Michael Pollens In Defense of Food addresses the scientifically acclaimed nutritional values of “the tangible material formerly known as food.” Food corporations around the world have scientist hard at work determined to find some nutritional value in their product so they can claim the name of nutrition in their advertising. Michael Pollen rebuts their efforts in masking the true value of their product by giving wholesome examples of the benefits and values of farm grown fruits and vegetables verse the corporate material formerly known as food.
Scientist at major food corporations have gone to the furthest of extremes to claim the nutritional name, they have even tried to claim their candy bars as nutritious and healthy. For instance, scientists at Mars Corporation have found evidence that the flavanols in cocoa have beneficial effects on the heart, thus allowing Mars to market products like its health-minded Rich Chocolate Indulgence Beverage.(1) This is just the start, even our local Coca-Cola plant has used nutritionism to justify vitamin enriched Diet Coke which is acclaimed to be bread bolstered with the Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil. Almost every major food corporation around the globe is following this trend so they too can advertise the infamous “Its Nutritious” aspect about their product.
In Defense of Food addresses this issue directly and Michael Pollen warns “Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food."(2) I know my grandmother wouldn’t recognize a mars chocolate bar as food, so why should I? Just because the food industry advertises with play to our senses and emotions while giving the slightest truth about only what we want to hear does not mean we should fall for their nutritional traps. As Michael Pollen explained throughout his novel, the beneficiaries of our corporate “junk” is a mere subsidiary at most to the non-nutritional values found in most of the industries products.
The industrially manufactured “food” is subconsciously known to us as junk, and for our brains to see it as beneficial to the body we need to be told so repeatedly until it is engrained into our memory. However on the flip side to this we all know a homegrown tomato is healthy for you. We don’t need anyone to explain its nutritional values. This subconscious contradiction is what the food industry is trying to change. We all know what is and is not nutritious to our bodies and we should all pay attention to the subconscious memory that tells us such.
We all know what is and is not nutritious for our bodies, we need to take control over our food choices and not fall into the nutritional traps so easily set by the food industry. Michael Pollen has given quintessential advice regarding the nutritional facts about the food we eat and the food we should be eating. In my opinion, I advise upon the previous quote, “Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food", as well as a personal statement to only eat what I can subconsciously justify as having nutritional value. That said, I am in total agreement with Michael Pollens position against the food industries claim of nutritional value in the tangible substance formerly known as food.
(1) - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03books/03masl.html
(2) - http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm?book_number=2084
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