The Omnivore’s Dilemma is written by the famous food writer Michael Pollan who explains that humans are notably omnivores—eats both meats and plants—and that our biggest dilemma is that we have too many options regarding the foods that we eat. Pollan uncovers the truth about the food industry that most people do not know about. He explains that if people were more aware of how their food is processed, where it comes from, or the impact that it has on your health, environment, and ethics you would definitely consider a major change in your eating habits.
It’s no secret that within the last century the way we eat and how we eat our foods has drastically changed. Before, whatever your grandparents had cooked for dinner was considered healthy …show more content…
He says that being able to eat McDonald’s was a treat for his eleven year old son, Isaac, because he doesn’t get the chance to eat from there often. Pollan notes that is not the case for most American children today. “One in three of them eat fast food every single day.” (151). His wife, Judith, was not so impressed with having a fast-food lunch, because that meant giving up a “real meal”. But Isaac brought up an idea that she could order one of McDonald’s “premium salads” with the Paul Newman dressing. Judith ordered the Cobb salad with Caesar dressing. Pollan ordered a classic cheeseburger, large fries, and a large Coke. Isaac ordered the white meat Chicken Nuggets, a double thick vanilla shake, and a large order of fries, followed by some ice cream. The total for the three of them rounded up to be fourteen dollars and everything was packed and ready to go in four minutes. Before they left the register, Pollan picked up a printed handout called “A Full Serving of Nutrition Facts: Choose the Best Meal for You.” After that, the family of three left McDonald’s and decided to eat in the car. “These days 19 percent of American meals are eaten in the car. The car has cup holders, front seat and rear, except for the salad, all the food can be readily eaten with one hand.” …show more content…
Isaac said that his McNuggets were tasty and were an improvement over the original recipe. (154). After ruling in a 2003 lawsuit brought up against McDonald’s by a group of obese teenagers, Judge Sweet, a federal judge in New York, suggest that the McNugget and McDonald’s overall marketing is deceptive, because the dish is not at all what it claims to be, “a piece of chicken simply fried” (155), but actually contains more fat and total calories than a cheeseburger. Ever since the lawsuit, McDonald’s has been handing out “A Full Serving of Nutrition Facts.” The flyer states that a serving of six chicken nuggets has ten fewer calories than a cheeseburger. Pollan reads all of the thirty-eight ingredients that are listed in the flyer, suggest that thirteen are used to make a chicken nugget are derived from corn. According to the handout, there are also synthetic ingredients from petroleum refinery and chemical plants used in McNuggets in order to keep them from going bad or looking strange after months in the freezer and on the road. But the most alarming ingredient used to “help preserve freshness” in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, also known as TBHQ, that is derived from petroleum. “According to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e., lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to
It’s no secret that within the last century the way we eat and how we eat our foods has drastically changed. Before, whatever your grandparents had cooked for dinner was considered healthy …show more content…
He says that being able to eat McDonald’s was a treat for his eleven year old son, Isaac, because he doesn’t get the chance to eat from there often. Pollan notes that is not the case for most American children today. “One in three of them eat fast food every single day.” (151). His wife, Judith, was not so impressed with having a fast-food lunch, because that meant giving up a “real meal”. But Isaac brought up an idea that she could order one of McDonald’s “premium salads” with the Paul Newman dressing. Judith ordered the Cobb salad with Caesar dressing. Pollan ordered a classic cheeseburger, large fries, and a large Coke. Isaac ordered the white meat Chicken Nuggets, a double thick vanilla shake, and a large order of fries, followed by some ice cream. The total for the three of them rounded up to be fourteen dollars and everything was packed and ready to go in four minutes. Before they left the register, Pollan picked up a printed handout called “A Full Serving of Nutrition Facts: Choose the Best Meal for You.” After that, the family of three left McDonald’s and decided to eat in the car. “These days 19 percent of American meals are eaten in the car. The car has cup holders, front seat and rear, except for the salad, all the food can be readily eaten with one hand.” …show more content…
Isaac said that his McNuggets were tasty and were an improvement over the original recipe. (154). After ruling in a 2003 lawsuit brought up against McDonald’s by a group of obese teenagers, Judge Sweet, a federal judge in New York, suggest that the McNugget and McDonald’s overall marketing is deceptive, because the dish is not at all what it claims to be, “a piece of chicken simply fried” (155), but actually contains more fat and total calories than a cheeseburger. Ever since the lawsuit, McDonald’s has been handing out “A Full Serving of Nutrition Facts.” The flyer states that a serving of six chicken nuggets has ten fewer calories than a cheeseburger. Pollan reads all of the thirty-eight ingredients that are listed in the flyer, suggest that thirteen are used to make a chicken nugget are derived from corn. According to the handout, there are also synthetic ingredients from petroleum refinery and chemical plants used in McNuggets in order to keep them from going bad or looking strange after months in the freezer and on the road. But the most alarming ingredient used to “help preserve freshness” in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, also known as TBHQ, that is derived from petroleum. “According to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e., lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to