Patricia Gadsby

The three essays assigned this week had several common threads running through them. The strongest core theme is the rapid change in the food cycle in America and the vast changes that have taken place in the way by which we grow, produce, and process the food that average Americans eat. The food we eat now is drastically different from what our grandparents grew up eating and the three essays each examine that in a different way. Another theme is the loss of knowledge by the average consumer about where their food comes from, what it is composed of, and what, if any, danger it might pose to them.

In the modern industrial society, being aware of what the food we eat come from is an essential step of preventing the “national eating disorder”. In Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, he identifies the humans as omnivores who eat almost everything, which has been developed into a dominant part of mainstream unhealthiness, gradually causing the severe eating disorder consequences among people. Pollan offers his opinion that throughout the process of the natural history of foods, deciding “what should we have for dinner” can stir the anxiety for people based on considering foods’ quality, taste, price, nutrition, and so on. In order to establish a stronger relationship between humans and food, and allow the humans to know what they are actually eating, Pollan uses different rhetorical analysis includes different appealing strategies and various literary devices, which contribute to persuade people to comprehend the deeper meaning behind the

As diets and health become more and more of a public concern in America. Two authors weigh in on their opinions on how the American public should handle the problem of obesity as well as their solutions to the overwhelming issue. In one article, “Against Meat,” published on the New York Times website in 2009, points out that the solution to obesity should be vegetarianism. Johnathan Foer who is a vegetarian, claims that his diet and way of living is his the way of improving health in the American public. Foer’s article provides a sense of humor as well as personal stories to attempt to persuade his audience for the ethical treatment of animals along with his personal solution for his own health and the health of his family. 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.

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 turn, he provides his own rules for escaping the western diet as well as the idea of nutritionist set forth by scientists.

In recent decade, the United States has seen supermarkets continuously get filled with packages labeled with things like “Low sodium” or “No Trans Fats.” Companies stick these labels on their food to match the current fads of what is good for you and what is not. In his essay Unhappy Meals, Michael Pollan advocates a return to natural and basic foods, and deplores nutritionism. Pollan argues that nutritionism does not actually tell people what is healthy or not, and that the only way to be sure you are eating healthy is to eat natural, fresh food.

Eric Schlosser is an author and an investigative journalist who “tries to explore subjects ignored by the mainstream media and give a voice to people at the margins of society (1).” Mr. Schlosser uses the knowledge he gained at both Princeton University and Oxford to write extraordinary books based off his hard work and investigating. In this book, Mr. Schlosser looks at the fast-food industry and the effects it has had on people 's lives. He begins with the history of McDonalds and then branches out to the history of the associated industries of fast food. Eric Schlosser points out important issues such as good nutrition, food safety, animal welfare, worker rights and sustainable agriculture. In the book, he also questions the “Americanization” of food around the world, and its associated health issues, such as obesity and heart disease. Another main point Mr. Schlosser discusses, are the ranchers, the feedlots, the slaughter houses, and the packaging companies. Which areas that most people do not

Grandma quietly whispers a blessing over the food for her grandchildren. She believes that the combined power of her prayers and the food will nourish her grandchildren for success. In the Navajo culture, during a ceremony the Hogan (home) is filled with food to bless the medicine man and to nourish everyone in the family. Navajo women are taught to take pride in the meals they prepare because the feelings and attitudes they carry will be absorbed by those who eat the meal. Today food is still sacred among Native Americans, but historical events have influenced cultural degradation and given rise to various social issues that inhibit healthy eating across Native American communities. Communities that once thrived are now plagued by dietary related health problems like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Since cultural

I combined how your nutrition is important because it can prevent you from getting sick or becoming overweight and suffering. Lack of nutrition education, marketing persuading consumers to want harmful food, and the healthcare system not being effective all have to deal with why healthy nutrition is not being focused on or accomplished. This topic is important and interesting if you are interested in global healthcare or local healthcare. Each one of the problems can be solved or reduced to focus on the human nutrition or to decrease the rate of deaths due to obesity, heart failures, etc. The research and the 7-step plan, promoting healthier food options, and reduction of pills and helping patients learn about nutrition are all ways to improve the lack of

The era of 1920s is known for flapper dresses, extravagant lifestyles, and reformation of women. Before this time, women were treated as property and did not have their own voices in politics and their personal lives. With the start of the 20th century, women yearned for a change. They wore shorter dresses, became more reckless, and took control of their lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a renowned author during the 1920s who provided commentary about the changes of women. In his works The Great Gatsby, “Winter Dreams”, and “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, Fitzgerald shows how women 's attempts to gain independence during the 20th century initially fail due to society 's construction.

In each sport, there are many requirements to achieve maximum performance. One of the most important aspects in the athlete’s life is diet, which can negatively impact or positively an athlete’s performance. It is very difficult for a college athlete to have a good diet, especially when athletes eat in the cafeteria and travel a lot. Everyday athletes have to make choices about their alimentation. It is essential that athletes improve their diets to maximize their performance; college athletes can do this by preparing their own food, making good choices in the cafeteria, and taking their own food during travel instead of eating fast- food.

Diet is one of the elements of social life most sensitive to changes in the surrounding context. Migration has always produced innovations and transformations in indigenous food traditions. Suffice it to consider the spread of tomatoes, potatoes, tea, and coffee in the dietary habits of Europeans to understand the transformations that have occurred through trade and the movement of people and things.

The Mediterranean diet can be defined as the combination of healthy habits practiced by the habitants of the countries bordering the Mediterranean sea, including Spain, Italy, Greece and the South of France. Each country takes a slightly different approach when practicing this diet, however, they all agree on two things:

Nutrition is one of the essential processes directly influencing the overall health and growth of an individual. This requires a person to be fully aware on the types and quantity of food he or she needs to intake on a regular basis. However, the nutrition education of most people are adversely affected, as poverty continues to be one of the central problems encompassing the whole world, especially the third world countries.

Increased malnutrition is caused by poor diversification of diets such as relying too much on starchy staples. Thus, the consumption of a variety of foods is important for positive health. Malnutrition can be reduced by the consumption of diets having animal sources, vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables as well as nutrient-rich legumes (Arimond and Ruel, 2004; Thompson and Amoroso, 2011). According to the FAO, IFAD and WFP, (2015) about 800 million people do not have sufficient access to calories. A low intake of vitamins and minerals causes about 2 billion people all over the world to suffer from micronutrient malnutrition (IFPRI, 2014). Nutritional deficiencies result in impaired physical and mental development of humans, loss of productivity, susceptibility to various diseases among others (Lim et al, 2012). They are caused not only by low quantities of food consumed but also by poor dietary diversity; as dietary diversity is a good indicator of broader nutritional status. More diverse diets are associated with lower rates of nutritional problems in many parts of the world (Popkin and Slining, 2013). As a result, to improve nutrition and health, it is important to increase dietary diversity.