here is their website

http://thehappyegg.co.uk/

bright and colourful!

Belike "food reward" would be better named "non food reward"?

Excellent article! I have been suspicious about junk food for a while and most of the key points in this article matches with my thoughts.

I think this article drives us back to the starting point: Start from the fundamentals -- biochemistry (need it in order to understand how our bodies handle nutrition) and nutritional composition (need it in order to understand what contains what and by how much). The market-scientific aspect of commercial food production do not make sense until we become aware of the fundamentals.

I do wonder sometimes, if it is possible to produce a 'healthy' snack food. I know there are lots of snack foods that claim to be healthy - but I haven't seen a processed food that can actually support the claim. It's an interesting challenge, we could take some of the goals from your list,
- It would be made of cheap ingredients, allowing a high profit margin.
- It would be shelf-stable and require no preparation
- It would concentrate the tastes we've evolved to enjoy far beyond their natural amounts
- No matter how much you ate, you would never be satisfied

and add one other qualifier:
- it must not contain ingredients that are toxic, or unhealthy even when consumed in large quantities over a long period of time (decades).

It doesn't need to be very nutritious, because we don't make it our meal (snack by definition), although a bit of nutrition would add value - as long as it was not the fake nutrition our scientists call 'calories'.

Are there any snack foods that fit the criteria? Would it be possible to design some? Would they sell? Would the public believe they are 'healthier' in the face of so much conflicting evidence from corporations?

to your health, tracy

Since puberty, I have rarely been able to eat starchy carbohydrates in moderation. Even when combined with a plate of protein, and veggies. Wheat and sugar are the most problematic for me. "Healthy" carbs such as yams, brown rice, new potatoes, quinoa, OG corn tortillas are all still binge-triggering foods/and or hard to control portions. By body is just very sensitive to carbohydrates. My weight composition also changes when I eat them regularly: for years I struggled with a poofy, bloated stomach, and easily put weight on in my face, mid section and arms. Not attractive! So the paleo approach has been the best way to go for me. I am fine with moderate consumption of simple sugars from fruits and veggies. And I only eat organic meat now.