4 Unexpected Consequences
laughter, he knew that he had his answer but said he would join me for
breakfast in the morning. The thought of more food in a few hours made
an already upset stomach ache even more.
I passed the night more awake than asleep. A full evening of gluttony
brought on fitful dreams of servers slicing more meat on already full
plates. Between the tossing and turning, I realized that eating with
impunity was over, even though readily available calories and not enough
physical activity were growing trends that were spreading worldwide.
While America has never been known for churrasqueira restaurants,
it is the land of all-you-can-eat buffets, fast-food restaurants, fine din-
ing, food courts, gas station convenience stores, supermarkets, specialty
food stores, and vending machines. Culture has made convenience and
sensory pleasures available at every turn.
These calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods prompt the production of
chemicals like endorphins and dopamine that regulate the brain’s reward
center and overpower hormonal signals to stop eating, notwithstanding
our understanding of the health consequences. More than 90 percent of
Americans eat multiple times throughout the day. Close to half say they
cannot get through the day without a snack.
In The Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell wrote: “A man dies and is
buried, and all his words and actions are forgotten, but the food he has
eaten lives after him in the sound or rotten bones of his children.” Our
legacy is fast becoming one of sugar, fat, and salt (though salt contains
no calories). At the time of the American Revolution, individuals con-
sumed about four pounds of sugar per year. By 850 , the amount had
increased to twenty pounds. By 994 , it stood at 0 pounds. Today,
the number-one food group consumed is added fats and oils, followed
by processed flour and cereals, meat and eggs, and added sugars. In
0 8 , Americans are on track to set a new record for meat and poultry
consumption at . pounds per person—almost double the recom-
mended amount.
Orwell also wrote that “the human being is primarily a bag for put-
ting food into.” Crass as it sounds, finding ways to stuff more food into