Weekend food read: the New York Times exposé on the extraordinary science of junk food

The fascinating cover story of this week’s New York Times Magazine provides a insider look at the disturbing and deeply manipulative hyperengineering that makes salty, sugary, fatty snack foods utterly addictive. One revelation (among many): Cheetos are designed to have  “vanishing caloric density” (the ability to melt in your mouth), which tricks your brain into thinking that there are fewer calories involved in each bite. Other highlights include an epiphany that almost made a Coca-Cola exec throw up, and the irony that the Lunchables inventor’s grandkids have never tried the stuff (apparently their diet is too healthy). Read the entire story [New York Times] »