In the first article “Resisting the Moralization of Eating”, by Mary Maxfeild she ¬argues many things against the other author Michael Pollan about how we need to change how the American people eat, and how the government needs to handle obesity better in the United States. This portrays to the other article “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan in many ways, as well as many challenges. “The challenge we face today is figuring out how to escape the worst elements of the Western diet and lifestyle without going back to the bush” (Pollan 437). In this paper I will go over many subtopics including: Obesity, health, and food. Throughout the story, Maxfield always contradicts herself; Pollan doesn’t support the arguments with factual …show more content…
“As a culture, we no longer discuss healthy eating without also discussing unhealthy weights…eating too much-often without any parallel warnings against eating too little…overeating constitutes ‘the greatest threat’ to our survival” (Maxfield 444). The main point in both of these articles that both authors agree with is the fact that people don’t add up all their calories they eat daily, which should be less than or equal to 3500 calories. When you go to a fast food restaurant, usually a normal “healthy” person would get a salad, large drink, and a side item like fries; this normally doesn’t seem like a lot of calories, but then you add the dressing and this healthy lunch turns out becoming an unhealthy 1700 calories already in one meal. Not only is fast food a lot of calories, but it is really cheap too, and most people spend their money on this instead of eating healthy and spending more money. “Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food; they also spend less than a half hour a day preparing meals and little more than an hour enjoying them” (Pollan 439). This quote describes how most Americans’ spend their money on food, spend time to cook it, and then eat it in a fourth of the time it took to do all that. Most people in the United States do not have that kind of time or money between school, jobs, and their
Mary Maxfield wrote her essay as a response to Michael Pollan’s essay on the western diet. Maxfield does not believe we should see food as what we can or cannot have, but to trust our instincts that our bodies will know what they need, which is contrary to Pollan’s article. Maxfield says that she does not believe that there is a correlation between weight, diet and health, which is also contradictory of Pollan. She believes that the body will naturally crave what it needs and you should let your body have what it wants because of this. Maxfield is targeting those interested in the real diet issue (possibly writers) and the Americans looking to make a difference in their diets.
In Michael Pollan’s essay “Escape from the Western Diet,” he directly to Americans about the western diet and why he believes they need to escape from it. The reason Americans should escape the western diet is to avoid the harmful effects associated with it such as “western diseases” (Pollan, 420). To support his view on the issue, Pollan describes factors of the western diet that dictate what Americans believe they should eat. These factors include scientists with their theories of nutritionist, the food industry supporting the theories by making products, and the health industry making medication to support those same theories. Overall, Pollan feels that in order to escape this diet, people need to get the idea of it out of their heads.
In chapter one (Escape from the Western Diet) of Michael Pollans book In Defense of Food, Pollan informs people about what he believes needs to happen in order to change the health issues that many people in American are facing today. Pollan begins the chapter by discussing the many different scientific theories that have been presented in response to the western diet and the western diseases that follow. He informs the readers that many of the theories conflict with one another and that even scientist gravitate towards simple one part solutions that many time fail to see the bigger picture of the problem. At this point in his book Pollan (2008) states one of his many thesis’s that, “People eating the Western diet are prone to complex of chronic
Michael Pollan’s “Escape from the Western Diet,” is used to directly talk to Americans about the western diet and how he believes they should escape from it. His main point is that we should escape to avoid the harmful effects associated with it such as “western diseases” (Pollan, 420). Then he goes on to describes what Americans believe they should be eating and how they don’t even seem to care. They are nutritionist with their theories, the food industry supporting the theories by new healthy products, and the health industry reaping the reward by making medication to support those same theories. For Americans to escape this diet, they must get the idea of it out of their heads.
Through this way we can avoid processing of food and we will automatically follow the healthy diet which comparatively equal to ancestors’ diet. People love western diet because it is fast, cheap and easy, which makes the food unhealthy for consumption, unlike aboriginals has used to spend more time in producing food which turns out to be healthy. Pollan proposes three rules – 1. Eat Food, 2. Not too much, 3.
