actually weigh more at the end of a program than they did at the beginning.  Well, after thirty years of research, I have found the answer.

The reason you cannot stop eating is because specific foods trigger the release of Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin.  Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin are biochemicals in the body that are hundreds of times stronger than morphine or opiates and bring on a sense of euphoria. 

In experiments, when given a choice, mice and chimps chose Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin over food and sex.

My research has found that there are five ways to trigger the release of Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin.  In my book, "Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction," you will learn what those ways are.

For 6 ½ million years, from the time man separated from the apes, our ancestors engaged in these behaviors every single day of their lives.  Over that period we developed an endorphin set point: where we had no food cravings, no depression or anxiety, and even maintained a euphoric state.  This has been confirmed through evolutionary biology, forensics, anthropology, and examining the life styles of the two tribes that live just as our foraging, Paleolithic ancestor did.  These are, the Ache in Paraguay, and the !Kung San of Africa.

The way most people live now - not exercising, relying on fax and e-mail for their primary source of communicating mail, watching 4 hours of TV rather than interacting, separated from neighbors by garages and fences, from nature by our incursions - people have become dependent on just one way to reach their endorphin set point: eating. 

Without substituting any of the beneficial foods or behaviors to replace trigger foods, those on a diet are now even further in deficit from reaching your endorphin set-point.  It is impossible to remain in that state.  Food cravings will overwhelm even the strongest resolve.  Depression and anxiety will quickly occur without the proper nutrients. 

The purveyors of magic elixirs, diet pills, severely restricted calorie diets, blood type diets, low-carb diets, high-protein diets have no clue as to why people eat.  Their advice and findings are based on limited research and faulty logic.

On the Why We Eat program you will learn what to substitute for food and rebalance your life, and reach not only your weight goals, but your life goals as well.

If you are serious about loosing weight and regaining your health, I urge you to take action now.  And get ready to take that size 6 dress from the back of the closet, or those size 32 waist pants out of mothballs and be prepared to wear them proudly on your new body. 

Don’t give up even if you have failed many times in the past.  Begin by reading my book Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction", and get on my program today.  I can assure you that dependence on food as your primary source of euphoria is a thing of the past. 

OUR PROMISE

The Why We Eat program is not about individual will power, miracle diets, or great personal sacrifice.  It is about regaining control of your eating and your life.  On the Why We Eat program you will decide when to eat because you will have the willpower and understanding to do so.  And you will choose what to eat based on those foods that are best for you, not those most tempting . . . and addictive.

The Why We Eat Program does not teach you what you already know.  We empower you to stop relying on food as your primary source of satisfaction.  And we help you to control your appetite through our program and through our line of proprietary weight loss products. 

And we’ll keep it simple because that’s the way nature and evolution made it.  Do you think our Paleolithic ancestors counted calories or read about the food pyramid?  Of course not!  Yet they were the healthiest people to ever roam the face of the earth.  All you have to do is follow their diet and we will show you exactly what that was. 

There will be no phases like the South Beach or Atkins diets.  There will be no sacrifices as there are with the Ornish or Zone diets.  There are no charts, or tables, or strict rules.  Would you, or anyone, follow such a strict regime?  I doubt it.

Goals will be set by you, based on your weight, metabolism, and aspirations.  No one can dictate how much or how quickly you can lose weight but yourself. 

And we will explain clearly and concisely why you eat.  You eat . . . and keep eating because you’re starving.  Yes, but it’s not for food.  You're starving for the euphoria you experience when you eat.  Well, there are four other ways to get that euphoria and we’ll tell you what they are and how to attain them. 

This program is like no other.  All we ask is that you follow it for one month . . . . give it your best effort for just 30 days . . . thirty days that will change your life.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Almost every diet/weight loss program and book ever written has failed to deliver on its promises because it does not take into account why people eat. 

You will learn why you can’t lose weight and keep it off solely by eating less.  That is not possible.  What you will learn is what to substitute for food, and that will ensure your ultimate success.

This book fills the huge gap of information omitted in research studies and publications: the reasons why we eat.  One of the keys to the success of Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction, and the underlying program, is the fact that we do not expect you to break life-long habits without the proper incentive, inspiration, and alternatives.  And these things we provide in abundance!  Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction offers a depth and diversity of choices to you.  Any program that attempts to be successful must begin not from where the writer is, but from where the reader is! 

