The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well
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- Create Date：2021-12-05 11:20:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Mark Schatzker
- ISBN：1797134035
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Reviews
Anthony Gemayel
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So well researched。 So well written。 Maybe I'm being emotional today but the words are so well put together it made me tear up at some point。 I certainly didn't expect that in a book about food。 So well researched。 So well written。 Maybe I'm being emotional today but the words are so well put together it made me tear up at some point。 I certainly didn't expect that in a book about food。 。。。more
Ryan Boissonneault
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Over the last six decades， obesity rates have more than tripled in the US。 Whereas only 10 percent of US adults were considered obese in the 1950s， that number shot up to 35 percent by 2012。 Clearly， something has gone horribly wrong， and blaming it entirely on our evolved tendency to overeat， as is usually done， is far too simplistic。 It’s not just that we’re eating more calories （although we are）， it’s that the types of foods we’re eating are optimizing our weight gain like farm animals。 In Th Over the last six decades， obesity rates have more than tripled in the US。 Whereas only 10 percent of US adults were considered obese in the 1950s， that number shot up to 35 percent by 2012。 Clearly， something has gone horribly wrong， and blaming it entirely on our evolved tendency to overeat， as is usually done， is far too simplistic。 It’s not just that we’re eating more calories （although we are）， it’s that the types of foods we’re eating are optimizing our weight gain like farm animals。 In The End of Craving， Mark Schatzker shows us how modern， processed foods essentially mimic the nutritional profiles of pig feed， which is used to optimize the rate of weight gain in pigs。 How did we discover how to make our pigs as fat as possible as quickly as possible？ To see how， consider an experiment run by the University of Illinois in 1954。 For this experiment， four groups of pigs were placed on different diets and their rates of weight gain were compared。 The group that gained the least amount of weight were the pigs allowed to roam free on pasture， eating whatever they wanted， more or less naturally。 The group that gained the most were the pigs enclosed in a confined space and fed “nutritionally-complete” pig feed， fortified with all of the vitamins and minerals they could possibly need—and then some。 The key insight of the experiment was that， in addition to the typical macro-nutrients necessary for weight gain （carbs and fats）， the more vitamins the pig feed contained， the more effective it was at producing gains。 It was soon discovered that it’s not only calories from fats and sugars that count; vitamins were shown to be necessary to unlock the use of those calories。 Today， pigs are fed up to four times as much niacin （vitamin B3） and twenty times as much riboflavin （vitamin B2） compared to the 1950s， and they gain weight 40 percent faster。 The animal body naturally regulates its own diet to source the vitamins it needs。 A pig， left free to roam， will eat a variety of foods as it seeks the required vitamins。 This system—including the brain， digestive tract， nutrient sensors， and metabolic pathways—has evolved over millions of years in such a way as to drive an animal to their optional weight。 But when you interrupt this process and artificially deliver all the required vitamins in a single food， the animal stops craving a variety of foods and simply eats more of the carb-and-fat loaded fortified food。 Then they gain weight at an astronomical rate。 This may be good for farmers raising pigs， but it’s bad for humans。 Since the 1950s， a whole host of processed foods have been fortified with vitamins， basically creating the human version of pig feed。 As Schatzker wrote:“Now imagine an American eating white bread with butter， or doughnuts， cake or crackers， or any other combination of processed carbs and fats。 No matter how much of these foods this person eats， his or her brain will never detect a nutritional imbalance， thanks to government-mandated fortification。 The appetite for some other food will never be awakened。 Thanks to ancient government policy， Americans can consume vast amounts of calories without running out of the vitamins necessary to turn those calories into fat。”By fortifying calorie-dense processed foods with vitamins， people have no urge to eat the fruits and vegetables typically required for those vitamins。 Instead， they opt for the higher-calorie processed fats and carbs， and because they’re overloaded with vitamins， those calories are quickly and efficiently turned into fat。 And there is your explanation for the explosion in obesity we’ve witnessed， which just so happens to exactly correspond to the fortification of processed foods （human pig feed）。 Sure， this could be a case of “correlation doesn’t imply causation，” but considering the various animal experiments and farming practices that demonstrate how fortified foods accelerate weight gain， it’s reasonable to suppose that that’s exactly what’s happening to humans as well。 And it isn’t just the abundance of vitamins that is to blame; Schatzker also explains the phenomena of “nutritive mismatch，” which results in overeating because the signals the brain receives from sweet foods （via artificial sugars） doesn’t match their nutritive profile （lower-than-expected calories）。 This stimulates hunger and causes the person eating low-sugar foods to overcompensate by eating a higher number of calories later on。 And so， between nutritive mismatch and fortification， we’ve unknowingly created the ideal conditions for obesity。 