Pollan and American Health

Pollan’s article, in the tradition of our Writ class, draws connections between food and American culture. It is no new information that our country is facing an obesity epidemic; Pollan describes it as “our national eating disorder”. It is characterized by a paradox, we are obsessed with eating healthy yet the United States is one of the least healthy countries. Pollan elaborates to diagnose the problem as the way we eat, not what we eat. We may strive to “eat healthy” but the way most Americans eat is not conducive to good health.   The French have one of the lowest rates of diet related health problems in the world. This “French paradox” has tried to be described by different facets of the French diet, cheese, wine etc… Pollan proposes that this renowned health is due to other factors; the French don’t snack, they eat smaller portions, never go back for seconds and most meals are a communal affair. This is a far cry from our food culture in the United States were snacking, seconds and large helpings are the norm.

Personally I feel I am not the average American. I eat regular portions and  don’t usually go back for seconds. However aspect of eating that affects me and my demographic the most is snacking. Everywhere, in my middle school, high school and college dorm, snacks are easily available and affordable. These vending machine dispensed death-packages are full of sodium, sugar and a host of unhealthy ingredients that are available to most American youth. This availability combined with a severe lack of dietary education is the main cause of the obesity epidemic especially for America’s youth.