The book does not simply tell you to eat less red meat, eat more vegetables, and exercise more.  It provides real options – ones that you can integrate into your life immediately and seamlessly.

Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction offers a five-phased approach to the problem of weight loss and weight control.  One, supplementation to rev up the metabolism, burn fat, and turn off the appetite control center.  Two, food selection to minimize the desire for trigger foods.  Three, traditional and urban exercise to burn calories.  Four, individual behaviors that provide alternatives to the satisfaction that comes from food.  Five, social integration that ends food dependency.  Each phase works independently, and does not demand a total life makeover

By following the recommendations in this book, you will not only lose weight and forever keep it off, but you will reduce your risk of all major diseases – including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune diseases.  You will not only live longer, but live better – with greater physical energy and mental clarity.  The dreams you have stored away will become a reality.  Make no mistake, this book can and will change your life . . . forever!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

People often ask me what motivated me to dedicate my life to the study of diet and nutrition.  Well, like many kids growing up in the 1950’s, I lived for after school baseball catches, touch football games, and punch ball.  But there we kids in the neighborhood who couldn’t participate because they were severely overweight.  Not only couldn’t they join in, but, as kids were wont to do, they were called horrible names.  My heart went out to them.  And since I lived in a house filled with books and encyclopedias, I began reading...to learn what caused it and what I could do to alleviate obesity. 

I was fortunate.  I escaped that fate by remaining very active, but my good health meant little if I others were suffering.  I began studying all the available literature on diet and nutrition.  But they all said basically the same thing: eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more...of little help to people who couldn’t control their appetites and could not exercise because of physical limitations.

I sought out doctors who placed themselves in a position of authority and expertise.  Yet their suggestions never led to lasting success.  What I learned the hard way was the doctors have an average of one course in nutrition in their entire careers!  And while I appreciate their efforts to help others, I must question their motivation and capability.  After having studied nutrition for forty plus years, I would not attempt brain surgery.  And when you ask your M.D. to evaluate your diet and nutritional needs, you are seeking out an individual who is not an expert in that field. 

My formal education began at Drexel University (B.S.) where I studied psychology.  I continued at Temple University (M.B.A.) where I majored in statistical analysis.  Then on to The University of Pennsylvania (M.A.), where I studied international affairs, gaining a worldview of social problems.  Finally, at Clayton College (Ph.D., Naturopathic Medicine) where I gained unique insights in the realm of health and nutrition.

I have corresponded with the health ministries of Australia, Mexico, The United Kingdom, the EU Health Minister, and with the U.S. Secretary of Health And Human Services concerning my work related to obesity, diet, and nutrition. 

I am on the board of directors of several companies, including Insulite labs: a leader in the field of Metabolic Syndrome.

I have developed a food tax that I presented to appropriate members of the U.S. Senate, and the European Union, where it has received serious attention.  I have created a statistical protocol that takes into account personal choices in determining appropriate individual costs for Medicare and Medicaid.  These programs fall under an umbrella I have labeled Vested Interest And Economic Incentive.

In my private practice, I have counseled hundreds of people – working with ailments as diverse as obesity, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, CFS, ADD, Multiple Sclerosis, liver disease, numerous forms of cancer, and diabetes.

I have advised school districts on alternative methodologies in developing their lunch programs.  And, with this book, I now I have the opportunity to help millions of individuals who have failed over and over in their efforts to control their weight, and have all but given up hope.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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I would like to thank my parents for surrounding me with books at an early age, encouraging me to read, and explore, and to challenge conventional wisdom.  To my brother, Michael Weiss, who has overcome adversity far greater than what I will ever be challenged by.  His example led me to believe in my work and myself when, at times, the effort seemed beyond my capabilities, and without whose love this book would never have been completed.

DISCLAIMER

The information in this book is based on the latest scientific research.  However, even the best research material is no substitute for the counsel of a qualified physician.  Always seek competent medical advice for any health condition.  The best practitioners and the most successful programs are those that combine the knowledge of allopathic and naturopathic medicine.

INTRODUCTION

The need, the sense of urgency behind my work...

