Escape From the Western Diet by Michael Pollan

How many books about nutrition and diet did we come across so far? How many of them have impressed us that much so we changed our eating habits? How helpful those books were to change our lives? Well†¦For the one who cares about being healthy and his eating habits, it is easy to say that this type of audience is intended to read more on this issue. However, there are many of the books promising to give a completely new way of thinking on the eating habits, providing the brand new diet plan (or set of diets) to follow and are called for bring you great results on healthy eating. But the very few of them are really beneficial to the reader so that he is convinced to buy eco-products, focused more on changing his shopping habits to local markets and farms and is very keen to adjust it to feel healthier and become very selective in food and meals he is to have. â€Å"Escape from the Western diet† summary Thus, in Michael Pollans article â€Å"Escape from the Western Diet†, which is derived from many books he has written, he presents research on diets, fads, and eating habits. The author is not only opening up the conversation of an unhealthy western diet. He is opening up the conversations of a crooked health care system, accusing the system of not helping the diet issue because they profit more from the outcome. The article begins by explaining the different theories for the causes of disease in the western hemisphere, specifically the United States of America. More free time? Better grade? Click on this button nowOrder Now Towards the beginning of Pollans article he makes it clear what his view is of the one-nutrient explanation and what the purpose is for the article. Moving forward, there are presented different ways of how the author was trying to persuade his reader not getting to much on a personal level but it was very clear that the message he passed was very straight forward to get to each and everyone of his audience. The style and language Pollan used is quite shocking: someone could call it cynical, treacherous, cult, and at some point not very positive when it comes to the aftertaste reader might have after (it could get the audience frustrated or irritated toward Pollan’s thoughts) – but after all that was the intention: to help reader get the message and then persuade him to listen to what his ideas and beliefs are. Overall, Pollans argument is very strong and convincing. Pollan traces the beginnings of our present epidemic of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes to the late 1970s, when America bought into the lipid hypothesis, the theory that dietary fat is responsible for chronic disease. While the widespread acceleration of the Western diet has given us the instant gratification of sugar, in many people, especially those newly exposed to it, the speediness of this food overwhelms the ability of insulin to process it, leading to type 2 diabetes and all the other chronic diseases associated with metabolic syndrome. Pollan acknowledges the correlation between the Western diet and chronic diseases but believes in the end, that theories are simply that, theories. Pollan observes â€Å"for the medical community too scientific theories about diet nourish business†¦ new theories beget new drugs†¦ and new diets organized around each new theory’s elevation of one class of nutrient and demotion of another† (Pollan, 436). Basically, Pollan is informing that the health industry wants to profit off the theories declared by making drugs in regards to the nutrients cut down on. The examples of the food industry, medicalizing the Western diet, and the product from the feedlot steer help to back up his claim to escape the worst elements of the Western diet. He also puts responsibility on the shoulders of the American people when he spoke of taking more time to prepare and enjoy meals to be closer to the center of a well-lived life. Throughout the whole article the author seems to make claims but not fully explain why that claim is right. In his article he starts off with factual information then goes into his opinions on the content. Having providing not too much of details being confirmed with facts and statistics on his ideas, Pollan’s article leaves the reader with â€Å" food for thinking†, calls the humanity to stay concerned about food and meals and understand why its important to be informed and make changes where possible. To use Pollans own words, the health of the soil to the health of the plants and animals we eat to the health of the food culture in which we eat them to the health of the eater, in body as well as mind. Pollan’s point is to simply eat smarter and he goes as far to suggest that we ourselves, are part of the problem because we do not spend enough money or time in terms of preparation on food. The conclusion that Pollan reaches is that if Americans would follow his three rules Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants then the number of people affected by disease would be lower. All in all, the article passes the final message to the audience and intends to have the reader to be exposed to a fascinating set of facts about the history of food and food culture, and receive a valuable set of advice that will likely serve as a useful starting point for contemplating your own philosophy of eating. We all need to focus more of our attention on our health then we are right now. The more people that make this effort, the quicker we will become a healthier nation