Taking a Look at the Omnivores Dilemma - 1267 Words

What am I exactly eating? Where does our food come from? Why should I care? â€Å"The Omnivore’s Dilemma† may forever change the way you think about food. I enjoyed Mr. Pollan’s book, â€Å"The Omnivore’s Dilemma† and learned a great deal of information. Pollan’s book is a plea for us to stop and think for a moment about our whole process of eating. Pollan sets out to corn fields and natural farms, goes hunting and foraging, all in the name of coming to terms with where food really comes from in modern America and what the ramifications are for the eaters, the eaten, the economy and the environment. The results are far more than I expected them to be. I had no idea we used so much fossil fuel to get corn to grow as much as it does. There is a widespread of obesity today due to the need of agricultural excesses of corn. I hadn’t thought, for example that anyone could give me any more reasons not to eat HOT French fries at McDonalds, but Pollan did! The first section of this book traces a meal at McDonalds back to its basic ingredient-corn. From the corn that feeds the chickens to the xanthan gum in the milkshake to the sweetener in the ketchup and oil in which the fries are cooked, McDonalds is mostly corn. Since Fast Food Nation and the other exposes, I don’t think there’s anyone who cares who doesn’t know how gross fast food is, and Pollan admirably stays away from the yuckiest. Instead, he goes to accusing Americans who eat food of having become like koalas, capable of absorbingShow MoreRelatedA New Problem: Addiction to Unhealthy Foods853 Words   |  3 Pages The American diet pattern is hard to predict because many factors are implied from where you live to your age (Warner). It is hard to say the American diet consist of certain foods because not all is eaten by everyone in the United States. So taking this in count, the diet is meat, fruits, vegetables, grain but those are the most basic to a br oad perspective. The food being ingested is so malnutritious but is so delicious. For example, the Mcnuggets from McDonald’s they quite tasty but its contentsRead MoreThe Omnivore s Dilemm A Natural History Of Four Meals1367 Words   |  6 PagesJo-Anney Yandall Food Societies Dr. Kathryn Besio The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals Michael Pollan. New York: Penguin Group, 2006. 1-411 pp., (ISBN 978-0-14-303858-0). As omnivorous beings, it seems that is both a blessing and a curse to have such a vast amount of meal choices to choose from. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan explores the majority of these options and offers a sort of guide on how to make a choice. The UC Berkeley Graduate School journalism professorRead MoreAmericas Meat Industry Hides From The Consumer1201 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica’s meat industry hides from the consumer, according to Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. 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Pollan goes on to discuss three different modern food chains inRead MoreGentically Modified Organisms are the Topic of Conversation718 Words   |  3 Pagesgenetically modified foods and genetically modified organisms, also known as GM Foods and GMO’s, have been a never ending topic of discussion. GM Foods and GMO’s have adversely affected people’s health all over the world. GMO’s are developed through taking genes of different species, then combining them through genetic engineering. Neith er of those things can happen naturally or out in nature. That should raise lots of red flags to our society already. Adding these altered foods into our diets can veryRead MoreSynthesis Essay : Synthesis Process Essay Essay1680 Words   |  7 Pages If we compare our situation to other public high schools around the nation with almost three times our number of students, the amount of trash that we throw away together in one day is outstandingly high and it becomes overwhelmingly important to look at the sustainable options that we have available to us. Although implementing a sustainable menu would be costly, its adoption will bring benefits to the environment and to our students’ health, changing our lives for the better. A sustainable menuRead MoreEssay In Defense of Food1215 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ENGWR 301 13 February 2014 In Defense of Pollan When Michael Pollans book The Omnivores Dilemma was published, many readers began questioning him for advice on what they should eat in order to stay healthy. In his more recent book, In Defense of Food, he responds with three rules, Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants(Pollan 1). This seven word response seems too simple for a relatively complicated question, but as he further elaborates these rules into specific guidelines, this summaryRead MorePoverty Obesity2526 Words   |  11 PagesSubsidies induce farmers to overproduce, which pushes down prices and creates political demands for further subsidies. †¦the flow of subsidies from Washington hinders farmers from innovating, cutting costs, diversifying their land use, and taking the actions needed to prosper in a competitive global economy (para. 9). The main theme that Edwards is getting at is the subsidy system is out of control and â€Å"it pushes down prices† (para. 9) of unhealthy foods and putting healthy food costsRead MoreConsumption and Mortality: Tackling the Problem of Childhood Obesity3599 Words   |  14 Pageshas been relying on and making it difficult for the majority of this world to meet their ends meet. Its a chaos out there. Every men and women are trying to at least look better, superior and wealthier than the other one. People are neglecting their basic needs and spending more on flashing gadgets and expensive hand bangs just to look cool walking down the street. This culture of the beast has introduced some unthinkable problem in our society ranging from psychological problems to overeatingRead MoreEssay Genetically Modified Foods1890 Words   |  8 Pagesfinding new ways to genetically modify America’s food, many Americans are not taking proper precautions when choosing their food at super markets. Many times these individuals do not read nutrition facts and labels. When interviewing my mother Marilyn Chambers asking her what she reads on labels when buying food at the super market she explains, â€Å"I look for fat content, sodium content, for fiber content, but I don’t really look at preservatives or anything like that.† I also asked my mother if she even