I believe that Micheal Pollan has described the bad habbits that the typical Americans do in majority of the time by mistaking fast foods with the whole healthy foods because lack of time or lifestyle. In the Michael Pollans argument about the "Western Diet" he informs that the majority of the American population about the western diet and believes that they need to get away from it, but it's for their own better health that many of us sometimes forget or don't even pay attention to it. There's many factors that the reasons Americans should get away from it is only to avoid the harmful chemicals we eat from a plain cheeseburger or fries and that effects our metabolism to get worse associated with it as the "western diseases" (page 433) Micheal Pollan has said.
In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” by David H. Freedman, he claims that processed foods can help fix the obesity crisis in a more realistic manner, rather than whole-some foods. The popular opinion emphasizes whole-some foods because they aren’t informed about the similitude between processed and unprocessed foods. The essence of the essay is that people believe processed foods are bad and unhealthy for us, therefore whole-some foods are highly recommended for the health of an individual. Freedman mentions many prominent authors who wrote books on food processing, but the most influential voice in the food culture Freedman makes a point of is, American journalist, Michael Pollan. The media and Michael Pollan indicate that everything should be replaced with real, fresh, and unprocessed foods, instead of engineering in as much sugar, salt, and fat as possible into industrialized foods.
When obesity comes into a conversation, most people bring the attention toward fast food. Americans target fast food as the main reason why obesity has become so out of control. The high amounts of fat, cholesterol, sugars, and salts in fast food raises the amount of calories contained. When people consume fast food, most don’t think about the amount of calories that they’re about to put in their system. In most meals at fast food restaurants the max amount of calories is enough to cover for the amount of calories people should consume in one day.
Abstract: Obesity is a widespread epidemic in the U.S. that needs to be taken more seriously. This is incredibly important because thousands of people die from this enormous issue. Americans do not take the issue seriously; it obvious by the millions of obese people in the United States. There are many contrasting opinions on this topic, such as the social rights and abilities of obese people; therefore, it causes controversies. The experts that have written books and articles on this concern have the solutions to the problem; however, it is up to the American people to make a change in their everyday life to rid the country of this horrible disease.
In this book, Michael Polland highlights the main issues in today’s “Western Diet,” breaking down the factors contributing to our unhealthy food consumption. Nutritionism is an idea that we are constantly surrounded by, but how much of it do you really understand? How much of it is truth, and how much is simply manipulation? If you were to look back in time, you’d see the progression of the modern meal, straying further and further from actual food itself.
Throughout the years many people have come to the conclusion that bigger is better. Bigger houses, bigger cars, more lavish vacations, but what about us? Food has become something that is fast, easy, and a crutch to many people. However, everything has its limits, and while other countries are becoming more health conscious, Americans seem to become more set on fast food joints. Therefore, skyrocketing our obesity epidemic to damaging levels.
Michael Pollan’s Escape from the Western Diet connects well with what Mary Maxfield says in her article. Both Pollan and Maxfield talk about the ways that dieting is taking over American people’s healths and causing them to become even unhealthier. In Mary Maxfield’s argument she talks about how people believe everything that diet industries say, even though they know that the information they give you is false. This connects really well with what Michael Pollan talks about in his article, which is that people know that these theories that are used for the Western diet are not accurate, but yet they still decide to use the Western diet to help them become healthier.
Across the nation, medium fries are being exchanged for large fries, jeans are being returned for a pair the next size up, and doctor visits are becoming a weekly outing with the family. Between McDonalds, Taco Bell, Sonic, Panda Express, Pizza Hut, etc. consumers have a multifariousness of options when eating out, but do they know exactly what these fast foods do to their bodies? It seems that each year Americans consume more and more unhealthy food which in turn has made America one of the most obese countries in the world. In addition to the weight gain that results from the excess fatty food intake, consumers also increase their risk of developing certain diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.
On a differing take on the solution, “Escape from the Western Diet” by Michael Pollan provides the complete change of our diet and way of life based around cooking and eating meals. however creates a more powerful and logical argument against the “Western Diet” in his article, He uses a combination of his credibility from his publications on health and foods, evidence against the practices of the medical community, along with his solution to the issue of obesity to create an article that draws in audience’s emotions and rationale. Pollan’s strongest points in his article was the use of credibility and his ability to bring logic and reason to most of his points against medical society and the publics solution to obesity. Pollan comes in with a stronger