Guest's audience for her essay is the average american. As a whole, our society loves to eat the highly processed, chemical-filled foods that are cheap to buy and excessively sweet to the taste. Guest acknowledges…
1). In Hungry for Change, a 2012 film from James Colquhoun, Laurentine ten Bosch, and Carlo Ledesma that posits that the processed food diet is the root of our ails, Dr. Alejandro Junger says, “The problem is that we are not eating food anymore, we are eating food-like products.” Ten years ago, according to the National Restaurant Association (2016), the top five food trends were bite-sized desserts, locally-grown produce, flatbread, and bottled water (p. 1). Local sourcing, gluten-free cuisine, ethnic cuisine, and nutrition were the top five of the fastest-growing food trend in the last 10 years (National Restaurant Association,…
The introduction to processed foods took the world by storm, with quicker food preparation, less time spent cleaning, drive-thru access and the introduction to new recipes. Long before processed foods such as the Twinkie, Honey bun, Spam, frozen dinners, milk, etc; people consumed more wholesome foods naturally loaded with nutrients the human body needed to sustain itself. Processed foods did not exist until the early 19th Century and have since become highly advertised and subsidized by the government. Whole foods on the other hand receive little advertisement and no government subsidies, leading people away from choosing a healthier lifestyle. I believe that processed foods may perhaps taste, look and smell better than their natural whole food counterpart does, yet can you really afford to risk your health for the sake of being happy you had the ability to choose your meal?…
Consumers are a dynamic market in the world, their needs change according to their lifestyle which ultimately affects their food choice. Consumers range from household to career driven and often cater their food choices to their lifestyle, for example, a busy athlete will consume a protein shake on the go, whereas a domestic housewife will engage in a nutritional breakfast meal such as cereal. Consumers need fast, efficient and convenient food products that suit their lifestyle while providing them with nutritional and healthy benefits to fuel their actions for the day.…
The author of this essay proved many useful points in regards to the Western Diet. In order for people to change their nutrition many things have to change as well, but is it too late? Almost every food we buy and put in our mouths is full extra additives and hormones. How whole is our food really? Comparing Americans diet to other countries proves that a healthy lifestyle with better nutrition is possible. Are the people that benefit from the consequences like doctors who treat patients with heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes or pharmaceutical companies willing to give up everything that bring in revenue? I think we know what the…
Obesity is perhaps one of the biggest problems society faces today, people are asking the question: Who is to blame? Fast food, while a major contributor, but it is not the only cause of the obesity epidemic in America. In particular, food producers that supply the high calorie, minimally nutritious, and highly processed foods that dominate our market must be examined. Although the external factors are important, it is more important for American citizens to educate themselves to make more informed individual decisions.…
I reexamined the foods i've been consuming and became astounded. Looking at something as classic as bread, a food that used to contain only a few ingredients, now contains dozens. The effects of the industrialization are all around us, especially in our food. I was unaware that products that make health claims aren't exactly healthy and was surprised to find all of the tricks and loopholes the FDA allows. The rules regarding wording are ambiguous, thus making the health claims on foods almost frivolous. This book examined the diet fads of the past in America such as when margarine was considered to be healthier than butter. I’ve learned that we come up with a new diet plan and find “stunning” data that will better our health all the time, but our health has yet to make a drastic improvement. While we continue to consume the Western Diet, we look for ways to outsmart it rather than do the obvious thing and move away from it. Ultimately, I came away from the book with far more knowledge then when I entered. The book offered great incite into the food industry and how it all works. I am glad I read this book and will definitely implement some lessons into my life.…
But the 80's cornered the market for the food preservative industry. Another sad decade for “real food.” Red M&Ms were allowed to be returned the market. The artificial sweetener aspartame and saccharine were approved by the FDA and flooded the food industry. The USDA announced that ketchup could be counted as a vegetable in the school lunch program. And a genetically altered tomato was introduced. The once intimate art of feeding your family from foods that you knew was made in a clean safe environment was gone. Foods were now mass-produced by strangers in factories.…
This profession could undoubtedly be useful in American society today, says Pollan, but not in the way it is used now. The problem is this: “[A] serious weakness of nutritionist ideology is that it has trouble discerning qualitative distinctions between foods. So fish, beef and chicken . . . become mere delivery systems for varying quantities of fats and proteins” (p. 6). In an effort to consume nutrients in a controlled way, foods are altered; therefore, subtracting the natural interaction of the nutrients and the body. This concept is hand-in-hand with Berry’s claim. Consumers of the food industry are left in the dark as to what they are putting in their bodies—the nutritionist that is now necessary is one who educates consumers on how to cook meals with ingredients rather than deciphering the nutrition label on processed foods. To this, Janet Wojcicki explains food concerns more than…
How important is the food that the averages person puts into their bodies every day? Eating is a way of making peace, passing the time, sharing friendships, and having a communion. The narrator of Food Inc points out that, “The way we eat has changed more in the last 50 years than in the previous 10,000” (2008). How has it changed? Americans have gone from eating hunter-gatherer style organic greens and fruits, to severely processed sugars, carbohydrates, and high protein meats. Most Americans eat something similar to a “chicken and pasta” diet nowadays. This may not be bad, but is this “new” food really better for us than what people ate 50 and 100 years ago? Organic foods are substances that are produced using ways that do not involve modern unneeded synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic foods are also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives (dictionary). Convenience food, or tertiary processed food, is commercially prepared food designed for ease of buying and consuming. Products designated as “convenience or processed foods” are often prepared so they can be sold as hot, ready-to-serve plates; as room-temperature, long lasting shelf life products; or as refrigerated or frozen products that require minimal preparation (usually just microwaving). There are studies that show that the food people consume on a daily basis…
b. Americans are seeking healthier eating options. As the market leader, McDonald’s often bears the brunt of criticism.…
c. Eventually in 1949 their French Fries that we all know and love came into the picture and they got rid of the potato chips.…
However, present day Americans tend to be obese, as many Americans do not have time to cook for the families at home, therefore families are forced to eat at fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s, where the food is unhealthy. Americans also tend to purchase precooked and prepackaged food that just needs to be warmed up in the oven before indulging in. Along with being a sedentary society this new form of consuming food has led to an increase in American obesity. Although, major factors in obesity, manufacturers play a large roll in this obesity as well, as discussed in Moss’ book. Manufacturers produce food so that it is more desirable and enjoyable to consumers to make consumers return to the company to continue purchasing these…
their eating habits, a meal of hamburgers and French fries continues to rank as the top choice among diners. According to recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans “ate an average of 30 pounds per person of the crispy potato sticks in 1995”⎯ more than three times the amount ingested in 1965 (“Surprise,” 1996, p. C3). Moreover, among patrons of restaurants and fast food eateries, “One out of five diners ordered a burger, for a total of 5.2 billion burgers” in 1995, claims the National Restaurant Association (“Surprise,” 1996, p. C3). Americans might, therefore, find it difficult to believe that, in fact, “Most people throughout the world have eaten primarily vegetarian foods until recently. It is still the way that most of the world eats” (Ornish, 1982, p. 144).…
Humankind has undergone many changes in the eating habit from the period when he hunted for himself to era when he has become dependent on processed food. Obviously, it has become easier to prepare nowadays. However, whether or not this change has improve people'lives is controversial.…