To those who may be unfamiliar, greenwashing is a marketing tactic that promotes products as “green” or “healthy” without holding any real benefit to the consumer, the environment, or greater social equity. As mentioned by Jennifer McNulty, “‘buying green’ offers little real defense against environmental hazards and may pose an even greater threat by lulling people into a false sense… Read more »
Food: when you hear the word, what do you think of? A favorite food, or a reason to be social? Or do you instead think of food as a barrier to your health–do you view food strictly in terms of carbs and calories? Michael Pollan, a famous author, journalist, and professor, tells us in his book, In Defense of Food, we may… Read more »
It’s time for spring cleaning in my house, and my roommates have already begun to break out the all-purpose cleaners, the disinfectant wipes, and the bleach. The excitement of ridding our house of dust, crumbs, and stains is intoxicating–perhaps literally. This spring, as we prepare for a deep clean. I find myself wondering what compounds and chemicals we are leaving… Read more »
I work at a bar, so I see how much the sugary drink tax affects consumers and business. We have to charge an extra $1 when people want a chaser for a shot. A cup of pineapple juice is $4 and a vodka redbull will be $9 (redbull on its own is $5!). Now, alcohol and drinking culture is… Read more »
The integration of food and the economic market has made for an interesting paradigm within global food systems. To this end, food systems revealed themselves to be a more complex interaction between people and their environment (economic, ecological, or otherwise). Though I did not agree with all of Michael Pollan’s arguments throughout Part III, or the whole book for that… Read more »
One of the most striking aspects of the discussion surrounding nutrition and “buying green” was about how we are lulled into a false sense of security and fulfillment based on the products we consume. In Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food, and in this article by Jennifer McNulty, the idea of how we consume is explored and there are significant connections… Read more »
Due to my experience growing up in the emerging fast food industry period in Vietnam. Nutritionism is not only the problem in the United States but also in developing countries, Southeast Asia, Vietnam. Recently, Vietnam’s first McDonald’s restaurant officially opened in 2014, a vast of people lined up to try the most iconic American meal. The McDonald restaurants also offer… Read more »
One of the glaring issues taken on by Michael Pollans book In Defense of Food is the problem of nutritionism or “a reductionist way of thinking about food.” In the United States we have become so caught up with what nutrients are in food that we are no longer paying attention to what food we are actually eating. This is… Read more »