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“Let food be thy medicine”, a relevant and timeless quote from Hippocrates almost two thousand years ago. Culture, is the entire way of life, of a group of people and acts as a lens, through which one views the world and is passed from one generation to the next. Food culture refers to the practices, attitudes, and beliefs as well as the networks and institutions surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food. With the evolution of food culture, from drive-ins, microwavable/canned meals, and fast food, Americans are eating worse and worse every day. Near the beginning of the twentieth century Americans consume around 120 pounds of meat annually, by 2007 that figure went up to no less than 222 pounds. American consumption …show more content…
There is no surprise to me that many Americans do not pay any attention to or understand how and what the foods you eat affect health. Your body is a temple, all one component, all working together. When you have a healthy lifestyle, which includes, reducing or eliminating all animal based products, staying away from refined sugars, hydrating and exercising daily, your body will take care of the rest. Since I have been vegan, I have been able to lose 10lbs within my first four months, and that was without exercise. I have also noticed that my skin has cleared up, and my athletic performance has improved …show more content…
Although I still eat processed foods and refined fats such as tofu, vegan cream cheese, and oils, I want to change my eating habits by eliminating those foods. As a vegan, there are many questions I get asked, that I am not always able to answer, due to my lack of knowledge, and after watching forks over knives, I believe I will have a better understanding, and can have a better response to people who ask about veganism. The government and media always blame the lack of exercise and sugary foods as a cause of diabetes, but in reality, they know very well that the food coming from the companies that fund them are incredibly unhealthy and cause diabetes and other diseases, it is hard for me to want to continue purchasing items from them, even though it is just French fries that I am
Obesity is very common in America, around 66% of American adults are overweight and nearly 33% are obese, which leads to heart disease, cancer, stroke and many other illness. Furthermore, the consume of fast food is in my opinion one of the worst decisions we can make, the food may be cheaper but it leads directly to overweight problems, and it not only damages our bodies but they undermine local business, farmers, and in the process they support they massive slaughter of animals. Ms. Lappe states “…modern livestock production has steered away toward the industrial-style production to highly destructive overgrazing “(858).By consuming food from fast food industries we support the destruction of lands, and the poor conditions in which the animals we consume are suffering. Moreover, changing from consuming fast food to healthier food is in my opinion a transition every individual should make since we cannot keep supporting the companies that literally destroy our world and our body with our
Nutrition and health have become more popular in today 's society. Our generation is becoming more and more indebted to the idea of being healthy and eating nutritious meals. However, in “The American Paradox,” by Michael Pollan he argues that our unhealthy population is preoccupied with nutrition and the idea of eating healthy than their actual health. He also mentions the food industry, nutrition science and how culture affects the way we eat and make food choices. While Pollan is right about all these factor that affect our eating habits, there is more to it than that. Convenience, affordability and social influence also affects our food choices making them inadequate.
Nutritionism and Today’s Diet Nutritionism is the ideology that the nutritional value of a food is the sum of all its individual nutrients, vitamins, and other components. In the book, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan, he critiques scientists and government recommendations about their nutritional advice. Pollan presents a strong case pointing out the many flaws and problems that have risen over the years of following scientific studies and government related warnings on the proper amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet. Pollan’s main point is introducing science into our food system has had more of a negative impact than a positive one, we should go back to eating more of a traditional diet. I believe food science has given us
It is no secret that the United States is in danger health-wise. When driving around a typical American town, it is obvious that Americans like restaurants. However, these are not always healthy. There are some pretty shocking statistics about American health in the Forks Over Knives documentary. For example, every minute, a person in the United States dies of heart disease; forty percent of Americans are obese; 1 in 5 four year olds in the United States in obese; and one in three people born in the United States today will develop diabetes at some point in their lives (Forks Over Knives). It is no coincidence that the American diet is made up of mostly animal protein and processed foods and Americans are extremely unhealthy. All this meat and processed food is greatly detrimental to the health of humans, and this is shown in several studies. Dr. Colin Campbell did two separate twelve-week studies on rats, detailed in the Forks Over Knives documentary. The first study had two groups of rats. One group was fed a diet of 20 percent casein (the main protein in dairy
There are a myriad of myths and misconceptions that surround the words “vegetarian” and “vegan.” One perhaps thinks that becoming vegan is synonymous with becoming weak and holier-than-thou or only consuming foods such as Tofurkey. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for the vast majority of vegans or vegetarians. For financial and health concerns, many Americans are consuming less meat and poultry; approximately one third of Americans follow a diet centered upon vegetables and whole grains, with the occasional consumption of meat. Nonetheless, meat consumption per capita is still extortionate in America—the highest per capita with the exception of Luxembourg—largely due to its ingrained nature in our economy and culture.
