Something that Michael Pollan talks about in his book In Defense of Food, and something that I feel we don’t discuss enough is nutritionism, and what that actually is. Nutritionism is really just breaking down food into the little ingredients that make it up, and what you’re actually get from your food, such as protein, fat, sugar, etc. I find this very interesting because I feel like it’s something that many people are doing nowadays. I’m a student-athlete, so as a result I know a large amount of other athletes, who understandably care about their body to a large extent. There are countless other athletes that take it very seriously, and only eat specific foods that are going to ensure they stay in the best shape possible and perform at the highest level they can. I always found this intriguing, and often find myself wondering if I change my eating habits to something healthier, if that would actually impact my performance dramatically. I don’t think it would, but then again, I’ve never tried it so I don’t actually know. Surely there must be a reason so many people are doing it? Along with that, a number of guys on my team eat a lot of protein, and drink protein shakes non-stop because they want to get as big and as strong as possible, and they feel like they need the extra boost to help them out. I find that this isn’t just the case with athletes either. There is an added pressure in today’s society to be as physically fit as possible, whether that means being skinny if you’re a girl or having huge muscles if you’re a guy. Because the impact of nutritionism is so broad, I feel like it’s a topic we should all learn more about.
