Advance Praise:
"A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. THE END OF OVEREATING is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
"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 behavior of profit-driven food companies, but also the daily choices that each one of us makes."
—Eric Schlosser, author of FAST FOOD NATION
"David Kessler's fascinating book is essential for anyone interested in learning more about how corporate greed and human psychology have created a national health crisis."
—Alice Waters, chef and owner of Chez Panisse
"Disturbing, thought-provoking, and important."
—Anthony Bourdain, author of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
"One of the best books ever written on why it's so hard to control overeating and what we can do about it. Multidimensional and brilliant."
—Dean Ornish, M.D., author of THE SPECTRUM
"A compelling book about overeating and the obesity pandemic. Dr. Kessler thoroughly examines the nature of our relationship with food and why it is critical to understand and modify our behavior to reverse this global threat to health and well-being."
—David Satcher,
former surgeon general and director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
"A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. The End of Overeating is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
—Michael Pollan, author of IN DEFENSE OF FOOD
"A powerful, unique book by a brilliant public health leader."
—Donna Shalala,
former secretary of the
US Department of Health and Human Services
"A gentle though urgent plea for reform, Kessler's book provides a simple 'food rehab' program to fight back against the industry's relentless quest for profits while an entire country of people gain weight and get sick."
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Kessler identifies the cues that lead to overeating and offers some simple, practical tools to help control one's impulses."
—BOOKLIST
"If Kesser's encouraging words don't prod Americans into new habits, the shock therapy of learning what we're really consuming likely will."
—The New York Post
"A fascinating book"
—The New York Times
DAVID A. KESSLER, MD
The End Of Overeating
Taking Control of the
Insatiable American Appetite
Most of us know what it feels like to fall under the spell of food—when one slice of pizza turns into half a pie, or a handful of chips leads to an empty bag. But it's harder to understand why we can't seem to stop eating—even when we know better. When we want so badly to say "no," why do we continue to reach for food?
Dr. David Kessler, the dynamic former FDA commissioner who reinvented the food label and tackled the tobacco industry, now reveals how the food industry has hijacked the brains of millions of Americans. The result? America's number-one public health issue. Dr. Kessler cracks the code of overeating by explaining how our bodies and minds are changed when we consume foods that contain sugar, fat, and salt. Food manufacturers create products by manipulating these ingredients to stimulate our appetites, setting in motion a cycle of desire and consumption that ends with a nation of overeaters.
THE END OF OVEREATING explains for the first time why it is exceptionally difficult to resist certain foods and why it's so easy to overindulge. Dr. Kessler met with top scientists, physicians, and food industry insiders. THE END OF OVEREATING uncovers the shocking facts about how we lost control over our eating habits—and how we can get it back. Dr. Kessler presents groundbreaking research, along with what is sure to be a controversial view inside the industry that continues to feed our nation—from popular brand manufacturers to advertisers, chain restaurants, and fast food franchises.
For the millions of people struggling with weight as well as for those of us who simply don't understand why we can't seem to stop eating our favorite foods, Dr. Kessler's cutting-edge investigation offers new insights and useful tools to help us find a solution. There has never been a more thorough, compelling, or in-depth analysis of why we eat the way we do.
"A fascinating account of the science of human appetite, as well as its exploitation by the food industry. THE END OF OVEREATING is an invaluable contribution to the national conversation about the catastrophe that is the modern American diet."
—Michael Pollan,
author of IN DEFENSE OF FOOD
"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 behavior of profit-driven food companies, but also the daily choices that each one of us makes."
—Eric Schlosser,
author of FAST FOOD NATION
"David Kessler's fascinating book is essential for anyone interested in learning more about how corporate greed and human psychology have created a national health crisis."
—Alice Waters,
chef and owner of Chez Panisse
"Disturbing, thought-provoking, and important."
—Anthony Bourdain,
author of KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
"One of the best books ever written on why it's so hard to control overeating and what we can do about it. Multidimensional and brilliant."
—Dean Ornish, M.D.,
author of THE SPECTRUM
"A compelling book about overeating and the obesity pandemic. Dr. Kessler thoroughly examines the nature of our relationship with food and why it is critical to understand and modify our behavior to reverse this global threat to health and well-being."
—David Satcher,
former surgeon general
and director of the
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
"A powerful, unique book by a brilliant public health leader."
—Donna Shalala,
former secretary of the
US Department of Health
and Human Services
"A gentle though urgent plea for reform, Kessler's book provides a simple 'food rehab' program to fight back against the industry's relentless quest for profits while an entire country of people gain weight and get sick."
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Kessler identifies the cues that lead to overeating and offers some simple, practical tools to help control one's impulses."
—BOOKLIST
"If Kesser's encouraging words don't prod Americans into new habits, the shock therapy of learning what we're really consuming likely will."
—The New York Post
"A fascinating book"
—The New York Times
David A. Kessler, MD, served as commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He is a pediatrician and has been the dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco. A graduate of Amherst College, the University of Chicago Law School, and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kessler is the father of two and lives with his wife in California.
David A. Kessler, M.D. is the former Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration. He served as Commissioner from November 1990 until March 1997. Dr. Kessler was appointed by President Bush and reappointed by President Clinton. He has also served as the Dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco. He is a Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UCSF.
