The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker

Subtitled the surprising new truth about food and flavor, The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker explores the connection between an increasingly obese America, the tastes/flavors we crave, and their limited nutritional value. He begins the story in the 1960’s with the birth of the Dorito and cites disheartening statistics about weight gains since then:

 -- In the early 1960s, just 13.4 % of adult Americans were obese; by the late 1990s, that number had more than doubled to over 30%.
 -- Today, “it is abnormal to be slender .... More than two-thirds of adults are either overweight or obese.”

 -- For boys and girls between ages 6 to 19, one-third are overweight or obese. 

Schatzker is an award winning author who stirs together history, biochemistry, and psychology while using the examples of food like chickens and tomatoes to show how nothing tastes like it used to and why our foods have become so flat and flavorless. He argues that we are mistakenly directing our palates away from healthy food and making food we should not be eating "hyper-desirable." The Dorito Effect is being published this Spring just in time for the arrival of Farmer’s Markets, amidst the larger trend of more locavores, and an increasing adoption of more flavorful heirloom breeds of animals and plants.  
Mark Schatzker‘s pleas to eat for flavor and his The Dorito Effect will be of high interest to our students, especially as a resource for Kinetic Wellness project, as an independent non-fiction read, and as a springboard for additional research.

 

Obesity in Youth: Causes, Consequences and Cures

Obesity in Youth: Causes, Consequences and Cures is a recent NT Library acquisition which deals with the obesity epidemic facing children and adolescents. The book begins with an examination of key genetic influences and dietary patterns; later chapters focus on treatment and prevention. There is an important focus on psychological aspects of obesity such as teasing, body image, mental disorders and the psychosocial consequences for children, families and society.

First Lady Michelle Obama has teamed up with the Muppets to tackle childhood obesity. She has spoken several times about the importance of nutritious food and healthy school lunches. Grist reports that White House is embracing the “addiction model” of food consumption as described by former FDA chief David Kessler’s new book The End of Overeating: which has become a "bible" for Obama and her food policy team.

What I find interesting is that chef Jamie Oliver is the 2010 TED winner. He has taken cooking to the activist level:
“Every child should be taught to cook in school, not just talk about nutrition all day. Good food can be made in 15 minutes. This could be the first generation where the kids teach the parents.” – Jamie Oliver
Usually, highly scientific or philosophical thinkers are awarded prizes. Looks like TED also values pragmatists.