Healthy Weight 2020 - Chapter 2

Chapter 5 – Rethink

Introduction

In this chapter we’ll explore the second influence on our diet and lifestyle – the one responsible for my passion for pizza; the one that explains why you eat, and even think, the way you do; the one that explains why nearly seventy-five percent of American adults are overweight or obese.^[1]

Let’s expose the Hidden Persuaders.

#2 - The Hidden Persuaders

Before the age of mass media, family tradition was the dominant force in determining one’s diet and lifestyle. There still remain a few isolated cultures that have been largely shielded from the influence of mass media, but these are rapidly disappearing as the Internet continues to aggressively spread even to remote parts of the earth.

The November 2005 issue of National Geographic magazine – there is a picture of Frank Shearer water skiing at the age of 100; a picture of Marge Jetton refueling her car, making note of the fact that she had renewed her driver’s license the year before at the age of 100; a picture of Giovanni Sannai at the age of 103, seated at the head of a long table dining with his extended family; and one of my favorites, Dr. Ellsworth Wareham assisting with a heart surgery at the age of 91.

Here is the rest of Dr. Wareham’s story. He died December 15, 2018, at the age of 104. He was a pioneer of open-heart surgery. He continued assisting with surgeries until he was 95, and continued to drive and garden up until his death. He died at home with his wife of 68 years, Barbara, and his daughter at his side, who described him as lucid and cognitive until his death. I believe it’s safe to say that Dr. Wareham died of old age.

The National Geographic article ends with a full-page picture of Lydia Newton. The caption reads, “‘The Bible tells you not to eat pork,’ says Lydia Newton, who prefers beans, cheese, bread, and a slice of birthday cake. Newton, 112, ranks among the world’s 20 oldest people, three years shy of the list leader. Supercentenarians are redefining how long and well we can live, but it’s not easy work. ‘My favorite part of the day,’ says Lydia ‘is when I take a nap.’”

And now, the rest of Lydia’s story. She died October 30, 2005, at the ripe old age of 112 years, 221 days. I believe it’s safe to say that she, too, died of old age. Or maybe it’s how Moses described Abraham’s passing in Genesis 25:8:

Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.

Before we move on, I have to call your attention to the one sad picture in the article, at the bottom of page 19. “Why,” you may ask, “do you call it a sad picture when all the little Okinawan children look so happy with their Happy Meals?”

The caption reads: “A health threat looms for anyone who lines up for a regular fast-food fix: Younger Okinawans have one of Japan’s highest rates of obesity.”

These children will never be that 102-year-old in the picture on pages 18 and 19. After becoming addicted to the SAD (Standard American Diet), they are on a one-way course toward sickness, disease, and prescription medications for the last half of their short lives.

Herein lies the tragedy. Do you see it? Think about it. They could enjoy the long, happy, disease-free life of their great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents. They don’t have to go through their brief life overweight, overwhelmed by disease and doctor visits. They have a choice. Or do they?

This is a classic example of the transition that has been taking place over the past few generations; a shift from the influence of family tradition to the “hidden persuaders.” No longer are children guided in their diet and lifestyle choices by the traditions passed down by their grandparents and great-grandparents. Today they spend a lot more time in front of the TV, their computer, and their cell phone than they do listening to grandpa talk about “the good old days.” And the results are devastating.

Salt Sugar Fat

In his brilliant, carefully researched book, Salt, Sugar, Fat, Pulitzer Prize winning author Michael Moss exposes how, in his own words, “The food giants hooked us.” Here are a few quotes from the book.

“Some of the largest companies are now using brain scans to study how we react neurologically to certain foods, especially to sugar. They’ve discovered that the brain lights up for sugar the same way it does for cocaine.” ^[2]

“On average, we consume 71 pounds of caloric sweeteners each year. That’s 22 teaspoons of sugar per person per day.” ^[3]

“We don’t even have to eat sugar to feel its allure. Pizza will do, or any other refined starch, which the body converts to sugar—starting right in the mouth, with an enzyme called amylase.” ^[4]

Hmm…Pizza!

And now, two final quotes to lead into our next section.

“As powerful as they are, salt, sugar, and fat are just part of the industry’s blueprint for shaping America’s eating habits. Marketing is a full partner to the ingredients.” ^[5]

“…food manufacturers now spend nearly twice as much money on advertising their cereals as they do on the ingredients that go into them.” ^[6]

The Hidden Persuaders

In 1957, one year before I was born, Vance Packard published his very enlightening little book, The Hidden Persuaders.^[7] The book promises to answer such questions as:

· What makes us buy, believe – and even vote – the way we do?

· Why women in supermarkets are attracted to items wrapped in red.

· Why some children’s TV shows take sly swipes at parents.

· Why your children like cereals that crackle and crunch.

· Why men’s clothes are becoming feminized.

The back cover goes on to say:

In this book you’ll discover a world of psychology professors turned merchandisers. You’ll learn how they operate, what they know about you and your neighbors, and how they are using that knowledge to sell you cake mixes, cigarettes, cars, soaps, and even ideas.

The book explores the use of motivational research, which first came into use in the mid twentieth century. Motivational research can be defined as the application of psychology to the study of consumer behavior, especially the planning of advertising and sales campaigns.

“Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.”

–Will Rogers

One of the most influential “persuaders” that Packard reveals in his book is Edward Bernays. In 2002, the BBC released a four-part mini-series entitled The Century of the Self that goes into great detail about the influence that Bernays has had, and continues to have, in our contemporary culture.

Edward Bernays and Social Engineering

Bernays was a pioneer in the fields of public relations and propaganda. He was named one of the 100 most important Americans of the 20th century by Life magazine.