As Commissioner of the FDA, Dr. Kessler acted to speed approval of new drugs and placed high priority on getting promising therapies for serious and life-threatening diseases to patients as quickly as possible. He introduced changes in the device approval process to make it more efficient and ensure that it meets high standards. Under his direction, the FDA announced a number of new programs, including: the regulation of the marketing and sale of tobacco products to children; nutrition labeling for food; user fees for drugs and biologics; preventive controls to improve food safety; measures to strengthen the nation's blood supply; and the MEDWatch program for reporting adverse events and product problems. He emphasized strong law enforcement and created an Office of Criminal Investigation within the agency. According to The New York Times (11/27/96), David Kessler "... revitalized a beleaguered agency that had become mired in bureaucratic disarray." The Los Angeles Times (11/27/96) praised him for "... restor[ing] the Food and Drug Administration to what it was meant to be--an aggressive advocate for the public's health." With his departure, "[t]he American people lost one of their most effective champions..." (New York Daily News, 11/28/96).
Dr. Kessler has a wide range of experience in research, clinical medicine, education, administration, and the law. He is a 1973 magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College. He received his J.D. degree from The University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of the Law Review, in 1978, and his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School in 1979. He did his internship and residency in pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In 1986, he earned an Advanced Professional Certificate from the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.
From 1984 until his FDA appointment, he was the medical director of the Hospital of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, where he held teaching appointments in the Department of Pediatrics and in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine. From 1986 until 1990, Dr. Kessler also taught food and drug law at the Columbia University School of Law in New York. He was a consultant to the United States Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee from 1981 until 1984.
Dr. Kessler's book, A Question of Intent, was published by PublicAffairs in January, 2001. The Boston Globe called it "... an intensely compelling account ... a gripping tale of intrigue and high-stakes morality..." In addition, Dr. Kessler has published numerous articles in The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and other major medical journals. He serves on the board of various organizations including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where he is Chairman of the Board, the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, and Amherst College. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the recipient of the 2001 National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal. His many honors have included the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor, the American Heart Association's National Public Affairs Special Recognition Award, the American Federation for AIDS Research Sheldon W. Andelson Public Policy Achievement Award, the American Academy of Pediatrics Excellence in Public Service Award, the March of Dimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt Leadership Award, and the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health Excellence in Women's Health Award. In April 2008, Dr. Kessler was named the "2008 National Hero" by the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley "for his leadership as the nation's top drug regulator and his courage in challenging the U.S. tobacco industry."
Associated Press story on EOO & "Big Food"
Week of April 20, 2009
CBS "Early Show" interview
April 28, 2009
CNN "American Morning" interview
April 28, 2009
July 8, 2009
Progressive Radio "Gary Null" show
April 29, 2009
The Colbert Report
April 29, 2009
Fox News Channel "Fox & Friends"/interview
April 29, 2009; July 5, 2009
Best Life
May, 2009
HBO: Real Time with Bill Maher
May 1, 2009
Huffington Post/ interview (main feature on "Living" page)
May 6, 2009
PR "All Things Considered"/interview
May 6, 2009
U.S. News & World Report/ interview
May 6, 2009
Fresh Air with Terry Gross
May 13, 2009
NPR "Diane Rehm"
May 13, 2009
New York Times/ "Sunday Styles"
May 31, 2009
Women's Health
June, 2009
CBS "Evening news with Katie Couric"
June 11, 2009
PBS "Newshour with Jim Lehrer"/ interview
June 16, 2009
New York Times/ feature
June 23, 2009
Eating Well mag/ interview
July/Aug, 2009
People/interview
July 8, 2009
The New Yorker
July 20, 2009
ABC "Nightline"
July 27, 2009
ABC "Good Morning America"
July 28, 2009
PBS "Charlie Rose"
October 21, 2009
FIRST (for Women) Magazine
October 26, 2009
CBS "Sunday Morning"
November 1, 2009
All media appearances subject to change.
New York
The Hudson Society
Held at The Princeton Club
15 West 43rd Street
New York, NY
April 27, 2009
07:00 PM
The Cosmopolitan Club
122 East 66th St
New York, NY
April 28, 2009
12:00 PM
Washington, D.C.
Barnes & Noble
555 12th St NW
Washington, DC 20004
April 30, 2009
06:30 PM
Politics & Prose
June 13
1:00 p.m.
Boston
Harvard B&N
1400 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02238
May 4, 2009
07:00 PM
Chicago
University Club
76 East Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603
May 5, 2009
12:00 PM
Bookstall
811 Elm Street
Winnetka, IL 60093
May 5, 2009
7:00 PM
San Francisco
Corte Madera Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd Corte Madera, CA 94925
May 7, 2009
7:00 PM
The Commonwealth Club Of California
595 Market Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105
May 8, 2009
12:00 PM
Books Inc Palo Alto
Town & Country Village
855 El Camino Real #74
Palo Alto, CA 94304
May 8, 2009
7:00 PM
Copperfield's Petaluma
140 Kentucky Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
May 9, 2009
1:30 PM
Google Event
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
May 28, 2009
@ 12p
San Francisco Public Library
September 12, 2009
