People should become aware of the realities about the foods that they are eating because while eating fast food instead of having to take the time to cook a meal may seem like a good idea, the body things otherwise. In Wendell Berry's article,”the pleasures of eating,” Berry claims we do not pay attention to the foods we eat, making us eat foods that are quick and processed more often than we should. In his article, Berry lets us know that it is crucial to know what our food is made up of and where it comes from, he explains that instead of consuming processed foods, it may be a better choice to grow food instead.(Berry) Michael Pollan in “When a Crop Becomes a King” addresses the fact that nearly the entire food industry uses corn and corn …show more content…
In “The Pleasure of Eating” Berry suggests people do not take the time to know the facts of what they are eating. People now do not want to take time to cook a meal, but instead want a fast meal to eat quickly in a busy day.(Berry) Not only does this show less appreciation for healthy foods, but it is allowing processed foods to become popular and allowing them to sell more, damaging people's health. And this is exactly what the food industry wants. (E-1)The food industry's main concerns are not the quality of their foods, they do not care about the ways it affects our health, instead they worry about volume and price.(Berry) Although healthier options may be expensive or growing fruits and vegetables may seem like a burden, Berry suggests that it can make eating more enjoyable, an “extensive pleasure” according to Berry. As Americans, freedom and democracy plays a big role in our politics, yet we are ignorant to the fact that giving control of what we are eating and it's sources is not an example of freedom. (Berry) Americans are fooled by the lies advertisements give out about their foods, continuing to make Americans ignorant of the realities of food, and the only way to stop this is by realizing and “ reclaiming one's own part in the food economy” possibly by making food instead of buying fast food, deciding on better choices instead of settling with the unhealthy ones.
The fast food industry also hurts environments around farms in general. It has created an unsustainable cycle that farmers cannot escape. In order to feed themselves and their family, farmers play it safe and buy more fertilizer than needed. When the farmers do not use all of it, they must dispose of it, because that fertilizer will not be as effective next year, so they dump the fertilizer in the areas surrounding their farms. But what this causes is too much nitrogen in the environment because too much nitrogen can kill plants and throw the nitrogen cycle out of balance, in turn hurting the environment.
A Rhetorical Analysis of “Don’t Blame the Eater” by David Zinczenko Sara, a single mother of two kids, is driving home from a grueling day of work. She’s worked overtime all week and has some tightness in her back. Upon looking at the clock on the dashboard of her 1996 Volkswagen, she realizes that it is way too late to go home and cook a nice dinner for her two children. She turns into the nearest McDonalds, orders some chicken nuggets, and brings dinner home. Can you blame a mother who just wanted her kids to eat?
In the article, “Escape from The Western Diet,” by Michael Pollan, who has also written many nutritional books, blames our unhealthy eating on the food industry. He argues that we should avoid any processed foods because of what they have become (424). Also, he claims that the American views for preparing a meal has downgraded over the years (425). His solution is to not overeat, but to eat plants instead because they are not as manipulated
Nowadays in America, we are encountering problems with our food system. The way it’s being processed is affecting everyone. From youngest to oldest, farmers to lawyers and smallest to biggest animal. Consumers are made to believe that they are buying and eating healthy foods , but the labels that led them to believe that are not completely honest. The essay “Escape from the Western Diet” written by Michael Pollan is an explanation of the theories of the western diet.
