Food Just Isn't Food Anymore... It's Scientific

Both Pollan and Dupuis’s article made me think about the foods that I eat or in Pollan’s case non-foods. Often times when I am eating I don’t ask myself what the nutritional content of it is. I eat it and that’s that. However Pollan made me think about this habit of mine, and how it could be damaging to my health. Prior to reading Pollan’s piece I hadn’t considered that much of the “food” on the shelves of the grocery store isn’t actually food. He made the point “Don’t eat anything your great-great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food”. This to me struck me as interesting and mad me think. The first example that came to my mind was fruit snacks. Fruit snack not surprisingly do not contain fruit whatsoever. Instead it contains a slew of unpronounceable names. This I doubt would be considered food to my great-great-grandmother.

            Pollan also explored the idea of nutritionism. Pollan’s nutritionism “arose to help us better deal with the problems of the Western diet, has largely been co-opted by it, used by the industry to sell more food and to undermine the authority of traditional ways of eating”.  This idea I feel nicely links to Dupuis argument. Dupuis explored the ways in which “nutritionism” arose in the United States. American’s wanted to prove that their diet of milk and meat was far superior to that of other cultures specifically the Chinese. Dupuis went through the history of vitamins germs and calories in the United States. American’s thought that since their food contained vitamins and more calories meant that their diets were healthier than that of the Chinese. This however was not true. Especially when you think of today’s issues. It is suggested that meat especially red meat should me consumed in small portions and shouldn’t be the main entrée on the plate. It is also suggested that we should eat more plant-based foods, like the Chinese did and still do today.  I find it interesting that how American’s ate a hundred years ago essentially paved the way for how American’s eat today. Many Americans describe their eating habits as “meat and potatoes”. However this attitude is very problematic. Eating large quantities of red meat is in fact not good for you.

            After reading both articles I’m not sure if my food habit will change or not. I know that in two weeks when I am home I will be eating healthier. I will have a better variety of fruits and vegetables. Here at school I feel that I do not eat how I should based on the fact that it is not offered. I feel that from now on I will be more aware of what foods I am eating and try to avoid foods with names that I cannot pronounce. However I know that this is no simple task. In a perfect world I would eat organically and do all of my shopping at whole foods. However for many Americans this is simply not practical.