What's Eating America By Michael Pollan Summary

American society has grown so accustomed to receiving their food right away and in large quantities. Only in the past few decades has factory farming come into existence that has made consuming food a non guilt-free action. What originally was a hamburger with slaughtered cow meat is now slaughtered cow meat that’s filled with harmful chemicals. Not only that, the corn that that cow was fed with is also filled with chemicals to make them grow at a faster rate to get that hamburger on a dinner plate as quickly as possible. Bryan Walsh, a staff writer for Time Magazine specializing in environmental issues discusses in his article “America’s Food Crisis” how our food is not only bad for us but dangerous as well. The word dangerous

Chapter one of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan follows corn on its journey from acting as the primary crop of the Native Americans all the way to its introduction into the industrial setting. Pollan makes it explicitly clear that corn is in everything. Behind all the chemicals listed in the “ingredients” section on a product, consumers will find corn. Corn even plays a role in our chemical makeup. Because of corn’s ability to intake more carbon than most other plants, it does not have a preference over the carbon isotopes it consumes. By looking at the carbon isotope ratios in humans, we can determine how much corn one has eaten. Pollan states that corn’s variability is what makes it such an important crop. The European settlers

Farmers are paid to overproduce corn, which is sold for less than the cost of production. Much of the excess is used as a cheap sugar substitute in various products, and much of it used to feed cattle; to produce bigger, meatier cows. It is at this point we learn of the unintended consequences of constantly putting quantity before quality, in the chapter aptly titled ‘unintended consequences.’ Cows fed a corn diet produce deadly strains of e-coli, leading to numerous safety recalls of beef in recent years. Pollan at one point tells us that simply feeding cows grass for a period of five days would virtually eliminate any strains of the contaminate, but that this is seen as a fiscally excessive exercise by the corporations. He is presented as somewhat of an authority on the matter, but all we are really told is that he is an author with interest in mass produced foods, an attempt at ethos that falls somewhat flat. Instead of doing this however, a new industry has emerged: one that combines ammonia with hamburger filler for the companies, killing any strains of e-coli before they can reach the consumer. The film attempts to portray a deadly cycle, where untested solutions often produce deadly side-effects; which are in turn fixed with even more untested solutions, a technique that seems quite effective.

Horrigan, L., Lawrence, R., & Walker, P. (2002). How sustainable agriculture can address the environmental and human health harms of industrial agriculture. Environmental Health Perspective. In this article, Horrigan agrees with Pollan that there is definitely a problem with using corn-based feed for animals who are to then be fed to human beings. Specifically, Horrigan examines both animal feed and the danger of other forms of pollution which have an impact on human food production and eventual consumption. The authors make the claim that animal consumption itself is highly dangerous and perhaps should be universally abolished in order to help the environment in terms of pollutants and to help humans in their health concerns.

Corn is not the ideal nutritious food. It wreaks havoc on the animal;s' digestive system and gets turned into sweeteners that makes people obese, aside from giving us an unhealthy diet. In other words, the industrial food chain that American man is sustained on is largely based on corn, whether in its direct form, fed to livestock, or processed into chemicals such as glucose, and the cheapest forms of these are high-fructose corn syrup and ethanol. The former, particularly, through a combination of biological, cultural, and political factors, appears in the cheapest and most common of foods that constitute the American diet. It is the ingredient that results in obesity, and, since it appears in the cheapest products, the ingredients that more poor, than wealthier individuals, consume.

Corn’s takeover finds its roots in history, specifically World War 2, when Fritz Haber had discovered how to synthetically manufacture nitrogen. However, Haber’s research was used for far more malicious acts than were intended during the wartime era, which, as Pollan asserted, clearly illustrates the double edged sword of science within an ethical viewpoint. But the leftovers of what Haber created was soon shifted into a new

Pollan believes that within the industrial food chain, there are a lot of things that happen that people should be more aware and cautious of. Many americans have no clue how the meat they’re eating was produced and how it came to be. Pollan states, “These animals have evolved to eat grass. But in a CAFO they are forced to eat corn- at considerable cost to their health, to the health of the land, and ultimately, to the health of us, their eaters,” (49) Cattle in CAFOs are being force-fed corn, which is unnatural. They use it to fasten the process of growth, and a lot of people think the meat they’re eating is natural and safe, when it most likely isn’t. Also used in Pollan’s point of view, “To the industrial food chain, cattle are just machines

What is an omnivore? An omnivore is a creature that consumes both plants and animals for nutrition. In Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma he explains just as the title suggests, the omnivore’s dilemma. In it he describes how omnivores, such as ourselves, came to eat the way we do now. Pollan divides his writing into four main areas: introducing what the omnivore’s dilemma is, explaining how we decide what to eat, introducing our anxieties towards eating, and the problem with how Americans decide what to eat. Pollan also calls on the expertise of Paul Rozin, who performed experiments with another omnivore, rats, and others.

