Escape From The Western Diet Analysis

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Today in day, our country argues that our population is facing a really bad health crisis. The main reason why people might argue that our country is facing a health crisis is because of the rising rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. For example, food activist Michael Pollan argues that our country should stop relying on processed foods and should rely more on fresh organic foods. Michael Pollan also argues, “People eating a Western diet are prone to chronic diseases that seldom strike people eating more traditional diets.” In this case, I would agree with author Michael Pollan because some of the population in our country suffer from heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity. On the other hand, I would also disagree …show more content…
In my opinion, I would agree with the author Michael Pollan because processed foods have been known to cause diabetes and obesity. An example of why people should avoid processed foods and eat organic foods is when Pollan states, “People eating a “Western Diet” are prone to chronic diseases that seldom strike people eating more traditional diets.”(421) The author explains in this quote that eating processed foods excessively or regularly can lead to suffering from chronic diseases that people who eat organic foods do not suffer from. Another example, is when author Michael Pollan states, “In theory, nothing could be simpler: To escape the Western diet and the ideology of nutritionism, we have only to stop eating and thinking that way.”(423) Nutritionism is the “alleged paradigm that assumes that it is the scientifically identified nutrients in foods that determine the value of individual food stuffs in the diet.” In the quote from the essay, the author explains how the people in our country can avoid the Western diet and ideology of nutritionism by simply stopping ourselves from eating processed foods and thinking about nutritionism. In addition, I agree with the author Michael Pollan’s quote because we can all avoid eating the Western diet and the idea of nutritionism by simply stopping. In …show more content…
An example of this is David H. Freeman’s essay “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” where Freeman states, “ We all know who within our society is developing the extraordinary facilities for nudging the masses to eat certain foods, and for making these types of foods available everywhere in cheap and convenient forms.” (511) The author David H. Freeman explains in this quote how our society has made processed foods really easy to find for a cheap price anywhere today. Another example from the essay “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” is the statement by Jamy Ard, an epidemiology and preventive-medicine researcher, where he says, “Processed food is an important part of our environment and world, and it needs to be part of the equation; if you reduce the fat and calories by only a small percentage in a hamburger, it still won’t be a health food, but it would not be as bad, and that could have an important impact on us.”(525) In this quote, Jamy Ard explains how we cannot eliminate processed food completely out of our society because it is an important part of it, but we can reduce the fat and calories in our processed foods. Also, in David H. Freedman’s essay Jamy Ard states, “Fast food is extremely popular because it is tasty, convenient, available everywhere, and cheap.”(525) Jamy Ard explains in this quote

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