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How food affects the body
How food affects the body
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Toasted whole wheat bread, low-fat turkey lunch meat, tomatoes, crunchy lettuce, and a nice tall glass of orange juice. You chose to go healthy for lunch today, little did you know that your lunch meal was not quite as healthy as you thought. Many foods selling in grocery stores, aren 't quite what we suspect, for example low-fat milk, is actually pretty harmful for our bodies. The chemicals scientists add into the low-fat milk is harmful to our organs. As Michael Pollan made clear "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," was a significant way to construct a meaningful message in just a couple simple words. As many know Michael Pollan and Blake Hurst are on opposite ends when coming to farming, and food production, although I agree with most …show more content…
In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car. (Very bad choice for choosing any time of food.) Little did we know that low-fat types of food were actually bad. What type of chemicals do they use that are so bad for our body? Let 's take a look at low-fat skim milk. To make skim milk low fat, scientists add powdered milk, which includes oxidized cholesterol, which is worse for your arteries, than the normal cholesterol. which can lead to build up plaque in your arteries. Not to mention that the fats in milk in mainly one of the reasons we drink milk, to he What are some effects of adding chemicals to our food? Well to begin with some of the chemicals are; carboxymethyl cellulose, and polysorbate-80. Which can lead to serious health problems. In a study done on mice, scientist added these chemicals to the water of the mice. They kept the diet of the mice the same and just added the chemicals into their water. The results led to the mice being diagnosed with obesity, glucose intolerance, and in some cases bowel disorders. Now with the mention of obesity as one of the symptoms, of the chemicalized food, forty percent of American adults from the age forty- to fifty-nine, are obese. Sixteen and nine tenths percent of children in America
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
The book Salt, Sugar, and Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us discusses the danger of food with its readers. The dangers of food discussed in the book are the ingredients of Salt, Sugar and Fat in the food individuals consume on a daily basis. Producers use these ingredients to their advantage to get the consumers bliss point. The bliss point attained is used by the food giants to achieve a profit. However due to research on the health risks of these ingredients food companies are strategizing in order to maintain their profit and earn more of a profit.
There are many different beliefs about the proper way to eat healthy. People are often mislead and live unhealthy lifestyles as a result. Both Mary Maxfield and Michael Pollan explain their own beliefs on what a healthy diet is and how to live a healthy lifestyle. In the essay, “Escape from the Western diet” Michael Pollan writes about the flaws of the western diet and how we can correct these problems to become healthier. In the essay, “Food as Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating”, Mary Maxfield criticizes Michael Pollan’s essay about eating healthy, and explains her own theory on how to be healthy. She believes that Pollan is contradicting himself and that what he is stating is false. Mary Maxfield ponders the
The Western Diet is basically processed food, which is foods that are full with hormones, refined grains, sweet food, and food that is high in saturated fats. This food method that America is following is the reason for the increased rate of obesity in the country and many chronic diseases, due to why many Americans are suffering from. Pollan wants Americans to take control and set goals for themselves and their health. As he states, “A hallmark of the Western diet is food that is fast, cheap, and easy.”(424) This is the reason why people tend to buy it this food. Pollan is right about how the Western diet is affecting the people’s health negatively because of recent studies have shown that most of the food that people consume are processed foods, which gone through a process letting most of its nutritional values. Also, the food is full of unhealthy nutrients that are added to it during the process. An individual cannot have assurance of what he/she is consuming from a fast food place or a cheap prepared meal from grocery store. Western diet needs to be taken away from American’s life. He states “Not Too Much”(pp.426) will be the focus from the foods themselves to the question of how to eat, the manners, mores, and the habits that go with creating a healthy diet, and pleasing culture of eating. This way it will allow Americans to live their life healthier and
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.
