Response to Michael Pollan’s essay “Escape from the Western Diet”

In the essay “Escape from the Western Diet”, an excerpt from the book “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”, Michael Pollan pitches in on the debate regarding the dietary regime of Western culture. Pollan brings into equation various theories on how the Western diet has led to our society becoming one of the unhealthiest countries in the world. He also asserts his own position on the topic while briefly responding to each individual theory. So what is the principal blame for the diseases and illnesses associated with consuming a Westernized diet?
Theories are wide and lasting: overabundances or deficiencies of certain nutrients; industrial processing; environmental issues; the Western world’s implementation on the raising of crops and cattle; just to name a few. In the end however, as Pollan put it, “they are only theories…of an empirical phenomenon” and thus, should be viewed as such. Whatever the reason for our diet being as insalubrious as it may be, one thing is clear, at least in Pollan’s mind: we need to “stop eating a Western diet.”
When it comes to the topic of nutrition and eating habits, most of us will readily agree with Pollan in the instance that we as Americans are perhaps the worst offenders. To be honest, it’s quite hard to disagree with him here. Whether stereotypical or not, staples of the Western diet emit a worldwide assumption that we are a burger-eating, soda-drinking, donut-devouring nation; all unhealthy foods might I add. Is this the case for everyone? Of course not, but that’s one of the ways citizens of the United States are negatively perceived.
It’s also difficult to argue with Pollan’s desire for wanting to escape the Western diet. We are after all, a nation succumbed by a great ma...

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...t, a large majority of foods, even of the healthy sort, do as well.
Is Pollan implying that the only way to escape the Western diet and lead a healthy lifestyle is to purchase expensive organic foods, which only cover a limited market? It would certainly seem that way. (By the way, some organic products are processed nevertheless.) No, before we can even begin to plot our escape from the Western diet, Pollan should first start by distinguishing mechanical processing from its chemical counterpart. In doing this, Pollan can then positively determine what is and what isn’t healthy; but until then, his plan is just simply too ambiguous and dare I say, impractical to adhere to for the average, everyday American.

Works Cited

Michael Pollan’s essay “Escape from the Western Diet”, excerpted from Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” (1 Jan 2008).