Topic > Discussion of Americans' eating habits in "Escape from the Western Diet"

In Escape the Western Diet, Michael Pollan presents research into American eating habits and America's best-kept secret: where our food comes from. The article begins by explaining various theories as to why diseases occur in the Western Hemisphere, particularly the United States. Pollan mentions the lipid, omega-3, and carbohydrate hypotheses, which are pushed by the medical industry and help push Americans to focus on single nutrient deficiencies. When he states that "people who eat a Western diet are subject to a complex of chronic diseases that rarely affect people who eat a more traditional diet," he is clearly stating his position on the subject. It's obvious that his position is that Americans should stop eating the Western diet just from the title alone. Pollan's solution suggests that people need to stop following the Western diet and believing in nutritionism and that the best way to avoid doing so would be to spend more time cooking, eating whole foods, and not believing all the diagrams and rules that the industry proposes. it's scaring Americans. The theories mentioned above are what is fueling the food and pharmaceutical industries. According to Pollan, Americans want the solution to be a quick fix, explained by scientists, instead of seeking and being ready to follow the apparent answer that is altering their eating habits. Pollan concludes that if Americans follow his three rules: "Eat food." Not too much. Especially plants, so the number of people affected by the disease will decrease. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Pollan's target audience would be Americans who want to be more conscious of what they eat. The purpose of the article is clear: to inform readers about the ugly truth about their diet and convince them to make a change. Throughout the text, Pollan uses subjective words that show his feelings about the topic. Words like "traitor," "cult," and "cynical" are used to convince the audience to share Pollan's abhorrence of American eating habits. Using the example of the food industry and its use of the "single nutrient explanation" to "[modify] the Western diet", he states that they use it as an excuse to "further [process] food" instead of recognizing that Processed foods play a major role in the problem in an attempt to frustrate the reader with the food industry. Readers of the article will most likely realize that all of Pollan's evidence indicates that the food and medical industries are all about money. This is further supported by the medical field introducing new drugs to help treat diseases rather than focusing on the root of the problems. Everything I listed above are examples of how Pollan tries to persuade the reader, however, unless the reader is already inclined to his own beliefs, the article fails to appeal to the positive emotions of its audience. I believe this also brings out the frustration with Pollan himself, based on his critical view of things and inability to propose a solution to every aspect of the American diet whose harsh truth he is exposing. Near the beginning of the article Pollan clarifies what his view is of the “one nutrient explanation” and the purpose of the article. With each new paragraph and topic, he makes sure to be bold in his statements, leaving little behindroom for misinterpretations. Only one example is found after quoting Denis Burkitt. Pollan explicitly states that “going back to the forest” is neither attractive nor practical for most people. He then claims that avoiding the most harmful parts of the Western diet is a better solution. When talking about the amount of time Americans spend preparing meals, he comments that to eat healthier, Americans need to spend more time preparing. I feel like this can be subject to various interpretations. Some may interpret this as a commitment that requires thirty minutes or less to prepare, while others may interpret it as something more. I wondered if preparing food yourself actually has any correlation to the health of the meal and not just its quality. Since the article is aimed at health-conscious Americans, Pollan's tone seems to show that he assumes the reader believes as he does: the Western diet needs reform rather than changes made by money-hungry industries. Without the correction of the majority of Americans During the process of thinking about nutritionism, the disease problem in the Western Hemisphere will only worsen until it becomes uncontrollable. Furthermore, Pollan deduces that having more whole foods that people grow themselves, in contrast to the case of steers fed the Western diet, is the main solution to the Western diet. Pollan assumes that changing the diet as a whole, and not just one aspect of it, will be the long-term solution as he presents information throughout the article but particularly when he states: “The food industry needs theories in so that they can better redesign specific processed foods. A new theory means a new product line, allowing the industry to continue modifying the Western diet instead of making more radical changes to its business model.” Knowing the ever-increasing health awareness of the American people, the statements made in this article strengthen the argument and seek a deliberate attempt to reform the Western diet. These assumptions help the reader feel responsible for the health of future children and grandchildren, as well as those alive today. Pollan describes ways in which the Western diet is modified rather than modified, but his evidence seems somewhat skewed in my opinion. On several occasions he tries to influence the reader closer to his beliefs. For example, when describing the role of the medical community in the problem, he uses subjective words such as "cynical" and the phrase "it's...exactly what you would expect from a health community that is sympathetic to nutritionism..." when talking about medicalize the Western diet, but fails to provide adequate evidence to support its claim. The reason I say his evidence is only slightly skewed is because Pollan quotes Denis Burkitt, the man responsible for naming Western diseases, as saying, “The only way to reduce disease is to go back to diet and lifestyle of Western peoples." our ancestors." when he begins to describe the reasons why the Western diet should become obsolete. When explaining the role of processed foods, he uses Gyorgy Scrinis' theory. Scrinis' theory states that it does not matter what the nutrient content is but the amount of transformation processes that cause the disease. The example of beef raised on farms. Asking the question: if cattle are also raised on a Western diet, does their meat still become a "whole food"? Pollan claims that he was able to create three rules to follow when eating in the course of his research.