Veganism is not only a diet, it is a lifestyle. It can affect one’s life drastically. Many notice improvements in their physical and mental health. Emilia Szymasiuk, who has been vegan for over a year, claims that now she feels stronger mentally, which she credits to her change of lifestyle. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vegans consume more nutrients, more fiber, and less saturated fat than other people which results in lower rates of diabetes, and heart disease. In addition, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, as well as benign prostatic hypertrophy can be prevented or reversed on a plant-based diet (Greger). Consequently, plant- based eating
America fuels itself on fast food. Fast food has become an american staple, and can be seen, heard, and smelled all over the United States. There are fast food restaurants in every major city as well as little towns. Big corporations expand their restaurants by advertising on the radio, tv, and billboards. And are able to bring in new customers coming back practically begging for more food. According to Food and Research Action Center, they estimate that about two-thirds of americans are either overweight or obese. A vast amount of our population is plagued by the rise of type two diabetes, heart disease, liver disease,
Society has recently become increasingly obsessed with health and nutrition, as more and more individuals realize that they can dramatically change their quality of life by adjusting their diet and lifestyle. One way that people have tried to pursue a healthier lifestyle, is by removing meat and other animal products from their diets, whether they become a strict vegetarian who eats no animal byproducts, or a lacto-ovo vegetarian who still eats eggs and dairy. As with any other lifestyle, research is always being done to see if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and so far, the results of vegetarian diets have been encouraging. Vegetarian diets have proven to decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other health problems. With a little planning and dedication, a vegetarian diet will be healthier and more beneficial than a traditional diet
For a long time, obesity has been one of the most controversial issues in America. The agricultural industry, fast food industry, and meat production are all main factors of why obesity has struck america the most. While many argue that the food industries are the reason for american obesity, many people realize that it is actually the individual who is liable for their own health problems. Society has its own perspective of food, from how much to eat, where to eat, and how our food is made. Even if healthier food choices are applied to your daily life, you are still eating factory farm made products, which has many artificial and unnatural ingredients that can be harmful to your health. Food is being depicted as something totally different
The domestication of plants and animals resulted in obesity, contributed to global warming, and some critics believe caused the Bubonic Plague. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention over 35%, equal to 79 million, Americans are currently overweight or obese (“Adult Obesity Facts” 1). This is due to poor diets. In addition, food is too easily available; according to the US Library of National Health and the National Institutes of Health, “the number of fast-food restaurants in the country now exceeds 280,000” and that “fast-food retail sales in the United States have soared over 900%” from 1975 to 2004 (“Adult Obesity Facts” 1). Not only are fast food restaurants ubiquitous throughout the world, their food contains a large quantity of preservatives and fillers. When an American diet is compared with a Kalahari Bushmen’s diet, Americans look like glutens. Bushmen consume and average of 2,140 calories a day whereas Americans consume 2,231 to 3,300 calories each day. Humans constantly had to scavenge for our food before development of farming, preventing the accumulation of fat, whereas, nowadays, humans do not even have to leave their cars to get a meal. Farming and herding has promoted unhealthy diets, and it has polluted the ground, air and water. Pesticides, used on crops, pollute water that animals drink, poison the land, and even sicken field
I have lived the majority of my life outside of the United States, but there is no place the feels more like home to me than this country. This is why I am saddened by the poor physical health of my fellow countrymen and women (though this problem affects all of the world). Heart disease, diabetes and strokes plague this country. Nearly everyone in the United States seems to have heart disease that “runs in the family”, including myself. My father died at the age of 56 of a heart attack on his way to work. CDC states that 720,000 Americans have heart attacks each year, 600,000 of which are fatal. That’s one in four deaths. Every year more than 800,000 experience strokes in the US alone of which 130,000 are fatal on average. Those that do not die of it are often left crippled. Together these treating these diseases costs us over 150 billion dollars a year in health care. The cause of these diseases is no doubt our diets. Some research shows that animal based products and processed foods are the leading cause of these illnesses. The personal health risks are not the only danger. With the production of the massive amounts of animal based products comes a lot of by-products. These by-products more damage to the environment than you might think. This mix of problems has lead me to the conclusion that animal products are bad and shouldn’t be consumed by people. (CDC)
America is a capitalist society. It should come to a surprise when we live like this daily. We work for profit. We’ll buy either for pleasure or to sell later for profit. It should come to no surprise that our food is made the same way because we are what we eat. We are capitalist that eat a capitalist meal. So we must question our politics. Is our government system to blame for accepting and encouraging monopolies?
Many people in America, from toddlers to the elderly, have shown numerous signs of bad health. People have the desire to keep on eating due to more, new things being merchandised as “new and improved items” from the producers. For example, nowadays, people are eating pure junk that they find satisfying on the grocery food shelf. As, stated by Michael Pollan, in his article, “Eat Food: Food Defined” he affirmed that “real food is the type of things that our
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
Fresh ingredients, homemade recipes, and the best restaurants in the world. This is the world of Chinese food. The Chinese have been cooking for thousands millenia. Most all their meals are homemade and have distinct flavors. A big ingredient in China is rice. People have been farming rice for 3,000 to 4,000 years. Rice is used in almost all foods and that is why you can grow rice almost anywhere in china. Their is so much information and history on Chinese food it is amazing and very interesting. Although, some people may say that American food is better than Chinese food they are wrong. Chinese food is better because it's ingredients are more fresh compared to American food. Chinese food is the best type of food in the world because the food