Since processed foods have been around for sometime now in our local market stores we might have to consider a change of what we are consuming as “food”. In Micheal Pollan “Eat Food: Food Defined” he gives many examples of what is “food”. Such as how we should avoid certain things we are eating and purchasing. “The Pleasure of Eating” by Wendell Berry argues and states how food is agricultural and how we need to connect with what we produce. Micheal Pollan “Eat Food: Food Defined” he states that “real food” as in something healthy to consume is something our grandparents or great-grandparents have eaten before or recognize. Meaning that if you take or pretend that your great/grandparents are there with you at the grocery store too only pick …show more content…
Pollan also states that there are many reasons to avoid complicated food products (processed foods) (11). One reason to avoid these kinds of foods are because they lie to your body with their artificial colors, artificial flavours, and synthetic sweeteners. Processed foods can be very unhealthy for our bodies they can increase our chances of having cancer. There are many reasons why we make these processed foods and one of those reasons is to expend the shelf time in the supermarkets, so businesses won 't lose any money by throwing away products. . Another reason why we make processed food is because it 's cheaper and faster to make unlike making or growing it the old fashioned way where it takes more money and time. I believe this is no excuse to be selling these types of foods. If it risk the health of the consumer then it shouldn 't be on the shelf of markets. Still there are many things Pollan is telling us to avoid in our foods. Like food products that have unpronounceable ingredients, unfamiliar ingredients, five ingredients or more, and if it contains high-fructose of corn syrup. Lastly Pollan states to …show more content…
I believe what Berry means with this quote is that we need to feel connected with what we 're eating and not to be a industrial eater. I believe Berry is trying to make a two point how we need to be linked with the land which the food is grown and the livings there. But industrial foods make us disconnected to our foods, and how industrial food is unhealthy for the consumers, the land , and the animals. The second point I believe he is trying to make is how companies aren 't telling us the big question: How was the food produced? He also states that most people are passive consumers, and will always buy what they want. So they always ignore questions like how fresh is the product? Is it free from harmful chemicals?, and where was the product produced?, but the passive consumer will just ask “how much does it cost?”. Food industrialist companies are one reason why we have passive consumers because of how they already have the food prepared for you to eat. Something Berry suggest to a consume is to find where are local food sources located around them. If also states that freedom depends on eating responsibly (68). He thinks that eating responsibly is a necessary condition of democracy because we choose what we want to eat and if we eat responsibly then we are
“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).
Kingsolver desired to embrace “a genuine food culture” which is “an affinity between people and the land that feeds them” (Kingsolver 20). Having a true food culture can limit calorie intake and represent a cultural connection to the land that you live on. Kingsolver seeks to establish that a food culture is not just for the privileged, but rather is a result of cultural regulation of impulses (Kingsolver 16). A real food culture “arises out of a place, a soil, a climate, a history, a temperament, a collective sense of belonging,” all of which mitigate the impulse to eat fats and sugar (Kingsolver 17, 15). Kingsolver then states that to live without these natural regulations of diet “would seem dangerous”, and that the United States has no food culture.
Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines food as “material taken into an organism and used for growth, repair, and vital processes as a source of energy” (Mish). Food is simple, yet humans have made it very complex. In the United States of America, food has become more of a hobby than a nutritional need. Every family gathering, holiday, and birthday celebration contains food of some sort. Types of food are customary at different times, like birthday cake at a birthday party, or stuffing at Thanksgiving. There is an entire holiday dedicated to dressing up and giving children candy (Halloween). One of the popular holiday foods is meat. An average of 10 million land animals (not including fish or other water dwelling organisms) are brutally slaughtered
In Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating,” this farmer tells eaters how their separation from food production has turned them into “passive consumers” who know nothing about the food they eat, or their part in the agricultural process (3). They are blindsided by a food industry that does not help them understand. Berry argues that the average consumer buys available food without any questions. He states consumers that think they are distanced from agriculture because they can easily buy food, making them ignorant of cruel conditions it went through to get on the shelf. Humans have become controlled by the food industry, and regard eating as just something required for their survival. Berry wants this to change as people realize they should get an enjoyment from eating that can only come from becoming responsible for their food choices and learning more about what they eat. While describing the average consumer’s ignorance and the food industry’s deceit, he effectively uses appeals to emotion, logic, and values to persuade people to take charge, and change how they think about eating.
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.
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.
Berry does not hesitate in using harsh words and metaphors like “the hamburger she is eating came from a steer who spent much of his life standing deep in his own excrement in a feedlot”(Berry 10). This provokes the readers to feeling horrible about industrial eating. He uses our pride while pointing to the lies of the make-up of industrial foods. He plays on human self-preservation when writing about chemicals in plants and animals which is out of the consumer’s control. He tries to spark a curiosity and enthusiasm, describing his own passion of farming, animal husbandry, horticulture, and gardening.
