Qing,Bian (Elisa) In Defense of Food There are couples of short videos of ‘In Defense of Food’ made by Michael Pollan, explained our food systems in different angles. “You don’t have to be a scientist to know how to eat.” said by Marion Nestle, a professor of Nutrition. Eating is a very simple and basic thing in our daily life, but today, we are facing a complex issue with bad influence and advices. Every single day we make choices for what we eat, most of our food choices are unconscious. More variety of nutritional food appears to the supermarket, to our food company, that indicates we should be healthier than before. Unfortunately, there are more chronic diseases eventually start from our childhood. Diabetes, obesity, heart disease,
liver failure, food factories manipulating the property of food by using the right smell, taste made us craving for more. In the video, he talked about the most risky thing is we put too much sugar in our body. Soda, Ketchup, processed food, carbohydrates, and even some healthy yoghurt contains same amount of sugar as soda. When the hidden sugary food is cheap, that relates to have higher consumers. The more consumers require, beneficial food companies, they will be produce more processed food that cause vicious cycle. When we walk through supermarket, in the midsection, mostly are beautiful, attractive food package that labeled ‘less fat’, ‘less sugar’, ‘more nutrients’. These are just the food factories marketing skills to receive more consumers. The system of food industry is very likely getting us into fewer nutrients than been healthy. That makes people wonder, “What can we eat?” “Eat food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants”, these seven words are author has discovered. Study has showed that people eats more simpler food, such as fruits and vegetables, are less chances of getting cancer or chronic diseases. In conclusion, the video has showed us the reality of our food society, how important it relates to our health and longevity life. Less processed more natural food; less sugar and fat, more fruits and vegetables; less manufactured substances, more vitamins from plants. As Author mentioned we have options, let us all choose “More practical, more economical, beautiful path simply by change the way we eat.”
Michael Pollan, an American author, journalist, activist, and professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism (Michael Pollan), writes in his book In Defense of Food, the dangers of nutritionism and how to escape the Western diet and subsequently most of the chronic diseases the diet imparts. In the chapter “Nutritionism Defined” Pollan defines the term nutritionism. Pollan’s main assertion being how the ideology of nutritionism defines food as the sum of its nutrients, and from this viewpoint Pollan goes on to write how nutritionism divides food into two categories, with each macronutrient divided against each other as either bad or good nutrients, in a bid for focus of our food fears and enthusiasms. Finally, Pollan concludes that with the relentless focus nutritionism places on nutrients and their interplay distinctions between foods become irrelevant and abandoned.
Michael Pollan states in his article “Escape from the Western diet”, three simple rules to follow to obtain a healthy lifestyle, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants” (426). The food industry and medical community manipulate us to believe we are escaping the Western diet but to only find out that we are right back to where we started. Pollan provides some easy rules of thumb so that we aren’t caught up in the latest trends or diets but instead develop some eating boundaries that seem simple to follow on an everyday basis. Personally for me, following these rules can seem hard in some aspects but also easy in others because factors like role models when I was a kid, living situation and cooking skills effect my ability to follow the three
Michael Pollan has develop his own algorithm on proper eating. His algorithm is to “Eat Food, Not too much, Mostly Plants”. His explanation of eat food is to consume real food and to avoid the fake processed foods. His meaning of not too much is to be aware of how we eat our food and to have portion control. Lastly, Pollans explanation of mostly plants is to choose the best types of foods, rather than focusing on nutritional value. Unlike Pollan, Mary Maxfields theory on how to eat healthy is to “Trust Yourself. Trust you body. Meet your needs.” You can eat whatever you want or need and have to trust that your body will tell you what it needs. A flaw with both Pollan and Maxfield is the fact that they both want to dismiss the fact that our bodies needs nutrition. Pollan claims that in his formula under mostly plants that we should focus on the best type of foods and not the nutritional value in the foods. Maxfield believes we should disregard nutrition and healthy food altogether. However, multiple studies state that getting the proper nutrition is a crucial part of are overall health. For example, a lack of calcium can cause weak bones resulting in higher risk of bone
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.
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.
As a result, she concludes that science has nothing to do with Pollan believes that Americans rely on nutrition science, the study of individual nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and antioxidants, to fix the Western diet because it is the best source that exists. However, scientists have developed conflicting theories that confuse people to conclude as to how the Western diet causes disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Pollan disagrees with any type theory and instead blames the food and health industries who take advantage of new theories but do not to fix the problem of the Western diet. In turn, not only does he suggest people spending more time and money on better food choices, but he also proposes many tips to eat better, as well as a rule that will allow Americans climb out of the Western diet: Eat food.
According to Pollan, the dietary advice made by nutritionists deprives us from the pleasure of eating, expressing our identity, and connecting to our family
...brain and malnutrition. Therefore, one’s diet is not only crucial for the physical well being but also their mental.
Proper nutrition is important in maintaining a long and healthy life. Most Americans are rushed due to their busy work schedules, and do not take the time to plan their diets properly. Like me, most Americans are unaware of the importance of eating a healthy diet and consume too many foods without the proper nutrients. Throughout my life I have been fortunate. I have not had any major health problems, and have been able to consume most foods without having to worry about gaining weight. These last two years, however, I started to gain weight and have become concerned with my diet. Changing my poor eating habits has been difficult for me, however, having this assignment has taught me that it is not as difficult as I previously imagined.
Nutrition is a basic necessity of life. Without a proper and well-balanced diet, it is difficult for any being, regardless of species, to survive. Unlike that of primates such as the great apes, the human diet is more full of calories and nutrients. Humans have a great understanding of what types of food are necessary to maintain good health. It is difficult to tell when the eating habits of Homo sapiens split apart from the eating habits of these other primates. Yet, one fact is certain. As human evolution continues to progress, the human diet also continues to evolve.
The poor food choices that men and women make is the cause of many illnesses, disease and chronic health conditions. Men and women generally have different thoughts and choices on the topic of healthy food. People’s bad health may be genetically occurred or their exposure to their past nutritional education was not helpful, but their bad health is primarily based upon the poor choices that the individuals choose in daily life.
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
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”.
Proper nutrition is one of the most essential elements to being healthy and living a long life. People deal with food every day, and food has been a part of life since the beginning of civilization. What we eat becomes our diet, and our diet plays a major role in deciding how healthy we are and how well our body functions. Without proper diet, our body cannot carry out the functions it needs to perform. Most people have some common knowledge on what is good and what is bad for the human body to consume. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are some common items people think of when they think of healthy foods. However, it is not enough just to know what foods are good for your body, it is also important to understand why certain foods are good for you and what they do to help the body function.
People is always asking: “Why is important to have a balanced diet? Why is necessary to have a balanced diet on a daily basis? And why do professionals tend to recommend a balanced diet?” The human being has essential needs to its existence: breathing, feeding, and keeping the body in constant movement. The majority of the people are aware of this, but they do not have a balance among these things and even more important they do not eat the adequate food to keep their body healthy. Food is one of the most important factors because it gives the energy the body needs daily. In other words, few words food is the fuel that provides glucose, which is carried to each cell of the body through the bloodstream. This process is extremely important and this is influenced by the type of food that each person consumes. A balanced diet is important for human beings, and makes reference to a good nutrition with regard to the food they eat; which contains macro nutrients that are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins; these provide energy and basic materials that the body uses to grow and stay healthy.