Summary. In M ichael Pollan's article Escaping the Western Diet, which is derived from many books he has

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Summary. In M ichael Pollan's article Escaping the Western Diet, which is derived from many books he has"

Grace Dean
5 years ago
Views:

1 WESTERN DIET 2 Summary In M ichael Pollan's article Escaping the Western Diet, which is derived from many books he has written, he presents research on diets, fads, and eating habits. The article begins by explaining t he different theories for the causes of disease in t he western hemisphere, specifically the United States. Among t he theories are mentioned the lipid, omega-3, and carbohydrate hypotheses. Pollan explains t he lack of reconciliation between t he different types of theor ies, with each claiming t he ot her to be wrong. He made a clear statement on his position of t he matter when he said, "People eating a western diet are prone to a complex of chronic diseases that seldom strike people eating more traditional diets." Pollan gives t he solution t hat people need to "Stop eating t he western diet." The t heories previously ment ioned are w hat fuel the food businesses and medical field. According to Pollan, rather than looki ng for and being w illing to follow the obvious answer t hat is the eating habits of t he American people need to change, the American people want a quick fix or a Band-Aid to be the solution. Pollan argues against Gyorgy Scrinis's idea of avoiding processed foods by giving an example of the product from feedlot steer. To use Pollan's own words, "the healt h of the soil to the health of the plants and animals we eat to the health of the food cult ure in which we eat them to the health of the eater, in body as well as mind." The conclusion that Pollan reaches is t hat if Americans would follow his three rules "Eatiood. Not too much. Mostly plants" then t he number of people affected by disease would be lower. Rhetoric Michael Pollan teaches at the University of California at Berkley and has written many books on food and eating such as The Omnivore's Dilemma: A natural History of Four M eals (2006), Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (2010), Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation (2013 ), and In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto (2008}. He was named one of t he top 100 most influent ial people by Time magazine in Escaping the Western is an excerpt of his w ritings.

2 WESTERN DIET 3 Pollan's suggested audience is healt h conscious Americans and those who want to be, but his opening paragraph lacks the effort in connecting with the reader on a personal level. This makes the intent of the article clear, to inform and persuade. This is done through the language he chooses to use and by saying that the "one-nutrient explanation" isn't the answer to t he cause of so many diseases present in the United States. Throughout the entire article, descriptive language such as "cynical", "treacherous", "cult", and "m uch lip service" are used to help persuade the reader to listen to w hat his ideas, beliefs, and rules are. Later in the article, Pollan uses the example of the food indust ry using the "one-nutrient explanation" to "[tweak] t he Western diet" and as an excuse to "further [process] foods" rather than entertaining the idea that processed foods are a huge part in the problem in an effort to cause t he reader to be frustrat ed with t he food industry. Perhaps to make t hem question if it's all about the money. This is further backed up by the medical field's introduction of new medications t o aid in t reating disease instead of focusing on the root of the problem, that being the eating patterns of Americans. These are all examples of how Pollan tried to persuade the reader, however, unless the reader is already leaning toward his same beliefs then the article fails to appeal to the positive emotions of it s audience. It may even bring out frustration or irritation toward Pollan himself, based on his view of things. Ambiguity Towards the beginning of Pollan's article he makes it clear what his view is of the "one-nutrient explanation" and what t he purpose is for the article. With each new paragraph and subject he makes sure to be bold with his stat ements, leaving little room for misinterpretation. Just one example happens after quoting Denis Burkitt. Pollan st ates very clearly that "going back to the bush" is not practical or

3 WESTERN DIET 4 attractive for most people and then states that avoiding the most harmful parts of the Western diet is a better solution. When speaking of the amount of time Americans spend preparing meals he makes the comment that in order to eat healthier the American people need to spend more time preparing. This can be subject to interpretation. Some may think it means spending thirty minutes at the most preparing while others may interpret it as needing to be much more than that. Assumptions W ith the article being aimed at health conscious Americans, Pollan writes in a way that seems to show that he assumes the reader believes t he way he does - the Western diet needs reformation instead of tweaking. Without the correction of the majority of Americans' thought process on nutritionism, t he problem of disease in the western hemisphere will only escalate to t he point that it gets out of hand. In addition, Pollan infers that having more whole foods that people raise and produce on their own, in opposit ion to the case of feedlot steers being fed the Western diet themselves, is t he main solution to the western d iet. Pollan makes the assumption that changing the diet as a whole, and not just one aspect of it, will be the long term solution as he presents the information throughout the entire article but specifically when he says: The food industry needs theories so it can better redesign specific processed foods. A new theory means a new line of products, allowing the industry to go on tweaking the Western diet inst ead of making any more radical change to its business model. Knowing the ever increasing health consciousness of the American people, the assumptions made in this article strengthen the argument and are seeking a conscious effort to reform the Western diet. These assumptions help the reader to feel a responsibility for t he health of future children and grandchildren as well as those living today. - - t n "'... ' r._,y I')

