How The Food Industry Gets You Hooked | Michael Moss

The Health Investment Podcast with Brooke Simonson

EPISODE 236 – Michael Moss is a journalist and the author of two New York Times bestselling books on the processed food industry, Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked, published in 22 languages and now in development for the screen. He is a frequent guest on newscasts globally, from CBS This Morning to the BBC. His keynote speeches to corporations and organizations feature his work as an investigative reporter with The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2010 for his investigation of the dangers of contaminated meat, and he was a finalist in 2006 for his reporting on the lack of protective armor for soldiers in Iraq, and in 1999 for a team effort on Wall Street’s emerging influence in the nursing home industry. He received an Overseas Press Club citation in 2007 for stories on the faulty justice system for American-held detainees in Iraq. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Eve Heyn, a public health communications expert. In the episode, Michael shares how the food industry uses the perfect mix of salt, sugar, and fat to hijack our taste buds; why the grocery store isn’t a level playing field; practical steps anyone can take to reduce their processed food consumption…and more!

EPISODE WEBPAGE: thehealthinvestment.com/236

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QUESTIONS I ASK MICHAEL IN THE EPISODE:

• Can you discuss the relationship between processed foods and the obesity epidemic?
• How do food companies manipulate salt, sugar, and fat to create addictive products?
• How do you define “food addiction,” and how does your understanding of addiction differ from traditional views?
• If someone says “I can’t stop eating potato chips” and feels like there’s something wrong/broken inside of them, what’s your response?
• Are there commonalities in the strategies used to create and perpetuate addiction across other sectors (like tobacco)?
• In a former interview, you said, “…the concepts of choice and free will may be something of an illusion when it comes to shopping for food. The grocery store is hardly a level playing field.” Can you elaborate on that?
• What are some practical steps that someone can take to reduce their consumption of salt, sugar, and fat, given the pervasive nature of these ingredients in the food supply?
• Is consumer demand for healthier packaged products driving enough change?

LINKS [SOME MAY BE AFFILIATE LINKS; PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO]:

• Visit Michael’s website
• “My Unbiased Thrive Market Review (AND A Shopping List!)” – save money on your first Thrive Market order by clicking here
• Click here when you’re ready to lose weight permanently!
• Follow The Health Investment Podcast on Instagram
• Follow host Brooke Simonson on Instagram
• Email Brooke: [e-mail]
• Shout out to Christian Juarez for the theme music! (Click here to visit his Soundcloud!!)