Food and eating practices are so diverse across different cultures, that often some are perceived as being maladaptive or pathological. Many animals, including humans, have been known to practice geophagy. It is more common for homo sapiens to consume dirt or dirt particles unintentionally, rather than consciously eating it. This is because according to western biomedicine, it is not socially acceptable, and has therefore the act of intentionally eating dirt is pathological. When comparing the average nutritional value of a North American diet, to the nutrients in dirt, process foods do not compare to the nutritional value found in dirt (Callahan, 2003). Many parts of the world use dirt as flavoring in their food, for nutrition, and use it …show more content…
The main reason dirt eating is considered maladaptive or pathological is north Americans believe humans should eat only food items. The difficulty is defining what food is from one culture to another. Just as dirt eating may be seen as pica, there are many eating habits in Western society that may also be considered maladaptive of pathological.
Food in western society has become so over processed that it should be considered to be maladaptive. In order for homo sapiens to grow and be healthy, there needs to be vitamins and minerals and other nutrients that bodies need to survive. Western societies expect food to taste delicious and anything
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There is a study where rats were given various amounts of sugar sweetened beverages, and then tested their cognitive ability. The results were found that there was cognitive dysfunction along with addictive behaviours. Some of the cognitive dysfunctions included the lack of spatial learning as well as memory loss (Kendig 2014). This is one of many different studies done on how sugar levels affect our behaviour. This study was inspired by the change in behaviour of children who consume large amount of sugars. Even though it was only rats that were tested, it can be hypothesised that similar results will be found in humans (Kendig, 2014). The consumption of sugar filled food is maladaptive for the purpose that there is a loss of cognitive ability. It also creates a downward spiral since the sugar consumption becomes addictive, and there for the cognitive function can never be restored to normal without the withdrawal of the sugar. Dirt however has no addictive properties, and can act as a supplement for vitamins and minerals (Callahan, 2003). In fact pregnant woman often use it to sooth upset stomach, and receive supplements such as calcium, which is important during the third trimester when the fetus’s bones are beginning to
The book tells the history of human civilization through the development of our food production and culture. A highly relevant book to present although food is a special type of natural resource or products hereof and history is a wider subject than conflict. The gradual transition towards hierarchical social order is described. Especially the significance of irrigation is compelling.
He claims that a better diet requires spending more time and resources on food, just like the people of the past did. Pollan attributes their surpassing health to this practice, but in his article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”, David Freedman paints a different story. Freedman describes how examinations of ancient non-Western remains revealed “hardened arteries, suggesting that pre-industrial diets…may not have been the epitome of healthy eating” (514). This discovery seriously undermines Pollan’s assumption that we should follow the lead of our ancestors because even though they spent a greater amount of resources on food and ate absolutely no processed foods, they still suffered from some of the same diseases which Pollan claims his eating habits will curb. As an opponent of processed foods, or “foodlike products” (Pollan 426), Pollan advocates eating whole foods. As many people have a similar opinion, he is not alone in this, but he is misinformed. Freedman reveals that after examining the nutrition labels on various unprocessed, whole foods, he found that many contained more fat, sugar, and sodium than processed foods (512). If unprocessed foods underwent the same scrutiny as processed foods, perhaps this common misconception could be prevented. The basic premise of Pollan’s essay is that a better diet will lead to better health. While we could all benefit from a better diet, “findings linking food type and health are considered highly unreliable (Freedman 518). Freedman discusses the multitude of nondietary factors such as air quality and exercise that render such studies untrustworthy. Pollan might be a well-respected author of nutrition books, but this does not mean that his theories are free of
Today, in common culture, people expect their food right when they want it. Food takes time. It takes time to grow, in a paper by Steve Sexton called “The Inefficiency of Local Food” he claims that Idaho produces 30 percent of the countries potatoes. These potatoes take time to grow. They cannot just be magically grown. They need water, sunlight, and rich soil. People tend to forget this when thinking about their favorite foods. All they can think of is devouring these delectable foods. These foods also
When we think of our national health we wonder why Americans end up obese, heart disease filled, and diabetic. Michael Pollan’s “ Escape from the Western Diet” suggest that everything we eat has been processed some food to the point where most of could not tell what went into what we ate. Pollan thinks that if America thought more about our “Western diets” of constantly modified foods and begin to shift away from it to a more home grown of mostly plant based diet it could create a more pleasing eating culture. He calls for us to “Eat food, Not too much, Mostly plants.” However, Mary Maxfield’s “Food as Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating”, argues differently she has the point of view that people simply eat in the wrong amounts. She recommends for others to “Trust yourself. Trust your body. Meet your needs.” The skewed perception of eating will cause you all kinds of health issues, while not eating at all and going skinny will mean that you will remain healthy rather than be anorexic. Then, as Maxfield points out, “We hear go out and Cram your face with Twinkies!”(Maxfield 446) when all that was said was eating as much as you need.
