Friday, August 30, 2019
In Defense of Food Essay
In the book, In Defense of Food: An Eaterââ¬â¢s Manifesto, author Michael Pollan commences his tale with a few straightforward words: ââ¬Å"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plantsâ⬠. In his introduction, An Eaterââ¬â¢s Manifesto, Pollan discusses how the dietetic wisdom that was passed down from older generations has been heavily tainted by ââ¬Å"nutritional science and food industry marketingâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). The first volume of the book entitled, The Age of Nutritionismâ⬠, delves into this problem and helps uncover the cause of todayââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"nutritional confusion and anxietyâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, it is not uncommon to have ââ¬Å"edible foodlike substancesâ⬠displayed in every aisle of the grocery store with all products promoting some kind of nutritional benefit from their consumption. These dietary facts are often modified to showcase dietary benefits that are barely present in the food product, if present at all. With such prevalent misinformation, todayââ¬â¢s society has become so overly concerned with nutrient enriched food that people have either forgotten or are unaware of the importance of the fundamentals. Pollan further explains that humanity has become ââ¬Å"a nation of orthorexicsâ⬠meaning that people have developed ââ¬Å"an unhealthy obsession with healthy eatingâ⬠centred on the theory of nutritionism (Pollan, 2008). Chronic diseases that have the highest death rate such as obesity, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer, can be attributed to the ââ¬Å"Western dietâ⬠which consists of ââ¬Å"highly processed foods and refined grains; the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture; and the narrowing of the biological diversity of the human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn, and soyâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). In the second volume entitled ââ¬Å"The Western Diet and the diseases of Civilizationâ⬠, Pollan analyzes the shift in eating habits of today versus those since the discovery of agriculture and the industrialization of food. In the third and final volume entitled, ââ¬Å"Getting over Nutritionismâ⬠, Pollan offers helpful recommendations to healthy eating and living. These simple, easy-to-follow tips are intended to: educate society on the dangers of misleading information from food industries and medical communities; and to steer people away from the Western Diet and back to the traditional ways of preparing and consuming food. Pollan suggests for people to refrain from shopping at supermarkets and choose local farmers markets instead. However, for those with no other option, he recommends they only shop from the peripherals of the store. Some other advice that Pollan offers is to ââ¬Å"eat mostly plants, especially leavesâ⬠, ââ¬Å"eat like an omnivoreâ⬠and ââ¬Å"be the kind of person that takes supplementsâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). He also states that people who ââ¬Å"eat according to the rules of a traditional food culture are generally much healthier than people eating a contemporary Western dietâ⬠. This analysis is focused on the cultural traditions of food consumption where ââ¬Å"eating is deeply rooted in nature ââ¬â in human biology on one side and in the natural world on the otherâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). People around the world have different relationships with food and eating. Pollan suggests that how different cultures eat plays a large role in what different cultures eat. He further proposes that American society, nowadays, has become a culture heavily focused on quantity and price rather than quality. Society has become so fixated on ââ¬Å"low-fatâ⬠or ââ¬Å"low-carbâ⬠options that they have failed to realize the true underlying issue of overeating. The distinction between price and quality is often the deciding factor for most American families. As a result Pollan recommends purchasing quality foods in smaller portions thus developing the pay more, eat less ideology. I found that this book provided tremendously eye-opening content. This book offers an insightful perspective surrounding the relationship between people and food; proposes how society, in particular the American culture, can start choosing healthier food options that enable us to live healthy and enjoyable lives; while bringing back the joy of eating and preparing food. I found his analysis of the history of nutritionism, the science behind what to eat and why, to be extremely informative. In particular, when Pollan discusses how the food industry develops food products heavily focused around the latest ââ¬Å"fadâ⬠diets or so-called nutritional needs of society, it was enlightening to read his perspective as I often purchase items such as low-fat margarine over regular butter. It is outrageous that the food industry fought for many years to get the ââ¬Å"imitation ruleâ⬠removed and when modified was allowed to state ââ¬Å"that as long as an imitation product was not ââ¬Å"nutritionally inferiorâ⬠to the natural food it sought to impersonate [and] had the same quantities of recognized nutrientsââ¬âthe imitation could be marketed without using the word [imitation]â⬠(Pollan, 2008). By keeping consumers misinformed about such imperative factors that impact to our daily diets has contributed to societyââ¬â¢s vast health issues. Moreover, the discussion about the differences between culture and food habits resonated with me because while I have lived in either England or Canada my entire life, my family lineage is from India. With this real-life example, I believe that Pollan is correct to assume the ââ¬Å"certain cultures that consumed traditional diets based mostly on plants had strikingly low rates of chronic diseasesâ⬠(Pollan, 2008). Nowadays, a large portion of Westernized societies base their food choices on price and quantity over quality; so-called nutritional content geared towards weight management than overall well-being; and convenience. According to Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics, ââ¬Å"in advertising and on supermarket shelves, [there is] fierce competition [in the food industry] for our food dollarsâ⬠(Nestle, 2008). She states that the Westernized food industry is ââ¬Å"food politics in action: watered-down government dietary advice, schools pushing soft drinks, diet supplements promoted as if they were First Amendment rights. When it comes to the mass production and consumption of food, strategic decisions are driven by economicsââ¬ânot science, not common sense, and certainly not healthâ⬠(Nestle, 2008). The role of innovation in sustainable development should focus on more ââ¬Å"agriculture-based methods [of food production] that have been shown to prevent food waste, help resist climate change, and promote urban farmingâ⬠(Nestle, 2008). What is most important is to provide innovative products and services that are centered on humanity and that meet the needs of the consumer. Pollan does an excellent job at analyzing the problem and developing solutions based on the needs of society, particularly in America. The solution here is to revert back to the traditional way of consuming and purchasing food: local food grown by local people. Pollan encourages that people become members of a Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or shop for fresh produce at their local farmers markets. This local food movement enables new and soon to be farmers to provide ââ¬Å"environmentally sustainable agriculture [while] supporting their local community and growing food that directly connects them to the consumerâ⬠(Collins, 2011). On the business perspective, CSAââ¬â¢s are part of ââ¬Å"the Small Farm Movement that is growing across Europe and North Americaâ⬠and farmers start off by selling their products at ââ¬Å"local farmersââ¬â¢ markets to test out what products the consumer is looking for, followed by building clientele and launching into a CSAâ⬠(Collins, 2011). In order for CSAââ¬â¢s to succeed as a sustainable innovation, farmers must understand the importance of truthful marketing and fostering relationships with their customers as the most important part of the business model. References 1) Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An Eaterââ¬â¢s Manifesto. Retrieved from: http://ebookbrowse. com/michael-pollan-in-defense-of-food-an-eater-s-manifesto-pdf-d341084275 2) Nestle, M. (2008). Food Politics. Retrieved from: http://www. foodpolitics. com/food-politics-how-the-food-industry-influences-nutrition-and-health/ 3) Collins, D. (2011). Community Supported Agriculture ââ¬â A Unique Business Model. Retrieved from: http://www. omafra. gov. on. ca/english/crops/organic/news/2008-12a2. htm.
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