A terrific work of popular science by the former head of the FDA. Dr. Kessler, an appetite researcher in his own right, explains how processed foods are literally rewiring the reward pathways in our brains to make us eat more and more without ever really feeling satisfied.

Our appetite control systems are adapted for a diet of unprocessed meats and plants. Now, most of the average American's calories come from highly refined or processed food products. Since we evolved under scarcity, our brains are designed to hone in on fatty, sugary foods. Our ancestors who could lock onto fruits or other concentrated sources of energy were more likely to survive. Now we're surrounded by food cues almost 24/7. We're all susceptible to some degree, but the most vulnerable among us are succumbing to what Kessler calls "conditioned hypereating."

Did you know that meat in chain restaurants like Appleby's is shot through with pinpricks, literally pre-chewed, to make it go down quicker? Chips are designed to dissolve in our mouths before we even swallow them, making it easier to inhale the whole bag and harder to feel satisfied. Consumers don't even like to chew their candy bars anymore. Snickers is considered a triumph of food engineering because the chocolate, nougat, and peanuts all dissolve at the same time--making it the exact opposite of satisfying.

By a combination of trial and error and calculated exploitation the food industry has created ever more potent hyperpalatable foods that trick our natural satiety mechanisms and keep us reaching for more.