Feeding: From Burgers to Pills
America is a culture of food; every holiday and event has a food associated with it. We, more than any other nation, are heavily influenced by food trends; we want the latest health movement to appear on our plates. And yet the “potato – usually in the form of French Fries” remains the most consumed vegetable in America (Retzinger 149). Americans want the most abundance, or pleasure, for as little work as possible; in other words we are highly interested in efficiency. This has led our society to become increasing distanced from the production of our food. We are unaware of the labor and resources it takes to make a hamburger. In a larger sense we have become disconnected from nature itself. We seldom see our food in its natural form. Not many of us kill our own chickens or pick our own tomatoes.
Perhaps there would be less beef, ham, chicken and turkeys consumed if we had to slaughter and dress our own meat.
Many Americans no longer cook. Eating has become a solitary activity, something done ‘on the go,’ as opposed to eating dinner with the family or friends. ‘Closet eating,’ even when done in the car, leads to overindulgence in the wrong types of foods. When we share conversation and activities during meals, we tend to eat slower, which allows us to be more aware of the point at which we are satiated, rather than eating so quickly that the crucial point is passed before we realize we are not just unpleasantly full, but are now stuffed. We also tend to consciously eat healthier when there are others looking on, and are more inhibited about our eating habits in public. I think we all benefit from eating and preparing at least one meal a day with the people that we love.
Excessive weight, especially the extremely unhealthy abdominal body fat developed in middle age and more and more often affecting even younger Americans, has been something my parents have been struggling with for several years. They are both intelligent, well-educated individuals, well read and well aware of the health risks associated with overweight conditions. Between the two of them, they have read and tried everything from South Beach, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, meditation, exercise, and many other diet and nutrition books. Recently, they have developed a set-piece daily eating plan, which removes ‘dangerous’ food cues that led to overeating in the past. Using what they have absorbed from all the reading, they focus on a standard, high-protein, low carb and cholesterol breakfast of Eggbeater scrambled eggs with mushrooms or onions, one vegetarian sausage patty, and several small tomatoes, cut in half, seasoned with a no-salt mixture of spices, and broiled in the oven. Midmorning snack is non-fat cottage cheese, afternoon snack is a bowel of grape tomatoes, and dinner is non-fat milk with spoon size Shredded Wheat and Bran with fresh blueberries. The only meal that allows for variety is lunch, which currently focuses on a Asian-style stir-fry with protein such as chicken, shrimp, fish or scallops, combined with mixed fresh and frozen vegetables, and sauces, served without rice. They may have one glass of wine after dinner, and coffee, tea or water throughout the day. I’m so glad I went to college before they started this regimen. It seems to be helping so far, but I think it is too early to tell for sure. The sustainability of this approach is also in question. But this is a good example of the importance of developing our own eating plans that fit our own lifestyle and needs, regardless of the current diet trends or fads.
America is a pill-popping nation; we take pills for almost everything. So it is not surprising that the idea of nutraceuticals is catching on in America. These are food supplements such as ginger and garlic in pill form. This is a logical step in our progression away from natural foods. Is this a bad thing? The American way of life has much going for it, abundance of food, and nutritional supplements. But I think by removing ourselves so far from the production of our food it teaches us not to question what we eat. Which is why I think genetically modified, GMO, foods have become so prevalent without most Americans really understanding what they are. I think if people became aware that we do not know most of the long-term effect of GMO foods they would be less likely to blindly consume them; maybe they would demand more information from companies like Monsanto.
As Retzinger points out “We learn through advertising to “derive pleasure from the spectacle” (Retzinger 156). I think very few people bother to learn more about a product than the ads tell them. In a society where we are saturated with ads, we need to learn to become more critical about them.
In general our culture needs to become more aware of what we are consuming, and learn to question whether or not the current health trend is right for us. Americans need to develop a mindset of moderation, instead of blindly following trends. Also, following these trends is expensive and therefore they help to create income disparities. The rich are able to buy organic foods or follow the latest diet of carefully prepackaged meals, while the poor must focus on getting the biggest calorie ‘bang’ for their buck, which usually means supersized McDonalds and it’s relatives.
Article Citations:
Retzinger, Jean P. “The Embodied Rhetoric of ‘Health’ from Farm Fields to Salad
Bowls.” Kathleen LeBesco and Peter Naccarato, eds.Edible Ideologies:
Representing Food and Meaning. Albany: State University of New York Press,
2008. Pp. 149-178.
Picture Links:
http://www.whitedragonmartialarts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/avoid-eating-in-your-car.jpg
http://www.expandmywealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/fad-diets.JPG
http://www.handbag.com/?module=images&func=display&fileId=86905
http://blstb.msn.com/i/B4/41CED5E455E02FEDB6CC3AE8B835.jpg