4 WESTERN DIET 5 Evidence Pollan describes ways that the Western Diet is tweaked rather than changed but his evidence seems very biased. There are several times he tries to influence the reader closer to his own beliefs. For example, when describing the medical community's role in the problem he uses "cynical" and t he phrase, "it is... exactly what you'd expect from the health care community that is sympathetic to nutritionism... " when speaking about medica lizing the Western diet, but he fails to provide proper evidence of such a stat ement. On a more positive note, Pollan does quote Denis Burkitt, the man responsible for naming the western diseases, by saying, "The only way we're going to reduce disease is to go backwards to the diet and lifestyle of our ancestors" when he begins to describe the reasons why the Western Diet should change. To help explain t he role of processed foods he uses the Gyorgy Scrinis theory. This theory states t hat it doesn't matter what the nutrient content is but the amount of processing that causes disease. He gives the example of meat from feedlot steer. Posing the question I L Ai that if the cattle are raised on a Western Diet themselves, does t hat still make their meat "whole food"? Pollan does state that throughout his research he has been able to create three rules to follow when eating. The examples he shows are used in a way to help get across to the reader, why they should be following his rules without giving the other side a fighting chance. It's an all or nothing point of view, J meaning it's his rules to follow or the "one ingredient" theories. Logical Fallacies There were three logical fallacies that I noticed in Pollan's article. Th~s the either- or fallacy. It was not stated but was inferred throughout the entire article. As mentioned before, the article had an all or nothing point of view. There is an impending doom to the whole of the United States if the ' ' rules presented by Pollan were not followed. Thees the appeal to emotion fallacy. After saying,_ "Much lip service is given to the importance of prevention... " Pollan states that the medical field stands

5 WESTERN DIET 6 to profit more from new medications than prevention. His appeal to emotion is amplified when he follows up by asking, "Cynical?" This leads the reader to think for themselves if they find it to indeed be cynical, lighting the fuse to anger for some. The the questioning authority fallacy. Pollan speaks of the "one-nutrient explanation" and the loyalty of scientists to their respective explanation. He ends < by saying, "... we don't need to declare our allegiance to any one of these schools of thought... in the end,.> E t hey are only theories... " This makes the reader question if what t he scientists believe truly is valid or if i1 should be questioned. Final Assessment Overall, Pollan's argument is very strong and convincing. The examples of the food industry, medicalizi ng the Western diet, and the product from the feedlot steer help to back up his claim to "... escape the worst elements of the Western diet." He also puts responsibility on the shoulders of the American people when he spoke of taking more time to prepare and enjoy meals to "... be closer to t he center of a well-lived life." For a reader w ith limited knowledge of the subject of diet Pollan does a great job explaining the why behind his belief, by using the research he has found, to help the reader understand why it's important to be informed and make changes where possible. Even with these great strengths Pollan could have done a better job with explaining why and how the different "one-nutrient'' theories have come forth and why they continue to be so popular in the average American's life rather than just in the food industry. A couple other areas that could have used a little more expounding is how Gyorgy Scrinis came to coin the word "nutrition ism" and the reasons he believed all processed foods should be avoided. This, along with Denis Burkett's reasons for saying, "The only way we're going to reduce disease is to go backwards to the diet and lifestyle of our ancestors" would have given the reader a better understanding why Pollan agreed or disagreed w ith them. The lack of explanation gave his article a feeling of desperation to pull the reader in and share the same views as him, for those who may be thinking about the research shared for the first time. v " \ " -...) ',. ~ -.

2. Based on the passage, the reader can tell that The Heartland Institute is probably

2. Based on the passage, the reader can tell that The Heartland Institute is probably Why Go Vegetarian? People choose to eliminate meat from their diets for many reasons. Concerns about health risks, farming practices, and environmental problems are just a few. In recent years, many animal