Big Technology Podcast · Friday, August 14, 2026
Author Yuval Hari recounts an experiment where rats, initially fed a natural diet, became severely obese after being introduced to processed foods like bacon, Snickers, and cheesecake. Even after the unhealthy food was removed, the rats refused to eat the healthy food, preferring to starve.
“And the rats went ape shit for the American diet. They would dive into the cheesecake and eat their way out and emerge just completely slicked with cheesecake. They ate and ate and ate.”
“Once they'd had the American diet and it was taken away, they refused to eat the healthy food at all. It was like they no longer recognized it as food. They would rather starve than eat that food.”