With concerns of climate change on the rise, a growing population, and a fear of being unable to maintain water demands many of our daily practices are coming into question. Agriculture is not immune to the criticisms, particularly with regard to fossil fuels. In the mid 1900s farming operations started to exploit fertilizers and land to increase the yield of inexpensive grains. Such practices require fossil fuels in immense quantities through fertilizers, pesticides, and transportation. However, passionate debates often occur over the importance and where to go from here. Michael Pollan, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and the National Chicken Council vary widely in their opinions but it is likely that no one direction is feasible.

In the essay, Pollan also discusses about American eaters compared to French eaters. While Americans tend to choose a meal because of health reasons, French is more likely to choose on their favorite. However, French is the healthier ( thinner) compared to Americans. Americans assume that there is a chemical component that makes French food different from Americans even if it is the same meal. The truth is that French people can eat the same food we do and not get fat or other health problems because they eat their food in portions. They know how to make their meals smaller and also they do not eat snacks throughout the day. It does not matter if Americans eat a healthy lunch and a healthy dinner if they are also snacking throughout the day

Many alterations have been applied to the area that corn is grown in. The main biome that corn is grown would be grasslands. Grasslands are an extremely important biome for producing food, it was shown that approximately 90% of the food produced today contains at least one of the fifteen species that are grown in grasslands. Unfortunately, for there to be enough space for corn to be grown and harvested, native grasses must be cleared, therefore having a devastating impact on the biome. Corn is known to be the most thirsty crop to be grown, taking up almost 7,000 to 8,000 gallons of water, draining countries, that don't receive as much rain, of their groundwater. Another impact on the environment of corn production would be the excessive use of fertilizers, this is due to the little nutrients returned back to the soil. As corn is mainly used for consumption, very little plant

We begin, in the beginning – the seed. Food’s evolution, like all living beings, begins from a seed. The seed is the fundamental first stage of life. Genetically modified (GM) seeds are a threat to the entire food cycle and “…the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage” (Lopata, 210). Elizabeth Fitting explains this threat in Food Activism explaining the central role maize plays in Mexico. She writes, “The farming, milling and cooking of maize are a key part of everyday life in the countryside.” She goes on to say “In many indigenous regions of the Americas, maize seed retains a strong spiritual significance and is the focus of a variety of rituals involving the blessing of seed, celebrating of the harvest, and so on.” …”maize

The rise of fast-food contributes to this problem by tempting people everywhere they go, inhibiting them from living long and healthy lives. Industrial agriculture is a problem because it promotes maltreatment of animals and indirectly, humans. People are not that fortunate enough to eat anything and anywhere they desire, which results in unhealthy food choices. Fortunately, family farms and healthy food options are available, but until everybody can afford to eat healthy, the obesity epidemic will

This paper went into good detail on how corn is consumed in Mexico. How vital it is to Mexico and the challenges that the corn is suffering from continuing its sovereignty. Also how patent seeds are challenging the whole notion of peasant farming and some of the potential consequences there could be if companies like Monsanto expand. This article was helpful in understand the importance of owning the seeds is to the whole nation of a

Less fast food places should be built and more healthier restaurants should be created. Eating fast food is technically bad for you because it contains large amounts of carbohydrates, added sugar, unhealthy fats, and sodium. This can lead to obesity, vitamin deficiencies, and heart disease so we should really be in healthy shape. I also feel like we need more gyms other than the YMCA. The gyms included should also be free instead of having to pay. Working out maintains good heart health and is another way to stay healthy. You could possibly increase longevity. Exercising can also make your bones strong and is good cardiovascular wise. Not to be rude but there's a lot of people that need to work out. It is very important that our society stays health and is in top shape. The most important way to stay healthy is probably not to smoke. Smoking can cause lung cancer and stop you from doing physical activity. If you smoke, it can prevent you from playing sports in the future. Smoking is actually another way for you to kill yourself. Ever since I was young I believed that stores should stop selling cigarettes. The reason why people are dying is because cigarettes are being sold worldwide. People waste tons of money each year on it when that money could be used for something else. This is why we have to think before we do