During lunchtime today, I made a quick trip to Barnes & Noble to scope out some new reading material.
I am in need of a book because I finished my current book earlier this week (The Five People You Meet in Heaven – very good!) and I want something to read on the plane for my weekend trip to Chicago.
I leave after work tomorrow to spend the long weekend in Chicago for my friend Leah’s bachelorette party and bridal shower! Leah and I have been friends since elementary school and several of the girls who were my bridesmaids are also bridesmaids in Leah’s wedding, so it’s going to be a blast to have the childhood gang back together again! I am so, so excited!
While at Barnes & Noble, I read the backs of many books, thinking I was in the mood for some kind of a novel. Eventually I realized I was more in the mood for a non-fiction and slightly educational book, so I took the advice of Rebecca who tweeted to me to pick up a copy of The End of Overeating by Dr. David A. Kessler.
The book, written by the former commissioner of the FDA, uses science and interviews with top physicians to “uncover the food industry’s aggressive marketing tactics and reveal shocking facts about how we lost control over food – and what we can do to get it back.”
I was most intrigued when I read that the book “shows us how our brain chemistry has been hijacked by the foods we most love to eat: those that contain stimulating combinations of fat, sugar and salt.”
I don’t know about you, but at times I find myself eating a ridiculous amount of food – particularly desserts – in one day or one sitting. I am a conscious eater, but sometimes once I start eating cookies, I can’t seem to stop until I feel sick from eating so many. I listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry, so I know my overload on sugary foods cannot be attributed to deprivation, and I’m interested to learn more about foods that may encourage these feelings and this kind of behavior. I’ve read a bit about the effects of sugar in particular and how eating a bit of sugar makes your body crave more and am hoping this book will educate me further. I’ll be sure to post a review once I’m finished reading!
Dinner
After work today, I headed home and met up with Ryan for our evening walk with Sadie. We walked for about 40 minutes before heading home to make dinner.
Since we had leftover taco chicken on hand from last night’s dinner, we made chicken veggie bowls!
This dinner was good, but not all that filling, so two smoothie bowls were whipped up about an hour after dinner.
In the mix:
- 1 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tsp. butter and nut extract
- 1 pinch xanthan gum
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
Gotta love this healthier take on dessert!
Time to watch the first episode of So You Think You Can Dance with Ryan! I’m so glad this show is back!
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I’ve heard great things about that book! As soon as I’m knowledgeable enough from reading all the baby books I picked up from the library, I’ll be back to food books 🙂
I’ve seen that book and have been tempted to pick it up, but haven’t gotten to it yet! I cant wait to hear what you think of it.
I love educational books like that!
oh I’m really looking forward to reading your review, that sounds like a wonderful book! 🙂
Love the look of both the chicken veggie bowls and the smoothie.
Have a wonderful weekend here in Chicago! 🙂
I’m looking forward to your review of that book. I’ve been known to snack on chocolate like there’s no tomorrow. Definitely a chain reaction – if I have one piece, I need two and so on!
i am the exact same way! that’s why i’m really intrigued by the book! i’ll keep you posted!
You have inspired me to make a trip to the bookstore! I need new summer reading 🙂
PS: That smoothie bowl looks like the most perfect dessert, yum!
Yay Chicago!!
I’ve been eyeing that book, I can’t wait to hear what you think about it.. I may just have to pick it up! I find myself in the same predicament.. especially with all the lovely food related blogs I read daily, makes food sound good all the time!
I totally feel you on the overeating thing. Please let us know what you think.. if it is a good read, I may pick it up myself!
Sounds like an awesome book (I browsed through the website). I’ll have to check it out.
And yay for Chicago! I love that city!
I definitely sometimes eat too many cookies like that too. That book sounds fascinating. I might check it out too:)
I have read that book, The End of Overeating, and it is FASCinating stuff. He uses real science, studies, and real life situations to make points.
I learned a ton!
And I love your smoothie dessert idea 🙂
I whipped up the banana softserve with frozen bananas. It was my first time doing it with a good food processor . . . WOW was it thick and creamy. I would do it every night, but bananas are 13 dollars a kg here in Australia 🙁 so, so sad
WOW! That’s expensive – here in New Zealand, they’re only $2-3 a kg, even cheaper at the markets. I wonder why there is such a price difference between the two countries?
Our body mostly craves sugar because our brain can only use glucose for energy (as opposed to protein or fat). It gets a quick shot of glucose and senses an influx of fuel/ energy.. triggering you to naturally eat more.
Plus, it’s tasty! Much in the way that smoothie looks tasty. Yumm!
