“Eat no food that makes a health claim” (2/25 Update: Found the Michael Pollan Podcast!!)
by blogrdocMichael Pollan was intereviewed on Science Friday on NPR a couple weeks ago. I’ve been looking for a podcast of it to no avail. He made one of the most startling statements about diet (or any topic) I’ve ever heard. When you hear it, it won’t make immediate sense. But with three or so seconds of thought - it becomes clear of how true it is. Ready? Here it is:
Eat no food that makes a health claim.
Think about the foods that make health claims. And then think about if those foods are part of a sustainable diet. I was floored when I heard this advice.
Why is this true?
Pollan reasons that, for starters, in order for it to make the claim, it must have a package. If it has a package, it is likely processed. Clearly, there is also some marketing that has gone along with it, as well. Compare this, Pollan continues, to the bunch of carrots that sits quietly in the produce section. Not processed, no package, no marketing, but very nutritions.
The foods that are actually good for you (vegetables, whole grains) are self-evidently healthy and do not need any advertising to communicate that. The problem (of corporate food industry), is that these foods do not sell as well. Why do they not sell as well? Because we , as human race (mostly Americans), place more value on having something sweet and crunchy in our mouth than eating foods that actually serve as nutrition.
Update!! 2/25 10pm
Found the Michael Pollan Podcast! Right here: podcast
Popularity: 9% [?]
8 Responses to ““Eat no food that makes a health claim” (2/25 Update: Found the Michael Pollan Podcast!!)”
By Sam on Feb 23, 2008 | Reply
I came across your site after reading your comment in Scott Young’s “Why Atheism?” post (great comments by the way).
I recently purchased Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivores Dilemma: The Natural History of Four Meals. While I haven’t yet started reading it (reading The Promise of Sleep at the moment, which I highly recommend), I have heard a lot about it and Michael Pollan on the web.
America is in a sad state when it comes to health and dieting. People seem to think they can eat fast foods and other prepackaged processed foods, and then when summer comes around they can go on the “diet of the moment” and magically lose all those pounds. They don’t truly understand what the term diet.
To them a diet is a painful short term process they must suffer through to achieve a desired result. They don’t realize that a diet is actually a way of life; that it’s what you eat all the time. You can’t just eat healthy a few weeks or months out of the year and expect to look and feel great. Americans need to realize that real food isn’t derived of corn products and doesn’t come in a pretty box.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to starting The Omnivores Dilemma in the next week or so. Have you read any of Pollan’s books?
By blogrdoc on Feb 23, 2008 | Reply
I have not read any of Pollan’s books, but they are definitely high on my reading list.
He talked on his NPR interview how the food industry makes a lot more money off junk-food vs healthy food. The reality is that it is the *public* that has allowed this. This is why I believe that in order to make real change, the tail will have to wag the dog. That is the theme of this blog…. making small, nearly imperceptible changes on a daily basis in order to ultimately reprogram ourselves and those around us.
By Alik on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
even if they serve what they show on their ads it is still pure poison
http://www.thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm
i just come back from one week trip from the US, guys - i feel sorry for all US citizens and those who forced to eat what theys serve even in fine restaurants. I paid 70 bucks only to witness how they killed fine sea food in deep fry…
I feel deep sorrow for those overweight kids and grownups i saw all over
When i asked to serve me a salad they did not understand what i want.
I feel deep deep sorry for America for what it feeds their people…. deep sorrow and pain, mostly in stomach…
By Seamus on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
Here’s that mp3 plug in for you:
http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/taraganas-delicious-mp3-player-wordpress-plugin/
By blogrdoc on Feb 25, 2008 | Reply
Thanks, Seamus!
By Yemek Tarifleri on Jul 1, 2008 | Reply
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