Micheal Pollan - I ONE

The age of Nutritionism: ONE-From Foods to Nutrients

Since the early 19^th century scientists have been trying to figure out how food turns into flesh and energy. They started with Protien, Carbs and Fat. Sailors still got sick on voyages…oops! Forgot vitamins! They isolated nutrients from foods and then synthesized them in a lab.

Epidemiologists observed that during the war years, when dairy and meat were rationed, heart disease went down only to leap up again after the war. Based on this “lipid hypothesis”, in 1977 the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs chaired by Senator George McGovern created the Dietary Goals for the US which plainly suggested that Americans “eat less meat and dairy”. Of course the lobbyists were outraged and McGovern, being from South Dakota, really took the heat (Lots of cattle in SD) The recommendation was changed to read, “choose meats, poultry, and fish that will reduce saturated fat intake” What the hell does that mean to your average person!?!? Lobbyists are powerful and the food industry has many! Never again did the US dietary guidelines mention a particular food…only the obscure nutrients.

Because of this, we now have a large picture of misinformation. Studies show that groups with higher cancer rates consumed more fats and fewer plant foods, so the cancer could be caused by dietary cholesterol OR lack of plants. Scientists study the nutrients that fight cancer and other diseases, but how do we know it’s not something else in the orange besides the vitamin C that’s helpful? So, we have recommendations that say “avoid saturated fats and eat antioxidants” instead of “eat less beef and more broccoli”.

Because of the 1982 National Academy of Science report we speak in terms like polyunsaturated, cholesterol, monounsaturated, carbohydrate, fiber, polyphenols, amino acids, flavonols, carotenoids, antioxidants, probiotics and phytochemicals instead of FOOD. We don’t eat food anymore, we eat nutrients!

Michael Pollan – In Defense of Food - Intro

For my friends and family, I would like you to read this book, however, it may not fit into your schedule. This book has changed my way of thinking about food and I want to absorb it even more, so I’m going to re-read it and post summaries of it here on my blog. I’m realizing that so many of our guidelines about eating are based on outdated recommendations and that’s why we have such a problem with our school lunches, and why people like Jamie Oliver is starting a “Food Revolution”.

If you’d like to know about this Michael Pollan guy, here’s a link to his website. http://www.michaelpollan.com/about.php He’s a journalist and has written about the food system for some time.

In the introduction to In Defense of Food he talks about why he wrote this book. He’s done a lot of research on the history of the Western Diet and the details are fascinating! In summary, we westerners, particularly Americans, have lost confidence in what we choose to eat. We have stopped looking at food as food, and think of it more at nutrients. We depend on scientist to tell us what to eat. An orange is not an orange, it’s a source of vitamin C, never mind the other benefits to eating an orange that isn’t in a vitamin C pill.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. That’s the short lesson of this book. He’s not telling us what to eat, just getting us to think about the choices we make. We are caught in between the food scientists telling us what to eat (no butter, marg…oops! No marg, butter) and the “thirty-two-billion-dollar food-marketing machine that thrives on change for its own sake.” This country’s industrialization of the food system began in the 60’s and it’s taken this long…over 40 years…to get back to basics. Food chemistry creates flavors that make things taste good, like that chicken sandwich from your favorite fast food joint; the feed lot chicken doesn’t have much flavor or nutrition, but they add it so you think it’s good and wholesome food. It’s not! There is so much added flavor, sugar, corn syrup and fat to our food, and the labels are so confusing, most of us just give up and eat whatever.

It seems ridiculous that there is need for a book to be written, with the first rule “Eat Food”. It seems obvious, of course we eat food…but we don’t…we eat foodlike substances. Through this book you’ll see what I mean. It’s really changed me and I hope you enjoy it too!

Dream - The Company

I have always had very random dreams, and occasionally throughout my life I have had friends who ask about my weird dreams. This blog is the perfect outlet for those stories!

I had a dream last night about interviewing for a job. I was dressed in a suit, but forgot to change out of my slippers. And I forgot to brush my teeth. The company was housed in a big complex, and I wasn’t sure what they did. My friend from high school (and the island game on FB!), Janette, was working there and got me in for an interview. It took me awhile to figure out the elevators because they went up, down and sideways…everyone else seemed to move so efficiently! My being around bothered no one. I didn’t get in for an appointment, but they told me to just hang around. I was trying to figure out what they did, so I could form my argument for why they should hire me but no one could tell me…they just smiled and asked me what I wanted to do. After awhile, I just put down my bag and started cutting fabric into shapes and sewing them together…there was a whale and a bear and a raccoon and a bird. They were cute stuffed animals, I called them prototypes, and the company loved them. They set me up with a desk and sewing machine and handed me money. I got a parking spot too. They said I could wear slippers everyday if I wanted to. No one seemed to notice I didn’t brush my teeth.