Obesity is a prevalent issue within the United States. “According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2009-2010), approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese”. Today’s society is inundated with a firestorm of information regarding the types of foods that are healthy and will decrease obesity. The most prominent voices in today’s food culture, primarily the wholesome-food movement, believe eating unprocessed food is the only way to live long, healthy lives free of obesity. However, journalist David H. Freedman argues that individuals should not fall prey to these false misconceptions. In his article “How Junk Food Can End Obesity”, Freedman examines these purported claims and strives to appear credible, reliable, and emotionally appealing to persuade readers that the wholesome-food movement is impeding the near-term step’s to reversing the obesity trend.
First, many
…show more content…
Michael Pollan, a journalism professor at the University of California Berkeley, claims that eliminating processed foods will create a food revolution capable of creating a sustainable environment. He believes these whole foods could one day be cheap and easily accessible to all. Freedman combats this by stating, “Too bad it would be one tailored to the dubious health fantasies of a small, elite minority. And too bad it would largely exclude the obese masses, who would continue to sicken and die early” (70). As Freedman stated himself, “Despite the best efforts of a small army of wholesome-food heroes, there is no reasonable scenario under which these foods could become cheap and plentiful enough to serve as the core diet for most of these obese population […]” (70). This would be disconcerting to those who can’t embrace healthy eating and low caloric