According to Pollan the question “what to eat” is complicated but “to guide us we have culture” (The American Paradox). Culture influences food likes and dislikes. Culture creates food preferences which make patterns of food choices, making everyone 's selection different. Whoever the influence of our culture has been changing throughout the years, with the food industry taking over the markets. Now we do not necessarily eat what our grandparents or even what our parents used to eat, instead we have this new massive produced packaged products. This is the reason why Americans food habits are changing, now more than ver we see people consuming products not because hey are part of their culture but because is what the media tells you to consume. The 21st century has a new obsession which is body image, now more than ever people is caring about the way they look due to all the advertisement about having a perfect body. Now America is obsess with making every product beneficial to your body but how many chemicals do they use to make that diet yogurt so it can be fat free, sugar free and still have some natural ingredients in it. This is the exact point pollan is trying to make in his article we are obsess with being healthy that we forget to check what are we really eating and where ir comes
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. Not too much. Mostly plants (Pollan,
“Food as thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating,” is an article written by Mary Maxfield in response or reaction to Michael Pollan’s “Escape from the Western Diet”. Michael Pollan tried to enlighten the readers about what they should eat or not in order to stay healthy by offering and proposing a simple theory: “the elimination of processed foods” (443).
In the article, “The Pleasure of Eating” by Wendell Berry, Berry was right about the fact that there should be a “Food Politics”. This article talks about “eating responsibly” and “eating agriculturally”. If you haven’t heard of these terms, they vary in Berry’s article. So “Eating responsibly” and “Eating agriculturally” basically means that everyone is expected to see and know about what they are eating. Nonetheless, not all fruits and vegetables are healthy. You might need to spend some time to take a look at the brand, price, and the facts about the products. Imagine, if Berry came to your dinner table? How do you get or purchase your food? What will you serve him? If Berry were to show up to my dinner, the best
Michael Pollan discusses two categories of food: one is real food (the kind our great-grandmother would recognize), while the other is “edible food-like substances”. The category that needs defending according to Pollan is the real food. This category of food is minimally processed, fresh (will eventually rot), and includes mostly things that are taken straight from the source (the ground, tree, etc.). When one walks into a store, they should look for and pick the foods that are more “quiet”such as fresh produce than the ones that have more labels that say they are more healthy, or better for you.
So you gained a few unwanted pounds, or you need to fit into a new dress or shirt, and you don’t have the time to hit the gym and follow a strict meal and fitness plan? Weight gain happens when you eat over 3,500 calories in any amount of time, however, exercise can burn calories off, and you will be in control of your weight. You remember that one magazine on health, or the Google searches you have done on some quick and easy diets, the question is, will they work? And if so, will you gain more weight again as soon as you break off the diet? Models, dancers, celebrities, and everyday people go through this same struggle. The only difference is that some get the desired results, while others don’t due to their daily routines and their body. Weight loss commercials on TV all claim to work, and even show transformation pictures. Dieting, however, will help you temporarily lose weight.
But doing that every day when you work or are going to school, can catch up with you very quickly and before you know it you have put on weight and don't feel as good as you would like to. At the end of the day you feel tired and probably don't have the energy you need to finish up your daily activities, let alone go out for a run or to the gym. As you age, even as early as in your 20's, you will feel this effect even more because you are damaging your metabolism with low quality food. Your body needs more than just fuel to keep running efficiently. It needs the right fuel combined with daily activity to maintain muscle and good circulation of oxygen and nutrients to all your cells.
The argument of the true definition of a healthy meal is a controversial one for such a simple and important topic. Healthy is to be defined as “indicating or promoting good health” (The Oxford Dictionary). At this point, the true definition of health is crucial as well. Health is to be defined as “a person’s mental and physical condition” (The Oxford Dictionary). In many cases, one’s health reflects their everyday life choices, not making healthy food choices first, which must be prioritized before any material things, is not often the case. Some people can not always afford healthy food, but this is overwhelmingly apparent because their health is not their first priority. In retrospect, many people who develop health diseases or problems
A healthy lifestyle is usually picked up as we get older. However, think of how much more beneficial it would be for our bodies when we get older, if we would have learned and adapted to a healthier lifestyle when we were younger? Teaching your kids how important a healthy diet is, will help them maintain that lifestyle in their older years. Not to mention have lower health risks, higher self-esteem and it will give them the energy they need to keep up with their eating habits and maintain their body weight.