I really enjoyed that book and learned allot however at times it gets a bit too scientific for me. At times it felt like I was reading a university text book. Im looking forward to hearing what you think.
I love your blog.
I haven’t heard of that book but I’m seriously excited to hear your review of it. That’s definitely something I struggle with too, and I look forward to hearing your opinion!
I just finished “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” too! It was such a good book and definitely got me thinking about our role and attitude towards life.
“The End of Overeating” sounds really interesting and definitely follows the research that’s out there on our tendencies to overeat carbs, fats and sugars. Can’t wait to hear your review!
Oh man, I used to be in LOVE with SYTYCD! I haven’t followed the past few seasons, though… let us know if it’s good!
Also, that book sounds SO interesting! Can’t wait to hear your review on it 🙂
I’m very intrigued to hear your review on the book. Sounds very interesting to me.
I am the same way, I can stick to a meal plan with such dedication it’s ridiculous but once I get going on something I shouldn’t really be consuming in large quantities, like a yummy dessert, peanut butter, I just can’t stop myself and I get out of control. That in turn makes me feel really horrible about falling off the good eats train, which makes me want to eat MORE bad food to comfort myself….it’s a horrible cycle and I really want to learn to control that.
I do the exact same thing Becky! It is so exhausting swinging back and forth. I need to learn how to have a balance.
That book looks great! I don’t know if you’re going to have time while you’re in Chicago, but ifyou do, I would love to schedule a meet up!
Getting a PhD in neuroscience specializing in addiction, I feel compelled to comment about the book. It looks really interesting and there is most certainly a neural component to overeating, especially highly palatable foods, but take their neuroscience section with a grain of salt. It will likely tell you about how eating is like drug addiction and make it sound like we all become addicts to dessert, which is an exaggeration. There definitely are similarities between food and drugs, but for example to get a rat addicted to cocaine all you have to do is give him cocaine, but to get him “addicted” to food, you have to food deprive him and give him high fat high sugar food and then take it away and give it back several times so he’ll binge. Even then he won’t display the exact same behavior and brain patterns as with cocaine, but it is similar. The reason it irks me to blatantly compare overeating and drug addiction is because it makes it seem like we have no control over food and it’s this big powerful scary thing. Yes, obese people probably have different brains than thin people, but so much of the overeating can be helped with therapy and behavioral changes while we still don’t have a drug that helps people lose weight. Anyway, I just want to make a point that while there are neuronal changes causing/resulting from overeating, it is not a physiological phenomenon that we have no control over like some of the weight loss infomercials tell us!
This is such and interesting comment and your point about drug use and certain foods not being “apples to apples” is very valid. I will definitely keep this in mind as I read.
You and your smoothies! Hilarious.
I have wanted to read that book for a while now — I look forward to hearing what you think about it!
Wow that book sounds really interesting. I’m in law school now and actually would like to work in the FDA at some point, this sounds like perfect reading material! Thanks for the heads up, I’m putting it on my list!
I love that book. It’s a quick read and makes you scared to ever eat at a restaurant again. Or at least it made me feel that way. And the best part is it isn’t too science filled. So you don’t need a phd to read it!
This is a great weekend to come to Chicago. We’re finally getting nice weather again and the sun will be out!
I thought the book was pretty good. The middle part seemed slow-moving to me and I got to the point where I just wanted the application! But most likely you will enjoy it 🙂
The books looks really interesting . . . I try to keep my sugar intake pretty low. Try being the operative word. 🙂
I really look forward to your review on this book! 🙂
I checked out that book after Lisa reviewed it..definitely gives u a lot to think about!
Hope you have an awesome time in Chi! If u do get any breaks (though I’m sure you’ll want to spend as much time w your girls as possible) there are plenty of us who I’m sure would love to meet up! Should be a great adventure here!
That book has been on my Amazon wishlist for a while. Looking forward to your review! Hope it’s a good read.
Have a great trip to the Midwest! Hope you enjoy the weekend in Chi-town.
I have that on my reading list!!! I can’t wait to hear what you think.
I love smoothies. So so much. I just got new protein powder and so now I can’t wait to put it in my smoothies!
OK- if you haven’t read “The Last Lecture” yet by Randy Pausch…you MUST pick it up! It is…amazing. And such a quick read!
And then if you have an hour to spare…watch this actual lecture on YouTube…so, so moving!
ok, i am definitely interested in the book…but i just wanted to write and say i have that same wallet i got from barnes and noble 🙂
Just wached SYTYCD. Loved it and am so excited! Let us know how the book is:)
I love educational books! I also like educational documentaries.. You should watch “Food, Inc.” sometime!
Added that book to my to-reads book on goodreads that’s for sure 🙂 do you have a goodreads?! I’d love to follow you!
