This article is relevant to a number of things we have been addressing in class. From Katie's CYOA, to Kelsey's food pyramid post, to our discussions about Wal-Mart, sustainability, and local farming methods, I think you all will find this article by Mark Bittman quite interesting.
Alaina--
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! This is a really eloquent article that underlines the core issues Pollan discussed in "The Omnivore's Dilemma." After reading that book, I'm a lot more skeptical of "food pyramids" and dietary guidelines established by the U.S.D.A. In this article, Mark Bittman says "in its attempts to upset no one powerful, the U.S.D.A. offers a typically contorted message." This is exactly why I've become a lot more skeptical about such health publications--they can't just go out and tell us straightforwardly what is and isn't bad for us. I also thought it was disturbing that in order to continue selling processed food to increasingly health-conscious consumers, distributors market their products as having lower amounts of unhealthy ingredients, such as SOFAS, instead of actually making them healthier.
I also love the point Bittman brings up about unhealthy vegans: "the goal is not universal veganism, which is pie-in-the-sky; it’s health and sustainability. And we get there by preparing real food, vegan or not." Some people get lost in labels such as "vegan" or "vegetarian," and think that they're just out to save animals. Adopting such diets should be much more than that. For me, the issue is not whether or not people eat meat. It's first and foremost whether what they are eating is real food, produced in a sustainable way.