At least that’s the argument of the book。Of course， it could just be that the fortified foods taste better。 Regardless of the impact or not of vitamins， the blending of carbs and fats into artificially tasty concoctions not found in nature may be the only explanation we need for why animals and humans gravitate to these unhealthier food options。 We lose our urge to eat fruit—not because we’re no longer seeking out vitamins—but because fruit no longer tastes sweet enough （compared to all the added sugar we’re used to consuming）。 Do we really think that if we stop fortifying processed foods with vitamins and artificial sweeteners that people will all of a sudden ditch the pizza and ice cream and start eating a more balanced diet？ I think this is doubtful。 Schatzker talks about the difference between “wanting” and “liking，” and that junk food triggers a desire for its consumption that is ultimately disappointing once it’s obtained。 However， I’ve never once in my life been disappointed by a piece of cheesecake， which is unequivocally bad for you and also unequivocally delicious。 I’m just not sure how convincing the argument is。 I think it’s probably a combination of processed foods actually tasting better （they’ve been designed and marketed to optimize taste， after all） in addition to the effects of fortification on accelerated weight gain。 It truly is the perfect storm of obesity。 Either way， the lesson is the same: stay away from processed foods！ This is easier said than done， of course， but to the degree that people can substitute whole foods， fruits， and veggies for processed， fortified foods， the better off they will be in terms of weight and health。 。。。more
Brett
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Mind blownI found this book absolutely fascinating。 Everyone should read it， will definitely make me rethink a lot of my food choices moving forward。
Christie
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Tedious。 Nothing new here。 You’re better off spending your time going for a walk or making and eating a salad loaded w organic veggies。
Danielle
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This was an extremely interesting book and the author raises some very intriguing points， but he has almost no follow through。 He also seems to have large blinders on when it comes to real health vs how we look。 He talks about weight as the end-all-be-all of health but doesn't really mention actual health。 Do the people in northern Italy live longer lives， do they get metabolic diseases at the same rate， do they have health issues that Americans don't have？ I mean， he let us know that we won't g This was an extremely interesting book and the author raises some very intriguing points， but he has almost no follow through。 He also seems to have large blinders on when it comes to real health vs how we look。 He talks about weight as the end-all-be-all of health but doesn't really mention actual health。 Do the people in northern Italy live longer lives， do they get metabolic diseases at the same rate， do they have health issues that Americans don't have？ I mean， he let us know that we won't get pellagra either way。 Weight and bad health are correlated， but there is not proof （at least not yet） that just being overweight is the cause of bad health。 From the studies conducted so far， it seems like the thing that causes some or most people be overweight or obese also causes those people to have bad health。 Additionally， I have seen many studies that show that being a bit "overweight" is actually protective， but that is never addressed in this book。 Schatzker starts with the given that being overweight is very bad and never addresses any arguments against that stance。 He sites a single study that shows that people can lose weight on any diet at all， but never talks about the health of the participants。A big problem in the history of diet and science in the western world can be found in the 7 countries study。 The problem was that only the countries that happened to fit the conclusion Ancel Keys wanted were included。 Countries that didn't fit were actively excluded。 So I ask， is Northern Italy the only place in the world people eat food Americans consider unhealthy but that also don't have food additives （fake fats， fake sugar， added vitamins）？ Are there any people who went from thin to fat when they adopted a western diet before flour was enriched in the 1940s？ And if so， how does that impact Schatzker's hypothesis？ The other things that made this book pretty weak were that he had very little to give readers in the way of solutions。 Don't eat any additives at all， only purely whole foods， maybe （but not really）。 He also gave no evidence that individual people can do anything to reverse the damage that has happened because of vitamins， fake fat， fake sugar， and other food additives。 He didn't say either way。 Possibly there is no evidence， but then a call for studies is the way to go。 He just gave us this vague instruction to change things in our laws， which was super unhelpful。 Just as an aside， Schatzker was very dismissive about low carb diets and Gary Taubes in particular， Painting Taubes as a science denier and as petulant without addressing why Taubes didn't like a study that had an opposite conclusion than Taubes would expect。 I have a hard time thinking that Taubes is a science denier without some proof and Schatzker just wanted us to take it on his word。 The author also said that the only person who ever wrote a book about reveling in great Italian food was Goethe。 I can't believe that he did even an ounce of research about that statement and didn't see Eat， Pray， Love。 I would bet that many people have written about food appreciation through out the years， in Italy particularly。 。。。more
London Mabel
