Salt, Sugar, Fat by Michael Moss

I recommend this book.

I'm thinking lately that eating fewer refined/processed products would be a lot better for me and my family. So I'm reading a bunch of books on the subject. Awhile ago I read "The End of Overeating" and found it totally fascinating. It started my thinking on this subject. (And so far it's the best book I've found about this kind of thing.)

Michael Moss' book is on these same lines, only it's more of a report, even a history, of the processed food industry and its unhealthy relationship with salt, sugar and fat. It seems like a pretty even-handed report to me. I didn't feel that Moss was viciously condemning the industry, just reporting on the facts that govern it, no matter the efforts made to cut down on the use of these three potentially harmful ingredients. 

It took me awhile to get through. I wasn't expecting so much history and, frankly, I wasn't all that interested in it either. But it was all very informative and adds to the big picture I'm starting to build up in my mind about a lot of the food that we Americans have been blithely eating for decades now. I get tired of hearing about the "obesity epidemic"--I get particularly tired of hearing what the government should be doing about it. Ultimately, I believe that every individual has his/her own choices to make about what to eat. I guess what I would find most valuable is truth in advertising and full, clearly explained disclosure of ingredients. And better education about the effect that salt, sugar, fat and all those chemicals that are included in our processed foods--better education about what these do in our bodies. When once I can understand these things, I like to think that I am smart and powerful enough to make good decisions without big brother weighing in. Hm.

Anyway. It was a good book, both interesting and surprising in some ways too. A great addition to my collection on this subject.

Sex: no

Bad language: no