I recently read a fascinating article via NPR (read it here) about Dr. Deborah Cohen’s book, “A Big Fat Crisis“.

“Classic Hamburger Sandwich And Fries” by KEKO64 | freedigitalphotos.net

In the book, Dr. Cohen suggests that viewing the current food industry with suspicion can be an effective way to return our country to a healthy weight.

“If we start viewing the worst offenders in the food and beverage industries with disdain, their efforts will fail to persuade us to buy their products. We will have inoculated ourselves against companies that sell us junk foods and that advertise and market those foods relentlessly. The best thing about this approach is that we won’t have to use up any of our willpower or limited cognitive capacity to reject these unhealthy foods — we will say no automatically, as we do when faced with anything suspicious.”

What are some things you view with suspicion that can help you see the power in this idea? I’ll get you started with some examples:

• politicians
• people who stop you on the street wanting money to “get home”
• solicitors who knock on your front door

Now, not all of the players who fall into these above categories are out to “con you”, but most people’s natural suspicion makes them think twice before believing everything these groups tell us.

If you were to start viewing “big food” with a healthy dose of suspicion, do you believe it would help you fight the urge to eat that full bag of potato chips marked “natural”?