[Blog Post 4] Pollan the Persuasive

What comes to mind when the words “Western diet” are mentioned? Red meats? Sugary desserts? Along with the Western diet also comes nutritional science and a general excess of food. In his latest book, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan makes a strong argument against the Western diet and all that it represents and promotes the adoption of Traditional diets. He accomplishes this by methodically providing evidence to prove his point while logically sorting through the history and science of diets and food culture. In his book, he makes a strong argument that any traditional diet is better than the western diet through evidence that there are certain diseases that plaque only those on the western diet, that people on traditional diets are generally healthier than those on the western diet, and that much of the food in the Western diet is provided by food industries that are more likely concerned about making money than the health of their customers.

In the second part of the book titled “The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization”, Pollan proves that there are a variety of diseases that come with the Western Diet. Referring to a study taken in 1982 where Aborigines left their native diets and adopted the Western diet and developed Type II diabetes, Pollan uses this as an example of what the Western diet has done to our health. The study also showed that when the Aborigines returned to their native diets, their diabetic problems disappeared. Also, those on Western diet are some of the most obese people on earth. Pollan attributes this to the nutritionally deficient or artificially nutrient packed food in the Western diet and the misleading food studies that have left those reading them confused as to what to eat.

Pollan also argues that traditional diets, like those of the French, Italian, or Japanese, have led to generally healthier people. Logically, this part of his argument is supported by visual evidence. Those on the Western diet are often more obese and have diseases that those on traditional diets don’t. But Pollan argues that the traditional diet goes further than just the food consumed as the French have a great amount of saturated fat and alcohol in their diet. Pollan makes a strong argument that the French have remained relatively healthier not because of the food itself, but because of how it is consumed. The dietary habits of the French include small portions, no snacking, and communal meals to reduce the tendency of one to gorge him or herself.

Finally, Pollan argues that much of the food in the western diet has food industries that are likely more interested in making money than in the health of their customers. He argues that technology has made food readily accessible for the masses at cheaper prices than they have ever been. Thus, food industries and companies have had to find ways to differentiate their products from the products of others, which has given rise to marketing “nutrients” on the shelves of supermarkets as opposed to simply selling “food”. This is understandably so, as competition in a free market economy has forced companies to market their food as the most nutritionally enriched, but when in reality “nutritionism” is only a way to tell their products. Evident in the small amount these nutritional food products do to improve overall health, Pollan provides a strong argument that foods of traditional diets are better for our health than the foods of the Western diet.