Diet for a New America - Essay Example

? DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA (A Personal Point of View) of the School Submitted: Introduction Man is somewhat unique among animal species, because Man is an omnivore. The word means people can eat either plants or animals, or both. This further means the food choices that is available to people has a very wide variety indeed. Omnivore is a Latin word roughly meaning “to eat anything” which implies people can eat carnivores (animals that eat other animals), and herbivores (animals that eat only plants), but a key characteristic of omnivores is their inability to eat grasses and other substances in grains and plants because of their digestive systems. It means omnivores can eat fruits and vegetables to get the nutrients but these food sources go out or exit from their body systems essentially undigested. This is why people are encouraged to eat grains and other foods with lots of fiber to cleanse the large intestines (colon) but the fibers end up in a stool as not totally processed, unlike meats, fish, fowls, and most other protein sources. Man evolved over thousands of years to eat virtually anything edible in order to stay on top of the food chain. For quite a long time, man relied on hunting for animals to eat before he in turn developed agriculture and became more of a planter than a hunter. This change in lifestyles has a profound effect on the environment as well as on his health. Where before he had to always be on the move to hunt for game, a more sedentary life made him more dependent on the locality because the fertility of the soil determines to a large degree his survival, how to be able to grow food in abundance. This in turn produced profound effects on population growth, because small plots of land can support a larger population, until it became a problem on how to support them. This brief paper tackles the issues of food production, the types of food modern man eats, and the consequences of modern living, dependent to a large extent on industrial food production. Discussion The shift to agriculture-based food sources was a big event in the history of mankind. It enabled human populations to grow exponentially, as there is now more food available. This was also hastened by the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century, which saw the rise of mechanized farming. Large tracts of land came under cultivation, and the fear of famines from food shortages had been virtually eliminated, although famine still happens occasionally in parts of the world like Africa but due to weather conditions, such as extreme drought. The sheer variety of food sources also increased, but ironically, there are many instances in which the food sources are dangerously insecure, such as by planting mono-crops like corn, wheat, sorghum, etc. that is vulnerable to some plant pests, viruses, locusts, rat infestations, and other threats. Another significant consequence of the shift to industrial food production is the number of industrial-type farms that raise cattle for beef, hog farms, chicken farms, and all other protein food sources. Modern life is now increasingly reliant on industrial food, and this had altered the modern diet. It is now heavy on animal proteins, although the other plant proteins are equally available. Western diets are composed mainly of animal proteins, and these are suspected to be a predisposing factor in the incidence of certain types of ailments, like cancer, hypertension, heart diseases, diabetes, and the epidemic of obesity. A typical Western diet is composed of about 70% animal protein (beef, chicken, and pork) instead of plant-based proteins which are safer to eat. In a short video narrated by Mr. John Robbins, he pointed out how the usual Western diet is usually made up of proteins like animal meats and dairy products which are also high in saturated fats. It has been pinpointed how fatty foods lead to a variety of diseases as mentioned above. There is certainly truth to the old adage that “we are what we eat” and people should pay more attention to what they are eating, especially if it is industrial food. This kind of food is far from being the healthy type of organic foods that health experts recommend for people to stay healthy, alert, and free from ailments for a disease-free long and satisfying life. This subject of a topic that is of intense interest for most people have also been the point discussed in a famous book entitled “The Omnivore's Dilemma” which extensively discussed the dangerous reliance on industrial corn and its twin mono-crop in the American Midwest, which is soybeans. The author is a professor of journalism at the University of California (Berkeley) and part-time contributor to the New York Times Magazine. Of particular concern today is the extensive use of artificial sweeteners in most of processed foods (ready meals, breakfast cereals, noodles, soups, candies, snacks, and beverages like colas, sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, beer, and soft drinks). Use of artificial sweeteners is pervasive because it is several times sweeter than the natural sugars and therefore cheap (Center for Ecoliteracy, 2013, p. 1) but dangerous due to chemicals that can be carcinogenic, or cause some unforeseen side effects, like sorbitol, which can cause severe bowel movement problems if used at high levels in processed foods (Associated Press, 2013, p. 1). In his best-selling book, author Michael Pollan argued how modern societies became in effect over-reliant on processed foods and a fast-food diet heavy in animal proteins, saturated fat, and also high in cholesterol content. This in turn caused the prevalence of cancer, hypertension, and other diseases so common in the developed Western countries. It is ironic how modernity in agriculture through industrial food production methods has caused many people to live unhealthy lives; fatty diets high in cholesterol that cause heart attacks and strokes (Pollan, 2006, p. 100). John Robbins convincingly showed how people can save themselves, the environment, and the planet Earth by going back to the basics, eating the right kind of foods which are not too reliant on industrial food production, which aggravate the assault on environmental degradation. For example, plant proteins are equally good, if not even better, compared to animal proteins. In his short video, animals raised in industrial farms also raise serious ethical questions regarding a moral issue of animal cruelty (Robbins, 2011, p. 1) because these animals are placed inside small, confined spaces to minimize the use of land but can maximize profits for big companies. After watching the said short video, I certainly will now be more careful with what I eat. It is important to change my diet to whole grains, plant proteins, and carbohydrates (from cereals like rice, whole wheat, sweet potatoes, and not from industrial starch like corn). Like what was mentioned in the said video, people are subject to four main factors which affect their health: the genetics, medical history, diet, and exercise. The first two is hard to change, while the latter two are quite easy to alter; people can choose what they will eat, and exercise more for a longer life. Conclusion Like what the ancients had said many times before, food can be medicine too. This is a clear proof of how certain foods can be incorporated into our lifestyles and diets without any of a diminution of our need for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients necessary for healthy living. A good example is to use honey instead of natural sugars (such as glucose, lactose, fructose, and sucrose which are expensive); honey has health benefits like anti-bacterial and anti-oxidants in it. (Chepulis, 2009, p. 37) and shy away from artificial sweeteners. It is not necessary to rely on processed foods like red meat in cans such as beef and pork. Again, we are what we eat. References Associated Press (2013, March 05). “China destroys Ikea cake, Nestle chocolate.” Retrieved on March 23, 2013 from http://www.theolympian.com/2013/03/05/2447734/china-destroys-ikea-cake-nestle.html Center for Ecoliteracy (2013). "We are what we eat." Retrieved on March 24, 2013 from http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat Chepulis, L. (2008). Healing honey: A natural remedy for better health and wellness. Boca Raton, FL, USA: Universal Publishers Incorporated, Pollan, M. (2006). The omnivore's dilemma: The search for a perfect meal in a fast-food world. Soho Square, London, UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. Robbins, J. (2011, January 08). "Diet for a new America." Retrieved on March 25, 2013 from http://vimeo.com/18573911 Read More