Essay 3: Book Review

Eating healthy is something that most people strive to do on a daily basis when planning meals. Michael Pollan argues that people need to get back to the basics of eating healthy. Eating is something that is essential to everyone but, eating is sometimes over thought.  Although healthy eating trends are on the rise, as Michael Pollan argues In Defense of Food, Americans must pay more attention than ever to the nutrients in our food because, we are over-supplementing, eating out rather than cooking meals at home, and increasing our portion sizes.

Most people can say that at some point in their lives they have taken vitamin or mineral supplements. The question is not when they have taken them but why. Michael Pollan argues that rather than consuming nutrients in the food that we eat, people are finding other ways to supplement the nutrients they need.  There is so much information about nutrition and food values today. But, rather than educating Americans on the nutritional value of certain foods and food groups, people are getting their nutrients from a pill or an energy drink. Pollan makes many points that the food that people eat is not really food. Pre-made frozen dinners, pre-packaged ready to go snacks and fast food have become a fad for most Americans. What some may not realize is that most of these foods are packed with preservatives and complex carbohydrates and pollute their bodies rather than energize and restore. So, after eating what they think is a hearty #1 meal from McDonald’s, a couple hours later they feel drained and are once again hungry. Instead of eating healthy and simple carbohydrates, fruits that are filling, vegetables, means, rice, and corn most American’s are getting their fill of calories but not of nutrients and minerals needed to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Eating out used to be something that was looked forward to as a special treat for children and families. The price that was being paid for a meal was expensive and the food took just as long to cook in the restaurant kitchen as it would in mother’s kitchen. Now, food is pre-prepared and eating out is something that Americans do on a regular basis. The realization that the food in the meals being consumed has been replaced with high fructose corn syrup, MSG, preservatives, and things that are unrecognizable on a label is something that should startle or alarm people. Nevertheless, fast food industries are passively being supported by Americans because people continue to consume their product. Pollan argues that if you cannot read it, you should not eat it. Pollan further teaches people to go to their supermarket and relearn what healthy food choices are. Instead of using pre-packaged recipes, make a meal from scratch. Eating healthy can be simple. If a person does not know how to cook a pot roast, start off with a green salad with romaine lettuce. People need to learn to start slow. In the salad that is prepared for dinner change from ice berg lettuce to romaine. Also, choose foods that are organic or local. These foods are ones that do not have preservatives or pesticides. They are also foods that have not been genetically modified in any way. People should also be purchasing food that is in season. Americans should stop and think about why produce that is out of season by six months or is able to hit a supermarket and be available. The reason is because it was mass produced by a farm or flown in from another country. These foods should not be supported by purchase and are not 100% safe for consumers. Re-education is necessary to start re-building a better lifestyle for healthy eating.

Portion sizes are another huge factor in the health of Americans today. The average size meal plate has grown by more than 50% of what it used to be. Normal calorie intake should be around 2,000 per day. But, there are also portion sizes to what constitutes caloric intake. For instance, it is not healthily for someone to get 1,000 out of their 2,000 calorie diet from protein or alone. Major food groups have been divided for simple eating and instruction. Americans are over-consuming fat, sodium, sugar, and modified foods that are not healthy. Most weight loss diets are built around a strategy for cutting back on the foods that they already consume. However, if people were eating when they were hungry and listening to their bodies over-eating would not be the issue that it has become today. Portion control goes hand in hand with weight gain and weight loss. Most diseases are secondary to some underlying problem and over-eating is a main cause. Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled initially by healthy eating habits and exercise. However, when people over-eat certain foods such as carbohydrates a problem occurs. Americans need to understand the basics of nutrition and educate themselves to prevent getting a disease like diabetes. Carbohydrates are a great example because people may not realize that they are broken down into sugar. So, eating carbohydrates and more carbohydrates than a person’s body needs will increase their blood glucose. Over time this can create a problem and a person can develop diabetes. The body is meant to work as a system. Each part communicates with the other to create homeostasis. Americans have become a society of adding everything offered to their plate, eating to the edge of the dish, and adding seconds. Simply put, the body does not need to be over-worked because people over-feed.

Michael Pollan breaks down food in a way that is easily understood in his book, In Defense of Food. Americans need to start reading what they eat and stop supplementing their nutrients, start making meals at home that are hearty and filled with good vitamins and minerals, and listen to their bodies when they are full. What it means to eat healthy is more then what is eaten and how much is consumed. When people become more attentive, the food will become more enjoyable and lives will be much healthier all around.

 

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