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Avoiding processed foods isn't new nutritional advice， but Schatzker's argument was a new one for me: That the additives and enrichments interfere with our brain's ability to sense what it's eating and then know what it's missing。For example， I was aware of studies that found people don't lose--and even gain--weight drinking low calorie sweetener drinks， but hadn't read the specific study that found we don't metabolize something properly when there's a mismatch between how sweet it tastes， and i Avoiding processed foods isn't new nutritional advice， but Schatzker's argument was a new one for me: That the additives and enrichments interfere with our brain's ability to sense what it's eating and then know what it's missing。For example， I was aware of studies that found people don't lose--and even gain--weight drinking low calorie sweetener drinks， but hadn't read the specific study that found we don't metabolize something properly when there's a mismatch between how sweet it tastes， and its actual sugar content。Anyway。 Fascinating。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Gerald McLaughlin
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Vitamins and Abundant Food Seem ProblematicThe obesity epidemic underlies many health issues in the United States and countries that mimic its food and vitamin intake behaviors。 Mark Schatzker integrates stories and research， including attention to the wisdom of evolution， to challenge existing premises regarding optimal nutrition and behavior。 I'm persuaded that vitamin supplements and altered foods warrant reconsideration。 Vitamins and Abundant Food Seem ProblematicThe obesity epidemic underlies many health issues in the United States and countries that mimic its food and vitamin intake behaviors。 Mark Schatzker integrates stories and research， including attention to the wisdom of evolution， to challenge existing premises regarding optimal nutrition and behavior。 I'm persuaded that vitamin supplements and altered foods warrant reconsideration。 。。。more
Erik
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Intriguing thesis on why Americans are so fat。 It's not because we eat too many carbs -- or too much meat。 Schatzker is agnostic on diets。 He says you can lose weight on any of them， for a short time。 It's keeping the weight off that's the problem。The reason that's hard is because we crave more food than we need。 Not all humans are this way。 Take northern Italians， for example。 Their diet is delicious but also satisfying。 Their dishes are heavy， but their bodies are not。Their traditional diet gi Intriguing thesis on why Americans are so fat。 It's not because we eat too many carbs -- or too much meat。 Schatzker is agnostic on diets。 He says you can lose weight on any of them， for a short time。 It's keeping the weight off that's the problem。The reason that's hard is because we crave more food than we need。 Not all humans are this way。 Take northern Italians， for example。 Their diet is delicious but also satisfying。 Their dishes are heavy， but their bodies are not。Their traditional diet gives their body and mind signals to stop eating and curb appetite that humans have evolved to expect。 By contrast， our newfangled diet， with foods altered in the last few decades by food company scientists and overseen by nutritional regulators， messes with natural signals to curb appetite。 Surprising culprits include fortifying flour and other foods with B vitamins， which make them more digestible and thus cause the body to crave them more。 But artificial sweeteners also play a role by giving confusing signals to the body where taste is disconnected from calorie payload， sending our appetites into uncertainty and overdrive。A quick read that piles more evidence into the case against processed foods and for a traditional diet， whether high-fat， high-carb， or anything else， just as long as it's low tech。 。。。more
Pascale
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I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review。The End of Craving is an entertaining， easy read on the author's journey into one possible cause of obesity in America。 It certainly gave me a lot to think about。The only thing I would change would be to add the references at the end of each chapter， to allow the reader to easily consult them。 In a printed form， it doesn't bother me， but in an ebook， it is very disruptive to go ba I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review。The End of Craving is an entertaining， easy read on the author's journey into one possible cause of obesity in America。 It certainly gave me a lot to think about。The only thing I would change would be to add the references at the end of each chapter， to allow the reader to easily consult them。 In a printed form， it doesn't bother me， but in an ebook， it is very disruptive to go back and forth。 But I understand that this editorial choice would have been made to make the reading experience smoother for the reader。Overall， a great read！ 。。。more
Duk
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too similar to his previous book， Dorito Effect
Mark O'mara
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Highly recommended for those interested in why and how we crave food and why the （so called） Mediterranean diet of Italians isn’t the only explanation as to why they are so so much less obese than Americans。 A very interested perspective backed up by a lot of fascinating research。
Rob
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I loved this book。 Mr。 Schatzker explored the relationship between our modern food system and obesity in his previous book， The Dorito Effect， but he really delves deeply into the topic in this book。 His investigation is thorough and his case is compelling。 Ultimately， he tries to answer perhaps the fundamental mystery of modern food science: why are we all getting so fat？ I won’t spoil the book by giving anything away， but Mr。 Schatzker’s answer is as grounded in science as it is entertaining。