In David Freedman’s essay How Junk food Can End Obesity, Freedman makes the claim to policy arguing that instead of demonizing processed foods, Americans should instead support the idea and production of healthier processed and junk foods. He calls on the public to recognize that while many products on the market these days are labeled as “wholesome” and “healthy”, consumers should learn to become aware of the fat and calorie content in these products because many times they have the same- if not more- fat and calorie contents as that of a typical Big Mac or Whopper. In his essay, Freedman primarily places blame on the media and the wholesome food movement for the condemnation of the fast and processed food industries saying, “An enormous amount of media space has been dedicated to promoting the notion that all processed food, and only processed food, us making us sickly and overweight” (Freedman), he further expresses that this portrayal of the
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. “Monsanto’s Harvest of Fear” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele is a harsh look at the realities of food production in a country where large corporations, like Monsanto, have been allowed to exploit laws and loopholes to bend farmers and consumers to their
In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity” David Freedman argues that ending processed food is not going to help solve obesity problems. He knows that “Junk food is bad for you because it’s full of fats and problems carb” (Freedman 515). Freedman believe that we should use technology to improve fast-food by taking out the unhealthy products in it, instead of getting rid of fast-food entirely. He also talks about his experiences with food between wholesome food and McDonald’s. He discusses how McDonald’s smoothies have the lowest calories and are cheapest out of all other smoothies he had.
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.
In “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” by David H. Freedman, he claims that processed foods can help fix the obesity crisis in a more realistic manner, rather than whole-some foods. The popular opinion emphasizes whole-some foods because they aren’t informed about the similitude between processed and unprocessed foods. The essence of the essay is that people believe processed foods are bad and unhealthy for us, therefore whole-some foods are highly recommended for the health of an individual. Freedman mentions many prominent authors who wrote books on food processing, but the most influential voice in the food culture Freedman makes a point of is, American journalist, Michael Pollan. The media and Michael Pollan indicate that everything should be replaced with real, fresh, and unprocessed foods, instead of engineering in as much sugar, salt, and fat as possible into industrialized foods.
Aliz Smith ENG 102 Dr. Schneider November 1, 2015 Rhetorical Analysis of Wendell Berry “The Pleasures of Eating” Wendell Berry ’s essay “the Pleasures of Eating” tries to inform everyday people about the food choices and to be conscious of the environment from which their daily nourishment is obtained. His opinion of today’s people is that they are disconnected from the food itself and they are only “consumers.”
“What should I eat” “What am I eating and where in the world did it come from?” These are the questions we often ask every time we buy our food. What is it made of and if they are healthy or not? I am one of the “healthy crazy people” that will search for every single content of the food before I buy it. I always look for the “Nutrition Facts” - calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, and carbohydrate.
Few people have ever thought of food as more than just a source of energy, a fount of nutrients, or a delight to our taste buds. The only parts of our body involved in the work of eating are our mouth and digestive system-or so we think. But that’s only a fraction of the whole picture. The book The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan reveals the evolution, science, and thinking behind the simple action of eating. In this book, Pollan argues that a long time ago, humans were able to solve the dilemma they had about what to eat, but now, at a time when we think we’re so much more advanced, this dilemma has not only been made harder, but we’ve become even less healthy, and forgotten the point of eating, especially in America.
Eating a certain food may be synonymous to living in poverty, or it may be a sign of a fine diner. There is an idea in American society that unhealthy food will usually taste much better than a healthy counterpart. Wilson touches on this principle, asserting that “nutritionists use the word ‘palatable’ to describe foods high in sugar, salt…” (B. Wilson xxii). Because of this notion of unhealthy favorability, the taste of a food that is known to possess one of the damaging traits described by Wilson will be subconsciously marked higher by many people.
Organic food and drink sales represented roughly 4 percent of general food and drink sales in 2010. While farmers markets continue to grow, only 2 percent of Americans do most of their shopping there. At the same time, Walmart controls a quarter of all groceries sold in the United States. If those who can afford to should pay more for healthier food, then those who can't are stuck eating unhealthy industrialized food. Instead of altering agricultural practices, such as getting rid of dangerous pesticides from vegetable production, the added cost for pesticide-free or organic vegetables is given to the consumer who is willing to pay more.
Bittman states, "...what you eat... is processed beyond recognition... The problem is that real food isn’t real profitable..." (Bittman, 2014). The food industry sells us “food” which is nowhere near the real “thing.” It actually is negatively modified.