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Michael Pollan
If you care about what you are putting into your body then you will want to read this book. Basically, as the author, Michael Pollan, puts it, our nation is facing a food crisis. We are so ready to follow the current eating fads and new diets that we are missing out on the point of eating, to provide nutrition and pleasure for your body. I learned so much from this book and cannot wait to read the rest of Michael Pollan’s books. Here are some little tidbits from the book to get you thinking about food…
Did you know that we are mostly made up of corn? You might be thinking, wait I don’t even eat corn. You’re probably right, you probably do not eat corn, except at the occasional summer BBQ. Do you eat processed food? Do you eat meat? Then you are eating corn. Michael Pollan goes on a food journey and traces our food sources back to the root of it all and the majority of our food comes from corn. Not nice healthy corn, but genetically engineered, pesticide-filled, economy and earth destroying corn. Don’t even get me started on what chicken nuggets have in them, but I guarantee that if you read this book you will not want to ever eat a chicken nugget again, much less feed one to your little guys and gals.
Never thought I’d say this, but it seems as though capitalism is ruining our food industry and a lot of what we are consuming in mass quantities are not only ruining our bodies, but our earth and economy as well. Ever heard of Monsonto? Or should I say MonSATAN? Pretty clever I think, but seriously, do we really want to be consuming genetically engineered seeds that are patented by the same corporation that developed Agent Orange and Round-Up? I was a little disappointed that the author did not go more into this company, I think he mentioned it briefly, but that would take a whole other novel. Just watch the “Future of Food” and see how this company controls the government and ruins generational farmers.
Now let’s talk about the ‘Organic’ eaters. But wait you say, I go to Whole Foods and get my nice organic food. Great, you are one tiny step ahead of the corn eating obese Americans. Next time you are in your blessed Whole Foods take a look at where your produce comes from. Is it from the US? Probably not, or if so, very small amounts. What started as a “support the local farmer” has now turned into the Walmart for organic food. Gasp! I ask you this, what is better and more logical as a person who wants to eat organic to help the earth and their bodies; eating industrialized organic foods that is covered in petroleum on its way across the world to get here, or supporting sustainable local farming? We have some of the best soil and farm lands in the world and we are buying produce from other countries! Just a thought…
Now, sorry if I come across a little strong, but we need to step up and get it together.
Back on topic… the chapter in this book that has changed my way of thinking about where I purchase my produce and meat is the chapter on sustainable farming. Basically, it’s the way to go. Period. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work. Think about it though, the symbiotic relationship between the farm animals, the crops and the forest is a beautiful thing. The author visits a farm in Virginia that doesn’t use antibiotics, hormones, or feed his animals unnatural foods, such as corn (oh there it is again). Animals are not meant to eat corn and that’s why they need to be pumped full of antibiotics. His animals are free to roam the pastures and the cows eat grasses and the chickens eat the bugs and they all help each other in this little utopia. Actually, when you eat the meat of these animals it is a lot better for you. Full of Omega-3’s and very little saturated fats are in these meats. You are what you eat, and I want to be sunshine and positive energy. Isn‘t that argument enough?
Are there really farms out there like this? Well, I wanted to check it out myself to see if supporting this type of farming is even possible. Everywhere I drive on the Northern California coast there are free-roaming cows. By the way, happy cows do not come from all of California, happy cows come from Northern California. Trust me I’ve seen the cows in Southern California and they do not look too happy at all. Back to my own search for some happy farms… I’ve found a plethora of sustainable farms right here in my own backyard! Marin County, Pt. Reyes in particular, has several wonderful farms! I’ve also seen farms like this across the country; they are everywhere!
What I really enjoyed about The Omnivore’s Dilemma is that the author did not insert his own opinion into the book. He was a journalist on a food adventure. Really, he presented the facts about the different ways we eat and let me make up my own mind. He played Devil’s Advocate on all accounts, including the sustainable farm, but I have to say his book impacted me from the first chapter. He starts with the worst types of food, ones full of high fructose corn syrup and ends with his own hunting and gathering experience. I loved how he delved into the histories of farming and went into the details of even the organic farming. It got me thinking about relying on government labels to tell me if food is good for you or not. Just because it says organic certified does not mean it is particularly nutritious. In fact a lot of farms that practice sustainability and ‘organic’ farming do not want to be certified organic by the USDA because it’s just more regulations that are there to protect the bigwigs, not the farms.
Well, as Reading Rainbow would say, “Don’t take my word for it…” Read this book yourself and be enlightened!
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