“You are what you eat.”
-Victor Lindlahr
If you think about the ultimate message of “Food, Inc.,” the Oscar nominated documentary from last year, you are likely to get extremely depressed. Apart from condemning the current diet of most Americans, the film presents a vivid picture of how our lives are increasingly controlled by the giant corporations that produce the means by which we live our lives.
And, since eating is undeniably one of those means, and by most accounts we aren’t eating well these days, those corporations are responsible for some decidedly bad karma. That view, espoused implicitly in the film by Michael Pollan (author of the best-selling books, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “The Botany of Desire” and his current release, “Food Rules”), flows from an examination of the history of American agriculture and cattle ranching in the years since World War II.
Pollan presented his basic thesis on the positive and negative aspects of food production and consumption in a one-hour address to a sizeable gathering of law students, professors and administrators at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento last week. It was an absolutely riveting lecture.
Pollan begins his historical review by emphasizing the power of the sun and the process of photosynthesis that allows plants to grow while animals thrive. Photosynthesis occurs when carbon dioxide is converted through exposure to sunlight into organic compounds, to wit: food. It is nature’s/God’s great gift to all living things, and it requires nothing more than normal amounts of sunlight and breathing (something all living entities are wont to do on a fairly regular basis). Properly understood, this system is a no-waste, closed-nutrient cycle, naturally produced and naturally cleansed, if you will.
Until World War II, Pollan tells us, the United States used photosynthesis effectively to produce the foods its populace ate. The country had a sun-powered food system, as Pollan refers to it, whereby farmers grew plants and livestock ate the grass on which they roamed. It was, in essence, a self-sustaining system, with the sun providing the fuel to grow the flora that the fauna ate and with the excretions of the fauna providing the fertilizer to enhance the regeneration of more flora for more fauna to eat.
Indeed, apart from unfortunate periods of severe drought conditions in the heartland of America’s agriculture, this system had been working very well for centuries before the outbreak of the Second World War.
But with the end of that war, Pollan notes, three problems created an impetus for increased food production beyond what the normal sun-powered cycle would allow. Those problems were the severe hunger in many parts of the world resulting from the years of deprivation during the war, the need for utilization of the war-machinery factories that were now left without a purpose, and the sudden explosion of babies that swept the nation (resulting in the baby-boomer generation).
The confluence of those three problems led to the sudden shift in the creation of food that has led us to where we are today. Simply stated, we substituted oil for the sun and created processed foods in place of natural foods. Processed foods are those that are made in factories, which is where most of the food we eat now comes from, including most of the meats we eat (all of which are fed processed grain, instead of naturally-grown grass).
The long and the short of it is that most of our food is corn based or soybean based, and corn and soybeans, while fine in moderate quantities, are high in starch and sugar. Thus, the diet of the average American is high in the same items, as is the diet of the animals (beef especially) that most Americans consume in large quantities.
The result is a three-fold problem, Pollan says. First, we have a major health problem due to the increased incidents of type-II diabetes along with cardio-vascular disease and cancer (all resulting from bad diets). Second, we have an increased dependence on oil, since most of our food supply is now generated in one way or another by oil, the sun and its photosynthetic power having been reduced to a much smaller (almost non-existent) role. And third, we have created a dramatic increase in greenhouse gases which is, at least in part, responsible for the threat of planet climate change.
So, where do the giant corporations come into the picture? They are the drivers of the whole system. Small farms, the lifeblood of the pre-war food chain, no longer exist as a viable force. They have all been consumed (pun intended) by the mega-corps who own the factories that produce the food. And those mega-corps are in business to sell the food they are producing.
Just think about the cost of a few basic food items. A gallon of milk now costs upwards of $5.00, while a gallon of soda might be one quarter that amount. A head of broccoli might cost upwards of two bucks, while a big bag of corn chips might cost considerably less. Consider the current trend in fast-food dining – the dollar meal. What kind of nutrition is provided in the one dollar burger? Who is producing it? Why are they offering it for so low a price? What else do most consumers buy when they get those burgers?
Thinking about these questions may get you angry, especially if you realize how little control you have over what you actually have the freedom to choose to eat. Check the labels on the stuff you buy from your local market. Who’s really producing that food? Where is it coming from? (I’ll leave for another day the limited protection and oversight that the governmental agencies – the FDA and the USDA – actually exert over the making of our foodstuffs, the political clout of the mega-corps being far more powerful than any consumer groups.)
But if you aren’t angry, at least get curious. Start investigating the Pollan viewpoint. See “Food, Inc.” (now available on DVD). Read Eric Schlosser’s “Fast Food Nation.” Open your eyes. Find out who’s feeding you and what you’re eating.
Great job, Ed. Wonderfully written and smartly summarized.
The beauty of this political debate is that it crosses political boundaries – both those on the right and left want healthy food to feed their children, if not themselves. And it’s changing, yes it is. And the best way to continue to change the system, as my friend and brilliant wellness coach Scott Estrada says, is with your pocketbook. Buy organic, locally-grown food. Many of the organic farms near Sacramento are having trouble keeping up with demand.
Something Ed touched on was the incredible impact food has on health… and therefore healthcare. With the astonishingly high rates of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer (yes, even that is related to diet) think of the reduction in chronic disease that could be achieved with a more healthy diet?
Research well and eat better. And everybody wins.
