The idea of our nation collectively
having an eating disorder was quite an interesting argument. Pollan claimed
that the reason for the eating disorders was all of the fad diets that sweep
the nation. Fad diets such as the no carb diet and the no red meat diet are
behind what cause American’s to be overweight and thus unhealthy. In a study
between the United States and France it showed that the French were much
healthier than Americans. This is no shock, as everyone knows that the United
States is viewed as really unhealthy. But what was interesting was that when
surveyed the French said that they ate to enjoy the food where as the
American’s ate to be healthy. This is interesting because one would think it
would be the other way around. Pollan stated that “Americans worry more about food and derive less pleasure
from eating than people in any other nation they surveyed” (4). I see this to
be true in my everyday life. I constantly see television shows where people are
so worried about what they eat that they don’t even enjoy it. This reminds me
of a scene in the movie Mean Girls where
one of the main characters Regina George is obsessed with losing weight. In her
quest to eat healthy she in fact does the opposite by eating what she thinks
are diet bars. The bars in fact turn out to be extremely high in calories and
she ends up gaining weight. Using this example I can see how fad diets have the
opposite effects than what is desired.
Depending on what mood I’m in greatly effects what I choose
to eat. If lets say I just finished working out at the gym I usually opt for
healthier foods so that I don’t “ruin” my workout. However most of the time I
eat what I think sounds goods and will satisfy my hunger. Like if I’m watching
a movie and want a snack chances are that I will opt for a cookie or some
popcorn. But if I just want a snack I usually opt for a piece of fruit. I was
brought up with the ideal that food should be enjoyed and that everything is
okay in moderation. For this fact when I do decide to eat the foods that are
considered “guilty pleasures” I usually consume them in moderation and am
conscious of portion sizes.
I like that you talk about how the French eat to enjoy the food and their company not necessarily as just a utility, as seen in the United States. Relating it back to yourself and how you choose to eat comparably to both cultures is very interesting and shows that you understand both of the eating cultures and how you personally fit into the mix.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bryce, I thought the most interesting part of the article was comparing French eating habits to American eating habits. Also, I like how you used the example of Mean Girls and how fad diets actually sometimes turn out to have the opposite effects of those desired (this is very true, because fad diets tend to not be healthy ways of losing weight)
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