The first topic I’d like to focus on is an issue that I feel was undercovered, or in some cases absent, from our early class lectures and readings, especially Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food. This issue is the unavailability of healthy food, and diverse choices for poor individuals and families, particularly in America. Pollen makes some references to… Read more »
A major concern with the incline of nutritionism in modern food systems is that there has been a perpetual shift in the science behind dietary guidelines, specifically within the last century as fads arose in Western cultures. Additionally, the assertion that food is more than just the sum of its parts in Pollan’s writing exemplifies the criticality of our own… Read more »
Images of genetically good looking people surrounded by (unhealthy) food that promises “fitness” is the epitome of how dysfunctional the Western diet is. I used to watch Fabio’s ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter!® ’ commercials all the time when I was little. No matter what channel I was watching, I could always expect an appearance from the hunky… Read more »
A notable point from the Michael Pollan reading was the emphasis on the origins of popular thought on nutrition throughout history; the shift from protein to carbohydrates as America’s über nutrient was noted as being catalyzed by John Harvey Kellogg, whose name coincidentally shows up in many home’s pantry to this day on cereal of all sorts (Pollan 30). This… Read more »
Every day, whether it be in person or online, consumers are exposed to propaganda that affects their food choices. Alongside this, consumers are continually exposed to pieces of literature that judge certain eating habits, which have supposedly caused them to be more or less healthy. While this type of informal advice may be useful, there are certain flaws that have… Read more »
While I’d like to say that my minimum wage job provides enough disposable income for my rent, groceries, lifestyle, and savings, it’s still a familiar struggle each month deciding how to allocate my income. Certainly I’m not the only student living in Seattle that feels this monetary pressure, and surely there are people less well off across the country facing… Read more »
As a college student, myself and many others are always lacking something. Time, energy, money, you name it. Despite this, according to the American Dream we are doing everything we should be doing. Our education is leading us well on our way to fulfilling that happy dream of living in a white picket fenced house with a perfect spouse (and… Read more »
In the 1940s processed foods began their rise to prominence in the American diet. Foods that used to be too expensive for the average consumer suddenly became readily available to them. Although Americans were better able to feed themselves, rates of malnutrition and other new illnesses began to rise. To combat this, producers started supplementing their nutrient stripped foods with… Read more »
My previous understanding of the holistic consequences of the Western diet was drastically challenged by Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. Specifically, Pollan argues that analyzing the Western diet in terms of the chemical compounds of separate nutrients does not fully represent the habits and norms of the food culture itself. Often, the harmful effects of the tendencies of Western… Read more »
Human beings are in the top of the pyramid of food chain. We absorb water and nutrition from many kinds of foods such as vegetables, meats, and fishes. Recently, you can see many foods especially industrialized foods with signs, “organic” and “Genetic modification (GM)- free.” People sometimes prefer them to ones without such signs. It is possible for human beings… Read more »