Those words open a great article in the NY Times by Michael Pollan, author of the Omnivore's Dilemma. Pollan examines how nutritionism - the obsession with individual components in food like carbs and fat, for example - causes us to eat poorly and damages our health. Pollan analyzes food trends since the '70s to reveal how pressure from big agriculture and the grocery lobby, and well-intentioned policies at the federal level, have sabotaged the American diet and confused us as consumers. As Pollan notes:
... it’s also a lot easier to slap a health claim on a box of sugary cereal than on a potato or carrot, with the perverse result that the most healthful foods in the supermarket sit there quietly in the produce section, silent as stroke victims, while a few aisles over, the Cocoa Puffs and Lucky Charms are screaming about their newfound whole-grain goodness.
Pollan's view complements those of Dr. Mark Hyman, author of Ultrametabolism, the book and "program" I've been adhering to since last March. Both make compelling cases for a return to eating whole foods, lots of plants, and locally grown, pesticide free produce when possible. Dr. Hyman takes a more medical and scientific point of view in order to explain how various foods and substances are handled by our bodies. Dr. Hyman argues that by eating foods that we have evolved eating such as unprocessed grains, fresh greens and produce, and fish, our bodies will naturally know how to respond, extracting essential vitamins and nutrients, while maximizing our rate of metabolism which keeps us naturally fit and healthy. Conversely, when we eat processed foods that bear no relation to what our bodies have evolved to handle - foods loaded with hydrogonated oils, high fructose corn syrups, preservatives, bleached flours and grains, foods low in fiber, etc - we are confusing the natural systems in our bodies that regulate metabolism and blood sugar levels making it easier for us to gain weight and making us more susceptible to heart disease and diabetes.
Big D does not want fries with that.
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3 comments:
Big D,
I'm glad (and, admittedly, pleasantly surprised) to hear you're using Mark Hyman's "program". I've been involved with holistic/integrative healing for many years (mostly acupuncture) and have found Hyman to be one of the most grounded and forthright in his opinion of integrative health and healthcare. He definitely stays away from the "hocus pocus" verbage most practitioners hone in on and gives very well thought out explanations for his ideas/prescriptions.
I'm surprised because I've spoken with few people who take such an active approach in their health. This country as a whole does have a serious problem with food, but I've found Latinos to be the most stubborn about making dietary changes.
All the best with "Ultrametabolism". Change is hard, but after a while of having good, clean eats, you won't over-indulge in trans- and hydrogenated- anything.
If you do slip up, your stomach will make you regret you had too much-in the form of Hershey and Squirt.
Hey Belia,
Pollan's article had an interesting section on how as we've gotten away from our cultural forms of eating, we've gotten fatter. Before mass marketing of foods, people ate the way their parents and grandparents ate. Fresher foods, less snacking, more physical activity.
Not too long ago the Times ran a multi part article on the incidence of diabetes in Spanish Harlem. It was sobering and sad. Even in the face of the damage their diets were causing, many in the community failed to make necessary changes. What's worse is how young many of the diagnosed were.
It's sad that the healthiest "Latin" food eatery I can think of is Chipotle.
btw, B - I'm drawing a blank. Shoot me an email.
I read the article and Pollan def. had some interesting things to say. I never knew I was a flexitarian. I'm going to try to implement some of his tips at the end.
I've seen some pretty creative vegetable gardening styles in the City, in Spanish Harlem, in fact. I guess convincing people that there's another way to eat takes money, time and the willigness to educate. Or, maybe it'll just have to be a gradual change that will take place one garden at a time.
As for eateries, there are a few, but I don't know if they're still running-Pipa, Lucy's Kitchen, Ideya, and one or two mom and pop places-all in Manhattan. You have to look at the menu and occasionally have to be selective, but they're pretty good starts. There was another place called Patria. I loved their food, but I heard last year that they were changing locations. I never heard from them again.
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