He wrote the book Propaganda in 1928. The first chapter, “Organizing Chaos,” begins like this: “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” ^[8]

Among his many noteworthy accomplishments: he promoted Ivory soap by offering the National Soap Sculpture Competition in White Soap to schools; he convinced the American public that bacon and eggs constitute a healthy breakfast; he induced women to begin smoking in public; he helped the United Fruit Company and the CIA overthrow a duly elected president in Guatemala; he was instrumental in the campaign to fluoridate America; and the list goes on and on.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the worldwide economic crisis that followed the stock market crash of 1929, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, based on his promise to rescue America from the Great Depression. He began to implement his “New Deal” immediately after his inauguration in March 1933.

That very same month, March 1933, The National Socialist German Workers’ Party, or Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, was elected to power in Germany. Joseph Goebbels was Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda. He was using principles from Bernays’ book Crystallizing Public Opinion, and was impressed with FDR’s ideas.

Commenting on FDR’s “New Deal,” Goebbels said, “I am very interested in social developments in America. I believe that President Roosevelt has chosen the right path. We are dealing with the greatest social problems ever known. Millions of unemployed must get their jobs back and this cannot be left to private initiative. It is the government that must tackle the problem.”

We are all aware of the horrible results of Goebbels’ propaganda campaign against the Jews. It is a sobering example of the power of propaganda – the power of the “hidden persuaders.”

Past the Point of No Return

World War II ended. Hitler committed suicide on April 30, 1945. The following day, Goebbels and his wife committed suicide, after poisoning their six children with cyanide. As news and images of the atrocities committed by the German people against the Jews began to emerge, the whole world was shocked and outraged.

The Germans are a very intelligent people. Germany is known as “The Land of Poets and Thinkers.” Every time I get behind the wheel of our 1993 BMW, or recall the Doodle Bug that was our family car when I was a boy, I appreciate the unparalleled German engineering and workmanship.

So, the great question that must be answered is: “How is it possible that such an intelligent society was manipulated and convinced that they were justified in their attempt to exterminate the Jewish race?”

If those good, intelligent people were able to be subconsciously persuaded by Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda to approve of, or at the very least turn a blind eye to such atrocities, then how many things have I been led to believe or think because of propaganda?

In Goebbels’ day, radio was the most effective medium for spreading propaganda to the masses. It’s no mystery why free radios were distributed in Berlin on Goebbels’ birthday in 1938. By the time I was a boy in the 1960’s, television was the dominant tool for spreading propaganda. With the impact of audio and visual stimuli, the influence of the hidden persuaders was multiplied tremendously. Today the Internet is the most effective way to spread propaganda to the masses. It should come as no surprise that some of our politicians in America are so “generous” that they want the government to provide free Internet access to everyone.

Have you ever wondered how you came to “know” that orange juice is the best source of vitamin C for you and your family? If you’re like me, you “learned” it from TV commercials. In actual fact, while oranges are an excellent source of vitamin c, any type of fruit juice is detrimental to your health!

An article on the UC Davis Health website entitled “Is fruit juice bad for you and your children?” explains it pretty well.

Fruit juices are a concentrated source of sugar for children.

In one popular apple juice brand, which we have chosen not to name, one 4 oz. box contained 14 grams of sugar. That equals about 3 teaspoons of sugar.

In a 6 oz. box of a popular orange juice, it was found to have 18 grams of sugar, or a little more than 4 teaspoons.

If you compare that to a can of soda, in terms of volume, it’s about the same – and those are fruit juices with no added sugar.^[9]

Conclusion

The stark reality is that every one of us has been covertly influenced by these hidden persuaders. Our diet and lifestyle have been shaped by impressive packaging, alluring advertising, addictive ingredients added to processed food, and life in the fast lane that seems to only allow time for fast food.

It’s time to slow down! Take time to think for yourself. It is literally a matter of life and death.

Let me repeat one more time Henry David Thoreau’s warning that I shared in the previous chapter: “Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you.”

Don’t be deceived by the fancy packaging. Don’t fall for their blatant lies. Turn the package over and read the fine print. THINK. Ask yourself, “Is this something that will benefit my body?”

Walter Lippmann said, “When all think alike, then no one is thinking.”

When I was a teenager, a very popular justification for doing something that you knew you shouldn’t be doing was, “Everybody’s doing it.” It goes without saying that that is no more a valid reason for doing something now than it was in the 70’s. In fact, I actually realized back then through personal observation, and thinking for myself, that the opposite is true. If everybody is doing it, it is probably wrong!

I believe the Bible backs up that statement. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Be one of the few.

Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

Don’t miss our next chapter – “Renew” – where we will explore truths from Dante’s Divine Comedy, written in 1321, but still very relevant today. I will expose the last of the three major influences on our diet and lifestyle, and I’ll tell you how you can get started on the path to renew your health!

I’ll see you there.

Credits

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.

1. 1. CDC, National Center for Health Statistics. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm. Accessed April 24, 2025.

2. 2. Moss, Michael. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House, 2013. Pxxvii

3. 3. Moss, Michael. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House, 2013. P4

4. 4. Moss, Michael. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House, 2013. P14

5. 5. Moss, Michael. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House, 2013. Pxxvi

6. 6. Moss, Michael. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House, 2013. P77

7. 7. Packard, Vance. The Hidden Persuaders. Pocket Books, Inc., 1957

8. 8. Bernays, Edward, Propaganda. Martino Find Books, 2024. P7

9. 9. UC Davis Health, Good Food Is Good Medicine. https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/is-fruit-juice-bad-for-you-and-your-children/2019/07. Accessed April 24, 2025.

You can contact us here: rmay@goitc.net