Look at the flushed faces, the distended bellies, the empty souls.  People are crying for direction because they have lost their way.  Our country is faltering like the old Roman Empire; the similarities are striking.  The nation is in dire need of the knowledge and programs to defend themselves from the messages of the media, malls, and mass-marketers.  To protect the physical body and emotional well-being as much as the national security.

In an ideal scenario, people are fully informed as to the benefits, dangers, and current and future costs of every product they use.  They would be supplied with that information at an early enough age to counteract the deceptions, exaggerations and mental ploys used by companies intent on placing profitt above the social welfare. 

Unfortunately, this is not the case.  People respond to the stimuli (15,000 messages) that surrounds them daily.  They need the strength and support and inspiration of programs that work; that they can integrate into their lives right now, from where they are presently.

Obesity is a national disaster and a personal tragedy that has been spoken to using only old clichés and worn out lines of logic.  The results of following that line of reasoning have led us to today, where 50% of the people in the U.S. are now categorized as obese and 80% overweight.

Yet in 1957 only 9.7% of the population was obese and 33% were overweight.  Until now, no one has been able to tell us how or why this trend began fifty years ago, and why it has continued to accelerate since then.  My 40 years of research has led me to the answers to these crucial questions.  I have dedicated my life to developing programs that can extricate people from using food for their sole source of satisfaction.  In that light I offer you...

Why We Eat And Why We Keep Eating: Breaking Your Food Addiction has the potential to change how society confronts obesity and help bring about an end to this scourge.  And after reading my proposal, outline, and initial chapter, I am absolutely certain you will believe in me, and my mission. 

Since 1950, the amount of nutritional information available to the public has roughly doubled every seven years.  During that same period (1950-2000), obesity rose by 214%, until today, where 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese.  In that light, one might conclude that there is a direct correlation between knowledge of obesity and obesity itself.

The point is, people aren’t foolish.  They know that salad is better for them than pizza; that grilled chicken is better than a smothered burrito; that tofu is better than hamburger; that fresh fruits and vegetables are better than candy bars and French fries.  People are swimming in information.  They are anesthetized by information.  More has not, and will not, lead to enlightened behavior, less craving for food, or improved health.

It has been posited that obesity is genetic.  This notion flies in the face of biology.  Consider that there was far less obesity in the 1950’s than there is today.  In fact, less than 10% of the population was classified as such in 1950.  It is only in the past fifty years that the problem has become systemic.  Would it be reasonable to say that we have changed genetically in fifty years, when, in fact, it takes hundreds of thousands of years for even the most minor of such changes to take place?  No, it is not genetics that have caused our obsession with food. 

Some blame our increased consumption of fats for the rising rates of obesity.  Yet, during the past fifty years, while obesity rates have skyrocketed, the consumption of saturated fats rose only 7%.  And, according to The U.S. Department of Agriculture, total fats in our diet have fallen from 40% in 1990 to roughly 34% today.

Others say it is the way we eat.  Dr. Walter Willett, Harvard School of Public Health is in charge of the government’s revamping of the food pyramid – now called The Healthy Eating Pyramid.  This is the third overhaul of the pyramid in the past thirty years.  Yet while the pyramid continues to be revised, obesity rates in the United States have continued to rise.  This food pyramid, as the ones before it, has been touted as the answer to the obesity epidemic.  Yet it will fail as its predecessors did because it is flawed, not simply in its factuality, but by its lack of perspective. 

The strategy of focusing on what we eat has been addressed unsuccessfully for decades.  Further studies, weight-loss programs, and media emphasis on the same note, will not bring the desired results.  The first and foremost question to ask is. . . .

Why We Eat

Early man ate only enough to satisfy his appetite.  People today continue to eat beyond the point of satiation for a very different reason: to gain euphoric feeling through the chemicals released by the foods we consume.  And what are these chemicals that are so powerful as to induce behaviors that are sometimes irrational and often detrimental to our health and continued evolution?  Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Serotonin. 

According to Dr. Tim Kirkham, Department of Psychology, University of Reading, Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Serotonin are at the very core of all of our motivations.  The satisfaction or pleasure we derive from our pursuit of stimuli is measured by their release.  Guiding our behavior, he goes on, is a central reward system. 

While we as a society focus almost exclusively on food as a means to elicit an endorphin reaction, there are, in fact, four ways to trigger Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Serotonin.  And though food may be the quickest and most accessible means of generating this response, in actually it produces the most fleeting effect.  The other methodologies are expanded upon in the body of the text, revolutionizing the way we will overcome obesity in this country. 

