Omnivore's Dilemma By Michael Pollan

969 Words2 Pages

Did you know that today, 2.1 billion people – nearly 30% of the world's population – are either obese or overweight because they ate unhealthy food and didn’t exercise? After reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, I have learned about all the opportunities right here in Rochester that have to do with eating more local food. We should eat more local food because it is healthier for us and it helps the environment. We should eat local because it is healthier for us. For example, according to Onegreenplant.org it says that “When produce doesn’t travel across the country, or sometimes the world, its freshness means higher nutrient levels. Once produce is packaged its optimal nutritional level decreases, specifically some vitamins such as C, E, A and some B. There are other factors that come into play, such as exposure to artificial lights and air, and temperature changes.” Since the local foods don’t need to be preserved they keep their nutritional value and we get more nutrients from the local food than we would get from food that comes from California or Mexico. Another example is from sustainabletable.org when it says that “Meat from animals raised sustainably on …show more content…

Cover crops also capture carbon emissions and help control global warming. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage could sequester 12-14% of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.” By not using the pesticides and chemical fertilizers the farmers are reducing pollution. The left over pesticides and fertilizer will go into the ground and the rivers and will pollute them. Now the water may be unhealthy for us. If the farmers keep doing this then the soil will become toxic and they won’t be able to plant crops in that soil anymore. Overall, if we eat local we will be helping the

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