Penguin Books Australia

'David A. Kessler, who led the battle against the tobacco industry, now joins the fight against obesity. His message is important: the problem is not only the behaviour of profit-driven food companies, but also the daily choices that each one of us makes' Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation

Many of us find ourselves powerless in front of a bag of crisps, a packet of biscuits, the last slice of pizza. But why is that so many of us simply can't say no?

In The End of Overeating, David Kessler, the dynamic former head of the US Food and Drug Administration, exposes how modern food manufacturers have hijacked the brains of millions by turning our meals into perfectly engineered portions of fat, salt and sugar. The result is a ticking time-­bomb of obesity, heart conditions and a mass of health problems around the globe.

Examining why we are often powerless in the face of such combinations, David Kessler reveals how our appetites have been and are increasingly conditioned by the hyper-palatable foods to simply keep eating - all the time. The result is a world of 'hypereaters'. But The End of Overeating reveals how Kessler has overcome his own desires by changing the choices he makes, and he produces a clear plan and vital tools for reclaiming our cravings - and our bodies.

'A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry' Michael Pollan, author of In Defence of Food

'Fascinating . . . an exploration of us' The New York Times