Dietary Advice

In a single day, we make over 200 dietary choices, the majority of which are unwittingly made. Food technology has manipulated food properties to achieve the desired texture, scent, and color. Many people have died as a result of diseases caused by consuming packaged foods on a regular basis. In this article, I will demonstrate how food science harms our well-being. We'll look at ways to prevent diet-related chronic diseases. It is not necessary to be a scientist to understand how to eat. “Eat some bread. Still not too many. Plants are the majority” (Pollan). Michael Pollan is an activist, professor, and author based in America. Over the years, he has written plenty of articles, essays, and books on food. His book, “In defense of food”, was nominated for the Academy Awards. He received many awards for his literary writings. He spent his youth in Long Island and attended Columbia and Harvard Universities. Pollan graduated with a Master’s Degree in English from Columbia University. He resides in Bay Area with his wife and son.

Michael Pollan’s Critical Reception

The Washington Post wrote that in “In Defense of Food”, Pollan successfully persuaded Western people on the negative effects of their diet on their health. The New York Times said that his book advanced the fact that trying to narrow down food to its components, results in trimming of its most essential nutrients. Pollan quickly became a best-selling author with the New York Times in the Non-Fiction list for almost two months (Pollan).

Journalists and scientists, who support Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), have accused his work of being prejudiced against GMO’s. At some point, Pollan said that it is very difficult to study food, yet he began to advise people on diet from the approach of nutritional research, the subject of his criticism.

In Defense of Food

“Eat more of the right ones, few of the wrong ones, and you will live longer, avoid chronic diseases, and lose weight” (Pollan 20). Eating plenty of vitamins will give us good health. In 1977, a committee established to eradicate malnutrition and chronic diseases, advised Americans to reduce their intake of dairy products and red meat, though the committee later retreated that statement after heavy criticism from meat and dairy businesspersons. The population was advised to mostly eat poultry and fish, thereby reducing fat intake. Changing the way, we are eating is a more beautiful, economical and practical path. We ought to eat the traditional foods that people have been eating for thousands of years: vegetables, meat, fish, grains, and fruits. Pollan calls junk food edible food-like substances.

Pollan blames the health crisis on eating too many fats, adding that Americans keep adding calories to their diet. He suggests we completely avoid processed foods. Unfortunately, in his argument, Pollan misses the major point that an unhealthy diet does not have to kill those who eat it. He also errs in blaming food science for making us believe that all high-carb foods are bad. He may be right that some people came to that conclusion after interpreting dietary advice. Pollan’s solution is regrettable. Instead of telling us to use critical thinking, he gives us some rules, which based on shallow thinking he claims have origins in nutritional science.

Researchers on the study of human nutrition have pointed out that chronic diseases such as cancer are associated with a poor diet. Consumption of foods rich in fats, red meat, and little vegetables also contributes to such diseases. Intake of little vegetables can result in chronic diseases. Eating processed foods daily is unhealthy. Pollan writes for a rich audience. He says, “Not everyone can afford to eat high-quality food in America, and that is shameful; however, those of us who can, should” (184). This statement implies that Pollan is out of touch with the ordinary American masses even though he is a New York Times bestseller.

To be politically correct, new dietary coded terms such as amino acids and cholesterol came up to replace the word food. They did this to promote businesses and protect businesses owned by powerful men. In supermarket shelves, you can find processed fruits with alluring adverts printed on them. Some of these adverts can claim that the food in question can add vitamins, among other nutrients to your body (Deanza). Many people follow the latest fashion of the nutritionists. However, some fruits prevent erectile dysfunction and cancer.

“…With a judicious application of food science, fake foods become even more nutritious than the real thing. This, of course, is the story of margarine, the first important synthetic food to slip into our diet” (Pollan 32). Fats and vegetable oils such as margarine begun as an affordable replacement for using butter. Factory owners in their advertisements claimed to add nutrients such as vitamin to it and marketed it widely.

Food and nutrition have been an interest of many recently. Scholars, dietary nutritionists and health specialists have had an interest in determining the best foods that can affect positively on the health of individuals. Biologist suggested that a balanced diet should consist of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral salts; however, this seems not enough to answer the question that people normally ask, “what should I eat”. Soumya D & Aliya Siddiqui A (2011) explains about the concern about nutrition and good health. He points that nutrition is the key to a healthy body; individuals consume different kinds of foods. However, it is advisable that food preparation should follow natural ways of food preparation. Some foods taken improperly may cause.

