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Neither of us has been able to shop for groceries, order meals in restaurants, or prepare food at home as we used to, since being swept up by Michael Moss' incredible exposé of the food industry's masterminds and their discoveries of methods for addicting us to their products. My husband and I are members of the first generation that grew up eating processed foods, but I never actually understood the definition of "processed" in this context prior to reading Salt Sugar Fat. I'd often wondered "why all the fuss about processed foods?" and had no qualms whatsoever about consuming them, if in fact I was. I really wasn't sure. (I know, right?)
Thank goodness Moss can unfold a story (even a complicated story involving CHEMISTRY and other things that normally have me yawning a few pages in!) in such an intriguing, mesmerizing manner. Otherwise, I may never have made it to the page that reveals in 1995, when 2 out of 3 kids were drinking a 20-ounce bottle of Coke per day, Coca-Cola's executives weren't referring to the people they'd addicted as "loyal customers" or even "consumers". No. Coca-Cola called these people "heavy users". Coca-Cola knew exactly what they were doing, even to kids. But only a couple of the company's executives had trouble sleeping at night, even as the facts about the crisis they were creating became clear. Luckily for us, at least one of those suits had not only a conscience, but a willingness to talk once he'd defected. In addition to the suits, Moss gleaned information from food scientists, government agencies, lawyers, legislators and plenty of other key players in this global addiction story.
The revelation of Coca-Cola's terminology was a turning point for me. Not "loyal customers" but "heavy users". Wow. As I put the book down and turned off the light that evening, I remember smiling, thinking "What's that term from Thomas Kuhn that becomes trendy every now and then? ...paradigm shift... Yeah. So this must be what a paradigm shift feels like. Wow. Shopping for groceries tomorrow will be different"
And it was. It still is. My husband and I actually enjoy reading food labels now, and swapping insider jokes about them. But we're serious about what we do and don't allow ourselves to buy and consume now. The foods we eat most often have single word descriptions now. (Ingredients: orange) (Ingredients: carrots) We've each lost several pounds and can more easily exercise for longer intervals now. These physical changes weren't intended, but were definitely welcome and helpful for each of us at our age. I never was addicted to soda. I consumed maybe one soft drink every 6 weeks. My husband, however, was a "heavy user". One of the most interesting developments as our consumption habits changed: he lost his pot belly. That thing called by many a "beer belly" just melted away over the past 3 months. Maybe it's related to the other physical bonuses I mentioned above, but whatever the catalyst, he looks and feels terrific. Another interesting development which seemingly is related but we're not sure howso: he no longer has the Restless Leg Syndrome he had before we began shopping for, preparing and consuming food differently.
Does it sound as if I'm over-dramatizing this story and its impact on us? Maybe. I do lean towards drama-queen communication. But if you do read this book, let me know if you don't agree with this statement: If this real life situation was, instead, a feature film in which evil villains slowly created, and introduced into society, various chemical products that were designed - no, perfected! - to hook the people of the world into massive, ever-escalating consumption that shortened the life spans of the victims and destroyed the quality of their lives for whatever years they remained alive... it would be a very, very chilling film.
The only thing scarier? That it's really happening. Right now. And has been for years.
We're the victims. Or not. This book can help you make your choice.
