Society has conditioned into us a stereotype that people who are not eating healthy are just lazy. That people who are not eating greens and vegetables for every meal are the problem, that it is their own fault. Michael Pollan is no different, and throughout his book he supports the idea that people simply need to eat better; people should eat less and eat healthier. He discusses the notion that people need to be shopping at farmers markets, and eating only healthy products. While this would be ideal, and people strive to be able to shop at farmers markets eating only healthy items, it’s unattainable in this society. Eating healthy is an expensive activity, especially in this economy. A college student, like myself and my peers in this class, is very likely in debt and falls easily into the stereotype of the “ramen noodle eating college student”. It’s important that we not ignore the facts of unhealthy eating, such as that it’s significantly cheaper. A pack of ramen noodles is just under $0.40, whereas healthier options like vegetables and fruits are around $4-$5 an item. We also must recognize food deserts in this country. A food desert is a low income area which does not have access to affordable and healthy food. Food deserts are fairly common in the United States, and it is imperative that we take into account how difficult it can be for people to get affordable, nutritious food.
People who do not have cars and cannot travel to healthier supermarkets or farmers markets simply cannot shop healthier. It’s time that we do something to help people who live in lower income areas and put affordable grocery stores in their areas. Michael Pollan’s utopian idea of everyone in the country shopping and eating healthier would be attainable if we made it doable for those in lower income areas. I think it’s time we put the stereotype that people who cannot afford to eat healthy are lazy to bed, especially considering how many food deserts exist in America. It’s time to act on this problem rather than simply talk about the people who are forced to live it as their reality.
What do the steps towards putting the sterotype that people who cannot afford to eat healthy are lazy to bed? How does that solve the underlying problem, that capitalism (not just the food industry) engineer social difference and the ascription of laziness to poor people?
Hi Rachel, I really agree and like the point that you have made at the end of the blog that we should focus on how to act on the problem rather than just talking about the people who are forced to live it as their reality. Michael Pollan, like many other people have criticized people’s bad eating habbits, like not eating greens and vegetables, and he suggest that people should eat less and eat better. The three suggestions that Pollan states seem pretty easy and doable, but in fact, they are actually not that facile. There are so many different factors that people need to consider when they make their food choices. People who are not eating healthy are not just “lazy”. In the class, we have discussed the three main structures that limit our choice, which are time, cost and knowledge. Same as the example that you have mentioned about college students, there are so many groups of people who don’t have enough time or money to purchase and prepare healthy food. So we should consider all of these factors rather than stereotype the people who are not eating healthy.