Thoughts on Food (and "Food")

[hkellick]

I got interested in Food (I agree with Michael Pollan, by and large, that a great majority of the American Diet is not Food so much as Edible Food-like Substances. If your product has been processed beyond it's identity as plant or animal, than it's not Food, it's Modern Chemistry.) back when I started dieting. It was sort of a natural progression for me, from caring about what (and how much) I put into my stomach to caring about precisely what I put into my mouth.

I had questions. I wanted to know a little bit
more than just "Eat fewer calories than you burn and you'll lose weight." I
wanted to know, for example, were Organic Fruits and Meats better for you
(Answer: Arguable, not necessarily more nutritious, but less chances of
toxins invading your body) and whether or not the Vegetarian Lifestyle
actually WAS a healthier lifestyle than the Omnivore lifestyle (Answer: On
average, yes, but the diet of the average omnivore is.. not so good.). So I
started reading.

I'm a critical thinker. I think, to some extent, you have to be when dealing
with the complex world of Food. You wouldn't believe, until you tried to
sort through it, just how much information (often contradictory) there is
about food and nutrition. As just an example, as the Great Egg Debate. Eggs,
as you know, are cheap. They offer a good dose of protein for cheap, but
they also (if you don't take the egg yolk out) offer a good dose of fat and
cholesterol. Two eggs contains all the cholesterol the FDA suggests you eat
a day. Some, including the Egg Farmers, would have you believe that the
cholesterol in an egg doesn't actually raise your blood cholesterol. And
it's up to you, the consumer, to sort through both sides and decide what you
believe. It's information overload!

I will say that there's far more to Food than most people suspect. I don't
have a good number for how many people truly understand how food gets to the
supermarket, the supply side of things, however there are ethical and health
questions regarding the source of your food that you might not even know
about, since, for many of us, food starts at the supermarket. Not in a field
or in a lab. Reading up is where I first learned about corporate farming,
which, having had time to think about it, I'm not sure I support, Organic or
otherwise. That's part of why, having gotten the heads up from chite about the CSA, K and I jumped on this immediately. Because we
don't support the big corporate farms.

I think it's worth mentioning that I wouldn't even take most of the books
you read at face value. Like everyone else in the world, the people writing
these books, even the books I suggest below are trying to sell you
something. Many of the people writing these books (I respect Michael Pollan,
and I agree with many of his points, but the fact is the man's a Journalist,
not a Nutritionist, and I suggest alot of his Anti-"Nutritionism" Dogma
would go right out the window if he had their knowledge and training.) are
not professionals. They're just people who can write a book. That said, I
still think it's worth LISTENING to them, reading and then deciding for
yourself. You may think some of them have points. You may think some of them
are crackpots. In the end, I think it's just more important that you BE
AWARE of some of the issues surrounding Food, and that you have an INFORMED
opinion. Knowledge is Power, yadda yadda yadda.

I highly suggest that anyone who has the time read up on a few books and
decide for themselves what they think. If you've read any of these books and
would like to discuss them, I'd love to have a discussion with you. (Not
that I can comment on your comments from work, but if you can wait til I get
home... :p ) If you haven't... well, I highly suggest you do.

And I think, at least for now, this is about all I have to say about Food. I
don't want to hit people over the head too hard or anything. (Then again, if
I get a bunch of comments on this post, I may talk a little more. I loooove
comments. ;) )

Books that I think are worth reading
"What to Eat" by Marion Nestle - THE Food Manifesto that takes you through the typical grocery store and explains many of the issues and buzzwords surrounding groceries today, from Organic Fruit to MethylMercury in Fish to the Politics of Selling Stuff to Kids
"Food
Politics" by Marion Nestle - Alot more about alot of the politics of foods. Alot more.
"The China Study" by T Collin Campbell - The Vegetarian Manifesto, but having read it, I don't entirely believe him. However, that said, I think this is one of those books that everyone should read and decide for themselves.
"How to Pick a Peach" - This one isn't a Food Manifesto, and it doesn't get into politics TOO heavily, but it gives you pointers on how to buy seasonal produce, how to make sure you get the good stuff, how to store it, and then how to cook it! If you never get involved with a CSA or go to a Farmer's Market, get this book ANYWAYS. Out-of-Season Produce sucks. And you have no
idea how much it sucks until you compare it to In-Season Produce.
"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan - I haven't read this yet, but from what I've read, the book gets deeply into where you food comes from, how it's processed, step by step, from raw ingredients to what you put in your mouth.
"In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan - I just got this, so I haven't read it thoroughly, but it's a book attacking "Nutritionism" (the turning of food, as a whole entity, into micronutrients) and the food industry. Again, I think it's just a good book to introduce people to thinking for themselves about what they're eating.

Comments

[lwoodbloo.livejournal.com]

I've read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" several times now. Yes, Pollan is a journalist. However, if all he does is make you think about where your food comes from, I think it is win.

MY personal favorite section is about Polyface Farm, which is down in VA. http://www.polyfacefarms.com/

[sisterred.livejournal.com]

I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilemma right now. I will never look at corn the same way again. I'm just now starting on the Polyface Farm section. It's a good read, and actually quite humorous at points.

[lite.livejournal.com]

That book is probably one of ones I'll read next. :)

[janinedog]

I got The Omnivore's Dilemma for Christmas, and plan to start reading it soon.

I haven't done too much research about the human food industry, but have done a lot of research about the pet food industry. I'm not sure if you're interested in that or not, but Marion Nestle published a book about that as well: Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine, which is about the events that led up to and surrounded the pet food recall in 2007 (as well as the issues that still exist). This actually has tons of relevance to the human food industry as well, of course, because pet food and human food are necessarily linked (pet food products are generally the scraps and wastes of human food products). There's also Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food, by Ann Martin, which is one of those shock books, but definitely very relevant.

[lite.livejournal.com]

It does not surprise me in the slightest that you're so interested in Pet Food Politics. I HIGHLY suggest to you that you read "Food Politics", also by Marion Nestle. What you put in your mouth is at least as important as what you put in Fudge's :)