Current lines of thought say Americans eat too many calories and exercise too little, leaving the processed food industry as the usual suspect to blame. Sears suggested viewing obesity as an adipose tumor, a cancer that can be treated with chemotherapy—in the form of food. The underlying cause, he contended, is inflammation caused by excess production of arachidonic acid, which presents some opportunities in developing products that promote wellness and taste good.
The next big thing, in Sears' view, will be anti-inflammatory foods, similar to the foods in the Zone diet, which create a “physiological state where diet-controlled hormones are used to achieve balance,” described as the evolution of the Mediterranean diet. What challenges will this pose to the industry? Several were touted, including increasing proteins as carbohydrate levels are decreased, as well as maintaining palatability while increasing satiety. Sears admitted changing the composition of baked goods will be a challenge under this diet plan, but new proteins may make anti-inflammatory foods possible. After all, he asserted, since the processed food industry helped create this problem, it can help resolve it.