He says this has partly stemmed from the fact that food is so heavily doctored in media and advertisement that we fail to appreciate the individuality of it. He also states that most consumers wouldn’t want to know where their food came from as it would just make them feel bad. He then goes on to start providing solutions for the problems we face. One major way to eat responsibly is for one to grow their own food. This allows one to become acquainted with how food is really produced and really appreciate it as a labor of love. Another key thing Berry mentions is the preparation of one’s own food. One should be able to cook as it is cheaper and again makes one closer to what they are eating. A last main point is one properly learning the history of their food. He states this is all important because one can then truly enjoy all parts
Our grocery stores are filled with sugary and unhealthy products and fast food joints are on every corner. Pollan warns us to steer clear from the middle of stores (27) and that food delivered through a car window isn’t really food (43). A lot of the time, food coming from either one are not always the healthiest and tend to be made with money in mind instead of the actual product. These foods are often packed with filler ingredients and unnecessary added chemicals and sugars that our body doesn’t need. These cheap, unhealthy products are also designed to sell, and are put in convenient packaging to catch the eye of the consumer. When I was younger, I would beg my mom to buy a box of cereal because it had a game or included a toy. These products are specifically made to appeal and sell no matter the unhealthy components they may include. As Pollan says in his second rule, “Don’t eat anything that your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food” (7). A lot of products such as Pringles and Go-Gurt are put in practical packaging, this plastic they use could add dangerous chemicals into the food. As the price of these products go down, so to does the quality of the food. Pollan stresses to avoid these foods, as these products are only adding unnecessary complexity to our
The only problem with Michael Pollan’s outlook on nutritionism is the fact that he is completely against scientific research on the subject because history in this matter has not been reliable. With any good, there is also bad that follows. This relates to scientific research on nutrients which have provided many useful things to society, yet brought some evils such as processed foods which have plagued the American Diet for many years. Amongst all the countries in the world the United States of America has a population in which two-thirds of their people are obese. When it comes to processed foods, people should take this chemically engineered food with a grain of salt, take a more traditional approach and use current knowledge to promote a healthy
Food is a major part of everyone’s everyday life. It’s hard to imagine life without the chocolate cake on your fingers or a carne asada taco in your mouth. Enjoying delicious desserts and fast food seem extremely magnificent to eat and spend money buying them. Although, there have been many controversies in the United States on how it’s the largest country with the most obesity regarding children, which affects their health, many people are still going throughout their day snacking. Many people in America are having full course meals with thousands of calories in one sitting not knowing the short term or long term side effects that are going to take a huge toll on their lives. Food is delicious, but it comes with a secret behind the savoriness/sweetness.
Food has been a common source of necessity in our everyday lives as humans. It helps gives us nutrition and energy to live throughout our life. Over several decades, the development of making foods has evolved. They have changed from natural to processed foods in recent years. Nowadays natural ingredients are barely used in the making of foods like bread, cheese, or yogurt. The food industry today has replaced natural food making with inorganic ingredients. The cause of this switch is due to processed foods being easier, cheaper and faster to make. Artificial nutrition and processed foods have been proven to last longer in market shelves then natural foods. Also, due to artificial additives in processed foods they help satisfy consumers taste more than natural ingredients. The method of producing processed foods is common in today's food industry and helps make money faster and efficiently for companies. Examples of this can be found in all markets that distribute food. Even though processed foods may be easier and faster to make, they are nowhere near as healthy for consumers compared to natural foods. Natural foods are healthier, wholesome, and beneficial to the human body and planet then processed foods.
Food is “composed of synthetic chemical additives, such as colorings, preservatives, sugar substitutes and trans-fats” (Fitzgerald, 2006, p.72). Fitzgerald reported that by the “1970s most meats and dairy products that were factory farmed were laced with growth hormones, antibiotics and a range of pesticides” (p.72). Furthermore, food that is frozen, packaged and canned is considered processed food. A brief explanation of the chemical additives in processed food. 1.
Junk food has been proven to be unhealthy long time ago. Junk food started to grow more and more recently and spread fast all over the world. Junk food reveals any food with high calories and low nutritional value. A big problem with junk foods is that satiation value of them is low, that means people need to eat a large amount of that unhealthy foods to feel full. So it is like eating a lot of poisons for a long time, what do you think the result will be on the health condition of the humans? Another problem of junk foods tend to replace other healthy foods; people who drink a lot of soda there is no room for healthy natural fruit juice in their stomach, people who are snacking on cookies, they’re not eating fruits and healthy vegetables (WebMD
“Healthy eating” means eating a variety of foods that gives you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feeling good with your health conditions, and having enough energy throughout the day (Nordqvist). A poor diet can cause harm a person’s daily life activities. Research from Eating Healthy Might Prove Too Expensive for Poor ABC News shows, that the price of eating healthy foods may be expensive to a family who earns a low-income. So, eating fast foods may be more convenient for them knowing that the prices are way less. However, everyone should make the effort to stop eating foods that will later on harm your health. As mentioned in the article “Healthy Eating”, “Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically