Michael Pollan’s mantra, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants," has made him famous. He is against the food "culture" that has been imposed on America by the food industry and in favor of people rediscovering traditional food culture, from the way we sit down and eat together as families, traditionally, to the way we make certain foods at particular times of the year, seasonally (even if they're technically not "healthy," as that term is defined by the food regulatory-industrial complex).
Interestingly, every traditional diet seems to be healthier than the over-processed stuff Americans eat.
The food industry is about profit, so for example you will notice most processed foods contain "high fructose corn syrup," because, thanks to subsidies for large scale corn farming, that is one of the cheapest things in America, and something entirely unnecessary and even harmful for a human diet. Because it is so cheap, food corporations use high fructose corn syrup in myriad ways. Food industrialization has also pushed the evolution of the American palate towards preference for excess salt and sugar in everything, which helps with shelf life.
I generally agree with Michael Pollan, and kind of wish I had written his book before he did : ), because my parents, my brother, and I have had very similar conversations on the subject for years.
Food and culture are beautiful, and food is usually the way I get to know a new culture, and farmers' markets are wonderful places to get varieties of produce you never see in supermarkets, and it's fun to talk to the growers and just see the bounty.
Interestingly, every traditional diet seems to be healthier than the over-processed stuff Americans eat.
The food industry is about profit, so for example you will notice most processed foods contain "high fructose corn syrup," because, thanks to subsidies for large scale corn farming, that is one of the cheapest things in America, and something entirely unnecessary and even harmful for a human diet. Because it is so cheap, food corporations use high fructose corn syrup in myriad ways. Food industrialization has also pushed the evolution of the American palate towards preference for excess salt and sugar in everything, which helps with shelf life.
I generally agree with Michael Pollan, and kind of wish I had written his book before he did : ), because my parents, my brother, and I have had very similar conversations on the subject for years.Food and culture are beautiful, and food is usually the way I get to know a new culture, and farmers' markets are wonderful places to get varieties of produce you never see in supermarkets, and it's fun to talk to the growers and just see the bounty.
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