Over the past twelve months, the only topic that has graced the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines, and the front pages of the New York Times, Los Angles Times, and Washington Post more than the subject of obesity is George W. Bush’s war on terrorism.  Obesity is a national disaster and a personal tragedy that has been repeatedly addressed using old clichés and worn out lines of logic.  And now our children have been drawn into this struggle.  The average nine year old in our country has 50% of their arteries clogged by fat.

As many as 95% of the people who go through weight-loss programs fail to keep the pounds off.  In fact, after one year, the majority of participants actually weigh more than when they first began the program.  Almost every diet/weight-loss book ever written has failed to deliver on their promises because they do not take into account the ingrained habits of readers.  Any program that attempts to be successful must begin from where the reader is, not from where the writer is! 

As Elizabeth Lyon said so succinctly in her book, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, Readers of self-help books want immediately useful ideas - ideas that can be readily adapted to apply to their lives.  Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction does exactly that.  It does so by offering a five-phased approach to the problem:

 Supplementation to turn off the appetite control center.

 Food selection that sends a signal to the brain indicating we are full.

 Exercise

 Individual behaviors that trigger endorphin release and provide alternatives to the 

satisfaction that comes from food. 

 Social circumstances that induce endorphin release and end food dependency. 

Each phase works independently of each other, and does not demand a total life makeover.  Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction, explains precisely why we eat what we eat.  It does not, as almost every single diet book ever written does, simply tell its readers to eat less red meat, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and exercise more.  It gives readers real options – ones that they can integrate into their lives seamlessly and immediately.  And once these changes have begun, they are synergistic and self-supporting.

Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction will be user friendly.  The text is broken up into small sections, with some information being depicted by sketched characters and cartoons explaining and emphasizing central points.  Further, each chapter will have a summary, whereby the reader will be able to extract the essence of those pages without the absolute necessity of reading the entire section.

The great psychologist, Abraham Maslow, once said, If you’re trained to use a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.  What he meant by this is that whatever ones discipline, that is the way they will interpret a problem and see the solution.  The men offering solutions to obesity today are specialists – highly knowledgeable in their fields, but lacking the breadth and depth of awareness a systemic problem calls for. 

One of the keys to the success of Why We Eat . . . and why we keep eating, and the underlying program, is the fact that it does not rely on the individual to break life-long habits.  Supplanting is the term used to connote where one behavior takes the place of another – a far easier task, and one used often by psychologists to overcome human weaknesses.  Why We Eat and why we keep eating overcomes this problem by offering a diversity of choices to its readers.

Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction goes beyond the realm of obesity to encompass the role of Endorphins, Dopamine, Oxytocin and Serotonin in depression, alcohol and tobacco use, television addiction, and the impact of food choices on our immune system and specific disease such as Alzheimer’s.  These topics may seem to be unrelated, but the thread of diet weaves them tightly together. 

The audience for Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction is predominately women (although certainly not limited to that gender), who read as many as 75% of all self-help books.  The age of my readers would be between 20-75 years of age, married or single. 

The market for Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction is every one of the 126 million Americans who are overweight or obese, along with hundreds of million more Europeans, Australians, and others residing in industrialized nations.  The simple fact is that the world needs this book. 

Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction is a perennial, little affected by time or trends.  It has staying power and will sell as well in five or ten years from now as it will today.

Why We Eat and why we keep eating: breaking your food addiction is complete and professionally edited with cartoon-like pictures to make concepts visual.

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Our Current State of (Un) Health

Since 1950, the amount of nutritional information available to the public has roughly doubled every seven years.  During that same period (1950-2000), obesity rose by 214% until today, where 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are categorized as being overweight or obese.  The average American weighs thirty pounds more today than one hundred years ago.  In that light, one might conclude that there is a direct correlation between knowledge of obesity and obesity itself.

The point is, people aren’t foolish.  They know that a salad is better for them than a pizza; that grilled chicken is better than a smothered burrito; that tofu is better than a cheeseburger; that fresh fruits and vegetables are better than candy bars and French fries.  People are swimming in information.  We’ve become anesthetized by information overload.  More has not and will not lead to enlightened behavior, less craving for food, or improved health.

And