Meghan （plethora_of_pages）
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I really enjoyed this book！ A blend of food science， behaviour studies & psychology with vividly entertaining historical anecdotes packaged in an investigative journalism storytelling way that carries you along through the author’s multitude of research。 This isn’t a how-to manual， it doesn’t claim to have an radical answers or fixes for longevity or poor health。 It’s more of an exploratory journey showing what craving *is*， why it could be contributing to the obesity epidemic， and offering some I really enjoyed this book！ A blend of food science， behaviour studies & psychology with vividly entertaining historical anecdotes packaged in an investigative journalism storytelling way that carries you along through the author’s multitude of research。 This isn’t a how-to manual， it doesn’t claim to have an radical answers or fixes for longevity or poor health。 It’s more of an exploratory journey showing what craving *is*， why it could be contributing to the obesity epidemic， and offering some research as to historical foundations of altered craving。 It found it wildly interesting。 How the author laid out his research was really engaging - he does a really good job of connecting his points， bringing together studies and concepts that don’t seem linear。 My favourite sections were his retelling of a number of historical studies done， about how we got to where we are with behaviour science， and I was also completely engrossed in the information about food science - have you heard of Creamfibre 7000？ I hadn’t either！！ The book does seem to end fairly abruptly- a quick conclusion pointing us back to common wisdom and key messages from numerous health advisors （ie unprocess your diet）。 The acknowledgments share with the reader his own scary health issues， and make me wonder if that’s why the book is wrapped up so quickly？ While I don’t agree with everything in the book， I think he makes a number of unique and important points， and is a really great nonfiction storyteller。 I would definitely read more from this author in the future， and I can’t stop sharing about what I read in conversation。 Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for a gifted ARC。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Sean
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I was given an advance preview of this book in exchange for an honest review。My review？I’ve already read this book， and I’ll be buying a copy for my bookshelf when it comes out。I will be pushing this book on A LOT of people。 If you are interested in behavioural science， read this book。If you are interested in food science， read this book。If you are interested in our everyday relationship with food （and if your aren’t， why not？）， read this book。I’ve repeatedly tweaked my own diet over the years， I was given an advance preview of this book in exchange for an honest review。My review？I’ve already read this book， and I’ll be buying a copy for my bookshelf when it comes out。I will be pushing this book on A LOT of people。 If you are interested in behavioural science， read this book。If you are interested in food science， read this book。If you are interested in our everyday relationship with food （and if your aren’t， why not？）， read this book。I’ve repeatedly tweaked my own diet over the years， for varying reasons。 I played with Atkins/Keto for weight， a few years of vegetarianism for environmental reasons， added foods here， cut some there， etc。 etc。This book definitely makes me feel good about my current approach， which is basically avoiding food in boxes， in favour of *real* unprocessed food， and gives me （sorry 🙃） food for thought wrt additional tweaks to be made。Schatzker takes a lot of science， and filters it into a very interesting， yet easy to read package。Loved it， and highly recommend。 。。。more
MookNana
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Aaaahhhh！ I just about died when I flicked to the next page and saw the word "Acknowledgements"。 I was so sure we were about to get to the part of the book where we discussed what to actually DO about the problems so thoroughly identified and dissected and then。。。no。 It's not that there weren't hints and themes。 Eat real food。 Insist on the best quality of food and savor it unabashedly。 Eat mindfully， joyfully， and unhurriedly。 That's great， if not particularly revolutionary， but it also speaks Aaaahhhh！ I just about died when I flicked to the next page and saw the word "Acknowledgements"。 I was so sure we were about to get to the part of the book where we discussed what to actually DO about the problems so thoroughly identified and dissected and then。。。no。 It's not that there weren't hints and themes。 Eat real food。 Insist on the best quality of food and savor it unabashedly。 Eat mindfully， joyfully， and unhurriedly。 That's great， if not particularly revolutionary， but it also speaks to a narrow audience with the means to do that。 Some practical， real-world guidance would not have gone amiss。 Are there some "good enough" things that people can do？ Some low-hanging fruit （minimize artificial sweeteners， perhaps？） where a moderate amount of effort would yield a significant benefit？ What's the research on how to solve this problem？ （short of moving to Bologna， that is。。。）It's not that I don't appreciate a thorough examination of the available research in the fields of nutrition and neurobiology， nor did I mind the author's almost philosophical approach to the issue。 But， after having made the case so thoroughly for the existence of a problem， it was frustrating to not get an equally detailed look at how to mitigate it。 Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！ 。。。more
Karen Axnick
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