I hope you’ll be doing a review on this book! I am really working on being able to eat intuitively so if it’s worth a read, I will def pick up that book!
The End of Overeating is a fascinating read. I loved it, but I agree with another poster who mentioned waiting for the application. But the parts about the food industry are really interesting. I think you’ll like it!
That book does look good! Can’t wait for the review!
Ahhhh The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
I read that book when I was in the 7th or 8th grade I think and I was just gripped by it. Mitch Albom really knows how to write an emotionally wrenching story and I couldn’t stop thinking about it for about a month or so. But I felt so young when I read it! I think I’m gonna have to read it again…it was that good. I also read Tuesdays with Morrie and For One More Day. Gahh they are all so sad, but so so good.
Right now I’m reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo so I’m hoping it lives up to its hype!!
Sighhh I just love reading so much 😀
I am a conscious eater, but sometimes once I start eating cookies, I can’t seem to stop until I feel sick from eating so many. I listen to my body and eat when I’m hungry, so I know my overload on sugary foods cannot be attributed to deprivation, and I’m interested to learn more about foods that may encourage these feelings and this kind of behavior.
I can totally relate, Julie! Once I start eating sweets, I CANNOT STOP, even though I don’t deprive myself of any food or mark it as ”prohibited”. There must be something about sugar, although I also think that a big part of it is just all in our heads … I can’t wait for the review!
Ditto for me! Once I get on a sweets kick it’s hard to stop until you hit that complete sugar saturation point. I always feel guilty once I ‘overdo it’ but up until that point those cookies/sweets just taste sooo good! I notice too that if I go for stretches on avoiding overly processed things I don’t crave them so much. I read a study once that said that it takes something like two weeks for your body to stop craving more and more of those kinds of sugars, after that and they start to hold less of an appeal. But once you start eating them again it starts the whole cycle again. It went on to parallel what happens to your brain chemistry to certain drugs (just like what was commented up above.) I’ll be really interested to hear what you think of that book!
Oh, I feel you! And it’s definitely true what you say – I did the ”no sugar” thing a few times and after a while I definitely craved it less often! Of course, when I introduced it back, the cravings increased again … I don’t think there is anything wrong with eating sweets if you don’t overdo it, but if you do, it turns into an exhausting cycle. 🙁
ya, who in the heck wants to not enjoy all of these types of things, i mean you only live once! 🙂 i think that’s one of the biggest perks of exercising. i just find it interesting to read that manufacturers are consciously trying to make us crave them…lol…and i just laughed at the mental picture of them holing up in the planning offices like some drug lords trying to make us want another sugar hit. 😉
Ooh, sounds interesting! Also, slightly off topic, but I want to give you some props on two things. First off, your chocolatey overnight oats- oh my goodness, I can’t get enough of that stuff!! And secondly, I also cannot put down The Hunger Games series. I think all my friends think I’ve turned into some weird dystopian/apocalypse fanatic, but they are such an entertaining read! However, I do plan on reading something super happy right after this….
It’s funny that you picked that book, I just finished with it today! I really enjoyed it and think you will too! 🙂
I read that book in the fall, and it was really interesting!! I was expecting it to be different than it was, with more tips and less study info, but it was still neat to learn about how our brain works on sugar/fat/salt. If nothing else, it made me realize just how much control the food industry has over us!
That book looks good, an interesting insight into why so many of us struggle with overeating. Look forward to your review, then maybe I’ll read it too!
Thanks for the idea, the book seems really interesting!
Well I am totally like you, I think there is an emotional touch in it too, I try to eat well anf healthy but I often eat biscuits and chocolates in the evening because eating can also be relaxing, comforting especially when you’ve had a stressful day!
That book seems super interesting! ill have to check it out! Sugar is addictive and it messes with your mind and appetite. Whenever i eat anything with added sugar, the rest of the day i want more!!
That book sounds like a great read. Make sure you do a review after you’re finished with it! Please! 😉
I’ve seen that book and I’ve been intrigued by it but I haven’t read it yet. I’m interested to see what you think 🙂
I love that book! It has changed my way of what I eat and when I see something in the store (ex. Cheetos), I become repulsed and have no desire to eat them. You will definitely enjoy it.
Hmm! That book looks pretty interesting!
You will have to let us know how you like the book…it sounds very interesting! I am currently reading the Beauty Detox Solution and I learning SO much great information…I love it & highly recommend it to those looking for their next book!
Have a lovely Friday & a safe trip!!
I’m thinking of picking that book up as well. I was more inclined to buy it after reading “Mindless Eating” by Brian Wansink. You should pick up, as well!