Summary Of Escape From The Western Diet

America is one of the most obese countries in the world, known for apple pie and an excessive amount of McDonald’s. As a culture, there is a lack of self control when it comes to the foods we consume. People often over consume and over indulge, which has wreaked havoc on the health and well being of those who give in to these temptations. The issue is that large corporations and even our own government play a role in helping feed the problem; they care more about profitability and benefiting the business than the health of the consumer. The health of Americans is declining and more chronic diseases and health problems are appearing as a result of unhealthy diets, but there are many different methods that can help fix this issue. American culture

Pollan (2015), he claims that the only way to avoid the health problems caused by the Western diet is to stop overindulging and to fill a diet with healthy options. He believes that we need to find a way to avoid the worst parts of the diet, without having to completely resort back to the dietary habits of our ancestors. Pollan discusses three different steps that can help improve the Western diet. First is to eat food for survival not to overindulge. Next, Pollan advises individuals to eat enough food, but not too much. Lastly, Pollan states that we should eat more plants, because they are the healthiest options available to us (Pollan 2015). The Western diet is very destructive to the health of someone who follows it, but many people would rather deal with the health issues caused by the diet than change the way they eat. The healthcare industry benefits from the poor decisions made by consumers. Rather than pushing people to try and improve their health, they create new drugs and procedures so that the healthcare industry makes a profit (Pollan 2015). While eating a cleaner and healthier diet might sound easy, Pollan warns consumers that many whole foods have been violated by industrial processes, and consumers should be hyper-aware of the quality of our food. Overall, Pollan argues that the Western diet is destroying the health of those who consume it, and that the people need to make a change in the way

In the article, “What to Eat,” by M. Nestle (2006), she analyzes some of the tactics used by many grocery stores to expose customers to the most merchandise as possible, in order to increase the store’s profits. Nestle has done an extensive investigation of the methods and research used to create the perfect grocery store layout, and how these methods affect consumers. To be specific, many grocery stores place the most common food departments in the back because it has the greatest flow of traffic, or the most common impulsively bought items in the front of the store where they can be seen when entering and exiting (Nestle 2006). Supermarket design is all about product selection and placement, shelf locations, and eye catching displays. Often, slotting fees help decide which products get better placement, because those products are paying for their spot in the store. It can be seen, that when an individual enters a store the odds of them following a personal shopping list is very low. People often buy unnecessary products on impulse, and these products are often the ones most easily accessible by consumers.Many large grocery store corporations often argue that “if you eat too much it is your problem, not theirs” (Nestle 2006). Grocery store corporations are constantly persuading consumers to purchase more food rather than less. Overall, Nestle provides a strong argument for the debate that grocery