Western diet causes many diseases; increases people’s medical need for supplements and vitamins. However one writer disagrees with him and suggests “Eat foods that are less processed” (Denis Burkitt) which is easy to say but hard to apply on. Future more Pollen’s purpose of writing this article was to show how bad the effects of eating Western dieting can be, and to introduce a way to escape and in order to create a healthier country. Pollan also mentions the fact that livestock is being raised on a Western diet too, which means they are raised genetically too which means nothing is healthy like it used to be. In order to strengthen his statement he shows the percent of income spent on food in countries where the diseases percent is smaller to prove indeed “Western diet” is unhealthy, this matters a lot because currently most of the people living in this country are suffering from chronic diseases caused by wrong diet. Michael
In recent studies, it was discovered that most of the foods that Americans consumed are foods which had gone through so many processes and thereby losing most of its nutritional values. Unhealthy nutrients are also been added to foods as additive during production to either preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance. An individual cannot simply trust what he or she is consuming at a fast food restaurant or even a cheap prepared meal at a grocery store. Processed food or western diet needs to be replaced and totally taken out of the American life and diet; this will help the Americans to live a healthier life, and spend less on medical bills.
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
Eating is an instinctual habit; however, what we decide to put in our body is a choice that will affect our way of living. In “The American Paradox,” Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism at University of California, Berkeley, disapproves of the way Americans have been eating. The term “American paradox” describes the inverse correlation where we spend more of our time on nutrition, but it would only lead to our overall health deteriorating. According to Pollan, our way of eating that had been governed with culture, or our mother, was changed by the entities of food marketers and scientists, who set up nutritional guidelines that changed the way we think about food. Nutritional advice is inaccurate as it is never proven, and it is not beneficial
Royte states that every American student throws away three and a half ounces of food on a daily basis (Royte, 2005). She feels that the students should be educated on the importance of alternative disposal methods for food products, and appreciating the available resources. Some societies lack such nutritional and financial resources, and they end up accepting contracts where they give up their lands as sewage disposal centres or treatment centres, resulting in numerous airborne complications and asthmatic
Food preparation is a feature of culture that can be seen amongst humans and primates. Humans prepare their food by cooking it as this helps with easier digestion and extraction of nutrients from the food. Although primates do not cook their food, Japanese macaque monkeys have been observed to wash potatoes that are covered with sand prior to eating the potatoes (Boesch, 2003). This behavior not only displays culture amongst the macaque monkeys, it also
To explain gluttony as a human behavior one cannot negate the characteristics of slothful conduct. A number of scientists have tried to prove that human beings cannot refrain from falling into the temptation of gluttony or sloth, because we are just born with these involuntary traits. Moreover, scientific research has indicted that we humans are predisposed to gluttonous and slothful behavior because of the thrifty gene that developed due to the primitive way of life known as the “hunter-gatherer” society, the chemical imbalance attributable to a decrease in serotonin levels, and a lack of leptin secretions. However, some religious sects, doctors, nutritionists, the health-crazed community, and even a few media circles believe that we have a choice over our emotions and conduct and are willing to discuss the importance of refraining from these addictive behaviors.
The Western Diet mainly consists of fried foods, refined grains, sugar, high carbohydrate and fats, and meats (3). It has been hypothesized that having a Western Diet increases one’s chances for developing depression. There has been a great deal of research into why the western diet increase’s one chance of having depression. A common sense reason maybe that the Western Diet consisted of large amounts carbohydrates, fats and sugars which promotes obesity and then causes depression (1). More scientific evidence suggest that having a improper diet like the Western Diet negatively affects peripheral and central dopamine, which are neurotransmitters (chemical which transmit signals across the synapse from the nerve cell to the target cell) directly linked to the mental health of the brain and are negatively affected by high fat diets (4). Research has also suggested that having a poor nutrition status such as lacking folate (a natural water form of vitamin bg which is crucial for many of the bodies processes) and key vitamins like vitamin b12 significantly increases the risk of depression in elderly people (5). Research into the topic of dietary habits and mental health is very crucial with the growing rates of obesity and depression in the United States compared to the rest of the world. Thus, does having poor dietary habits increase the likelihood of having depression? The likelihood of developing depression has been linked to the type of diet one consumes such as the Western Diet, Diets Low in Fat and Carbohydrates and weight control diets like binge eating.
Sociology is the study of society and people. Food and food ways are often elements associated with particular societies and therefore, studying such a topic can offer valuable insight into the ways of that society and the people who live in it. Although eating is a vital part of survival, with whom, how and where we eat are not. Studying such ways can illustrate and represent the identity of a person or group. The nature of people and their beliefs can be indicated when analysing their food habits. Who individuals eat with is a particularly revealing factor into gaining an understanding of their identity, culture and society (Scholliers P 2001). For this reason commensality is a term frequently used in sociological research concerning food and food ways.
In the book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan explores the relationship between nutrition and the Western diet, claiming that the answer to healthy eating is simply to “eat food”.
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