CH: There is a segment of the population that just doesn’t have access to the alternatives—or really even know there are alternatives—to fast food and processed food. Should the food industry be offering those people something that can serve as a replacement for this hyper-palatable food? Giving them another option?
DK: It’s not only access to alternatives, it’s alternatives that I’m going to want and enjoy, that are going to taste good. And that are going to allow me to control the amount I eat. We haven’t given people the tools they need to help them control their eating, especially those who have conditioned hypereating. No one has told them, “Your brains are being activated, you’re constantly being cued, and that’s why you have such a hard time resisting, and that’s why you feel so bad about yourself.” And no one’s explained to the food industry that they’re literally hijacking the brains of tens of millions of people. This is not a small subset—we’re talking about some 70 million people. And once you understand that, then you can start thinking about how we change individually and what are the appropriate policy changes.
Tobacco was easy. Food is the hardest—but the consequences are so enormous. I don’t think doctors have understood this. I mean, none of us understood, and no one was listening. That woman I saw on the talk show—no one said, “What’s driving her?” We looked at her for decades and said she was not self-disciplined; she didn’t know how to control her eating; she lacked willpower; she was lazy. And that’s just not the case. Her brain’s being excessively activated, she’s being constantly cued, and that’s what’s driving her behavior. And it’s not fully within conscious control.
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