Nutrition is the consumption of food substances by the human body and the physical and chemical breakdown processes that take place in the body. It also involves the nutrients that are required by the body to maintain body-working processes. Past research has encouraged people to get knowledge on nutrition as it is crucial to staying healthy, good nutrition is considered to result in good health and prevents nutrient related ailments. Proper diet is important as it works against some dangerous diseases like cancer and arthritis.

A healthy nutrition includes starchy foods, foods rich in fiber, low fat, vitamins, and minerals. It also includes consumption of many fluids, water helps in digestion. We have to eat essential nutrients in specific quantities.

Michael Pollan seemed to criticize what people eat, he advocated for less food and mostly plants. This makes Michael Pollan an appealing author, with the various questions that individuals, nutritionists, and researchers had about food and the right food to eat. Pollan had an idea. Pollan says, “we’re consuming edible food-like substances, no longer the product of nature but of food science” (2). He acknowledges the difference that exists between food and food products and gives a tip of not eating what our ancestors would not consider being food. Critically, Pollan understands the current dietary contents, consisting of processed foodstuffs; he criticizes this by suggesting that people should eat foods that our ancestors would have considered food, which is mostly plants and unprocessed food.

Most discussions that researchers have based on major of low fats or carbohydrates in the body, some may include excess sugar, mineral salts, and health related issues. Pollan suggests that people are eating too much. He criticizes food consumption based on science and culture. Cultures have ways of moderating people’s appetite. Pollan suggests that a person should not stop eating before they are full. Pollan explains that this would reduce caloric intake.

Eating processed food has become the habit of many individuals. This is because they are readily available and maybe edible on the spot. Pollan, however, explains the importance of eating mostly plants. He evidences that eating mainly vegetables and fruits can help prevent dangerous diseases like cancer, diabetes and even control weight. He advises that people should avoid processed foods at all costs.

Conclusion

Food is vital to human existence and survival. For growth, and to overcome some coronary diseases, the human body requires nutrients. Not all foods are good for the human body, sufficient and quality nutrition is required for good health. This research analyzes Michael Pollan’s book “In defense of food,” and comes up with ideas and suggestions on the best foods to eat that can ensure healthy human survival. Science indicates that proper nutrition consists of food elements of vitamins, carbohydrates, and proteins. Pollan suggests not too much food; this means that the body requires only a proportion that it can easily process. Excess consumption of some foodstuff is harmful to human life as it can lead to some diseases.

Eating the right food and in the right quantities avoids the risk of lifestyle chronic diseases. Food science has come up with simple ways of combining nutrients and coming up with complex foods with all nutrients requirement, such foods like processed meat, bacon, and margarine, among others. Most scholars who are supporting natural nutrient requirement have considered these foods unhealthy. Biologists argue that beacon can cause coronary cancer. Michael Pollan, however, creates a scenic criticism on foods created in this process. He says that humans require natural foods, mainly plants. He argued against the nutrition perfection of food science. Pollan’s argument is useful to the real world since, with the introduction of these nutritionally perfected foods, diet-related complications have emerged and is now the main concern to most people.

Educated members of our society should read Michael Pollan’s books since they offer dietary advice. Diseases like obesity are mostly associated with the working class, who mostly happen to be the educated members of our society. In our communities, we go to funerals to bury a loved one who died of diet related diseases, then after the funeral, we eat the same foods that killed the diseased. In Defense of Food uses a lively prose, making the book interesting to the reader. In his book, Pollan shows us the pros and cons of having a good diet.

Works Cited

Pollan, Michael. In defense of food: An eater's manifesto. Penguin, 2008.

---. Michael Pollan: Press Kit. MichaelPollan.com, 2017, www.michaelpollan.com/press-kit/. Accessed 12 March 2017.

Soumya, D., and A. A. Siddiqui. "A Prime Concern on Good Nutrition Versus Good Health." Journal of Food Processing and Technology, vol. 2, no. 6, 2011.

Tacorda, Jo Anne Mallari. We Are What We Eat: Cultivating Well-being and Happiness through Sustainable Food Systems. University of Toronto, 2015.

Deanza. Info Literacy. Deanza, 2017, www.deanza.edu/library/infoliteracy.html. Accessed 15 March 2017.