Very interesting column, Ed. Thanks for the information about Mr. Pollan’s lecture. I am keenly interested in this as health and fitness are very important to my family.. Matt (above) is right… your pocketbook is the best way to effect change. I am starting to frequent a farmer’s market on Saturdays much more often. Checking where food comes from in grocery stores, the closer the better. I intend to watch “Food Inc” in the near future, depressing as it may be. And, I am over 30 years out having not eaten red meat or pork. Still eat chicken and fish but I think red meat is the worst, health wise. Try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables and cutting down on the processed stuff- but it’s hard when both parties work and you don’t have all day to make a home-made fresh meal all the time. We try to strike a balance.. I NEVER eat fried fast food crap. It’s a constant attempt to balance cost, convenience and healthy choices!
And yes, this is important for the nation as a whole because bad food is driving up health care costs and contributing to diabetes, heart problems, etc. Just step away from McDonald’s people! 🙂
Thanks for bringing attention to this important subject!
This is beautifully written–and terrifyingly accurate.
Going organic is one way to get nutrient rich foods while avoiding scary hormones, pesticides, and other bad chemicals. But given the cost, it’s worth mentioning that some foods are worth the added expense, health-wise, and others you can forego. For example, produce like apples, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines, and other fragile, fleshy fruits and vegetables are totally worth it. But the fact is, you can avoid a lot of the harmful chemicals just by thoroughly washing your fruits and vegetables (and I highly recommend using slightly warm water for best flavor). But I think you can just go with whatever when it comes to oranges, bananas, and the like.
But don’t assume anything. Organic is now a big business, too. If you can rely on your local farmer’s market, you can support the sustainability effort while getting healthier produce.
I’m willing to bet Americans probably don’t even eat enough fruits and vegetables to worry about pesticides. We are a society that is constantly on the go. And so we eat on the go. We eat and drink out of cans, bottles, and boxes. And nothing “healthy” comes out of any of it. Oh, I’m sure the labels promise you everything under the sun, but that doesn’t mean it’s true.
Do yourself a favor and consider, really consider, Professor Telfeyan’s advice on this one. Get pissed; get depressed. And then get educated.
Read some journals, take a nutrition class (I highly recommend UCD’s Nutrition 10). Thank you, Dr. Applegate!) Read labels, but really read labels. Find out what is in your food. Learn about the food of your food. All of these toxins, antibiotics, and hormones hijack your system.
Same goes for refined sugars. All bad. High Fructose Corn Syrup is worse than crack cocaine because it is even more addictive and in practically everything (it’s even in your “low fat” salad dressing that you eat because you think it’s “healthy and good for you!”).
Artificial sweeteners like saccharine and aspartame (among others) are the devil. MSG is another one. Just because scientists have not conclusively proven that MSG is a carcinogen, doesn’t mean it’s good for you and not getting freaky with your biochemistry.
Don’t be fooled by labels with “fat free” or “all natural.” More lies. Just because a product wears a label that is legally or technically correct, does not mean it isn’t designed to mislead you. Take MSG for example. MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. It’s what makes a lot of your favorite foods so damn tasty (and addictive). Some scientists believe that MSG is a neurotoxic carcinogen (again, it has not yet been conclusively proven). If you, like many people, would rather not chance it and just avoid MSG, watch out for those “MSG free” or “No MSG added” labels. All too often, manufacturers will doctor up the product so they can get the label, but when ingested, the product will still adversely affect your body. It’s because the product contains other salts that are essentially the same shit, but because it has a different nomenclature, they can get away with slapping a label that says “No MSG” or whatever. The busy consumer doesn’t have the time to find out about all of the free glutamic acid that is in the meat and other products they are eating (the FDA approves this, by the way).
Just because the FDA claims something is safe, doesn’t mean it isn’t going to cause you health problems. And don’t even get me started on how the FDA will look the other way, thereby allowing corporations to knowingly mislead consumers (often consumers with serious health problems). Human beings really weren’t designed to eat all of these man-made chemicals. Many people don’t understand that their foods and beverages (often the ones we love the most. . .Diet Coke, I’m looking at you) are the root of their migraines, hypertension, diabetes, weight gain, fatigue, depression; you name it, food will do it.
All of it interacts with your genes and disrupts endocrine function, which is what leads to hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes (the rates of which are truly alarming). Some people are luckier than others with the genetic lottery. But the body can only handle so much abuse before it eventually starts to break down.
You see, manufacturers can fool people; and you can fool yourself all you like, but your body knows better. All of the politicians and weasel lawyers in the world cannot deceive your DNA. DNA doesn’t give a damn about dogma. Cancer cells don’t care who you voted for. Republican, democrat; doesn’t matter. Your physiology works the same irrespective of your party politics.
You need to read the ingredients. Read the science. Real science (not just the bought and paid for stuff that the corporations want you to read). And then you got to keep reading. Chances are, if you don’t recognize something (or can’t pronounce it), it has no legitimate business swimming around in your system and influencing cellular function. If you are uncertain about something; write it down and look it up, ask your doctor, call a friend. Ask me. I’ll be more than happy to break it down for you.
Of course, knowing is only half the battle. You have to actually do something about it. And that’s where I’m at with all this. I get it. It’s hard to eat healthy with brutal schedules, little time, stress, etc, etc.
At any rate, today we really have little control over our food. But people can change anything with proper motivation. Just take it one meal at a time. . .
Thank you for raising awareness of this very important issue.
Just finished watching Food Inc. with the family. It was really engaging and well-done. Powerful, really. I really loved the ending, somehow.
I just dropped in to say that I stand by everything I said above.
And then some.
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