It's been over a month since I read the book , and just last night night I passed on the offer for half of my wife's quesadilla even though I was still pretty hungry. So this book has definitely made an impact!

I wrapped up my original post on this by considering the power of what Dr. Kessler doesn't say and doesn't offer in this really remarkable book.  He doesn't offer diet advice. He doesn't tell readers what to eat. Nor does he imply that restaurants or food producers should stop serving up food that's so bad for the people who eat it.   But his message is stronger without this, and the takeaway value of the book--something my colleague Peter Gelfan explores in some detail here--is still very high.

I can't imagine anyone with half a brain not being compelled by the  premise of the book, nor the facts that support it:

• that much of the food available to  the American consumer  is far too sweet, salty, and fatty to really be good for us
• that many if not most Americans have concerns about their weight and difficulty resisting the allure of sweet, salty, fatty foods

The first real leap he takes readers on--that eating food like this only conditions our bodies and mind to want more of it--might be difficult to accept on its surface, but the supporting evidence is hard to dismiss.  And on a small scale, who hasn't experienced the 'can't eat just one' phenomenon? It's not too big a leap to think that this same effect might happen on a bigger scale.

What I respect so much about the book that the author leaves the decisions about diet choices to the reader, but operates on the very reasonable assumption that most of us are going to want to respond intelligently to the facts and insights shared about what's wrong with what we're probably already eating in abundance. And the last third of the book is full of great advice as to how to think differently and act differently in support of that effort.

So the takeaway value is exactly what the flap copy promises, and this essentially boils down to changing the reader's perspective on food.  This may be a bit more abstract than dieting guidelines or 'eat this/not that' admonitions but it's still very useful..
I'm six weeks into the experience of looking at food differently, understanding my own compulsions better, and making far better choices when it comes to foods and portions. Denying a food craving isn't--or wasn't--something that comes naturally to me at all, but Dr. Kesser has really made it pretty easy.
He didn't tell me what to do but he did give me the tools to start doing what the facts of the book  made me realize I really need to do if I want to commit to eating more healthily. I'm grateful for the book  as a reader and as an editor have a great deal of respect for the author's approach to a very important topic.