The China Study By T. Colin Campbell

Making information about food widely available would pose a threat to food and pharmaceutical industries. Even vital information seems to be avoided. As a matter of fact, several studies have shown the relationship between dietary habits and the development of diseases. In the book The China Study, T. Colin Campbell explains how changing our diet can be the key to vanquish serious illnesses such as cancer. His studies show that regions where the consumption of animal based food were low or almost inexistent, the levels of cancer and heart diseases were also very low when compared to regions where meat and dairy products were the main source of nourishment (139). In addition, a Harvard study showed that there 's a strong connection between milk …show more content…
In this case, the monetary value of food plays an important role. The industry evolved in a way that eating healthily is a price not everybody can pay. The idea of a product that lasted longer and was ready to eat was the key for the fast success of processed food. But what made the food industry stay strong was the fact that processed food evolved to become cheaper. Eating fruits and vegetables are for rich people. Poor people can only have food such as hamburgers and fries. In the documentary Food Inc. a family of four goes to a Burger King drive thru and gets five hamburgers, two chicken sandwiches and three sodas for $11.48. When they go to the groceries, the price of one head of broccoli alone is $1.69. The reality of poor families is that eating healthily is a luxury they can 't afford. For families with two kids, no time to cook, and a tight budget, eating fast food is the only feasible option, because it 's both fast and …show more content…
We have been changing our eating habits faster and faster. The size of the portions we eat and our industrial force grow in the same pace. The kids’ menu of many restaurant contains enough food to feed a grown up adult. Whereas the adult’s menu for one person contains enough food to feed at least three persons (see fig. 2.). The amount of food we eat determines how much food must be produced. Consequently, in order to keep up with the demand, food companies call upon methods of production that are unsafe, inhumane and unsustainable. Meat producers put animals in a box like places to save space. When there is no more space, they deforest areas harming the ecosystem. Not to mention feeding the livestock with hormones so that they grow faster (Food Inc.). We are the consumers of all the food produced. If we keep increasing the demand for processed food, that 's what food companies will produce. The consumption of processed food is so wide that we can see it everywhere. In potluck parties I go, all I see is processed food. Rarely I see a bowl of fruits or a homemade salad. When it 's halloween, all kids want are candies. Thanksgiving is all about preparing lots of food. I 'm not saying those cultural activities are all only bad influencers. In fact they are meant to bring the good in people. And it does. However, many times, people fall into the advertisement trap and forget that we can be