In Defense of Food Part 1

What was the McGovern comittee's response? Was this helpful to consumers?

"Speak no more of foods, only nutrients." This was not helpful to consumers because recommendations for food became based on nutrient by nutrient rather than food by food to avoid offending powerful interests.

Relate the FDA role to the McGovern Commission?

The FDA has come out more successful, making people buy more synthetic products for the sole reason that they are healthy because of their nutrients.

What does the book say about the official US recommendation for sucrose in the diet?

25% of daily calories

What is the main message of the book?

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

What are two possible ways to interpret the sentence "Eat more low-fat foods"?

Eating more low-fat foods is actually unhealthy for you because of the synthetic "low nutrient foods you eat". People will become fatter off eating lower fat foods.

Provide examples of how food labeling has transformed everyday items: Chapter 4 End

Genetically engineered leaner beef and pork (and omega-3 engineered), elevated omega-3 level in egg yolks, imitation "low-carb" spaghetti, "whole-grain" sugary cereals.

What is the reason for the decline in deaths form heart disease? Chapter 8 End

Improvement of modern medicine saving people from heart disease (and cessation of smoking has benefited).

What is the tone of the book?

He has an an optimistic tone, that if you are willing to take his advice and see past the ways of nutritionism, you will be able to live healthier and enjoy eating food.

What is our current "low-carb" diet leading us to?

Increase in incidence of obesity and diabetes in America

Has it become easier or harder to distinguish real food from things that have artificial ingredients?

It has become harder ever since the removal of the Imitation label. Because now foods can b replaced with synthetic counterparts that are nutritionally equivalent to what they try to replace.

What is the goal of the book?

It is an invitation to join the movement of food that is renovating our food system in the name of health.

What does the chapter say about the "lipid hypothesis" and our constant desire for low-fat foods?

Low-fat campaign was based on little scientific evidence and may have caused unintended health consequences.

What does Pollan say has become the role of the Food and Drug Administration? Chapter 3 End

Nutritionism became the official ideology of the FDA. They redefined food as the sum of their recognized nutrients. To push out our eating as "scientific".

Is Nutritionism a good thing? Is it helpful to people when shopping for food?

Nutritionism is not a good thing. It's not helpful for people because they are focused on looking for foods that contain nutrient they believe are healthy, and they seek this advice from experts being scientists and journalists.

What are the four diseases due to our eating habits? Intro End

Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer

Why does the author think that the new findings on lipid intake and health have not been publicized?

That if people hear that they were wrong, nobody will listen to the scientists and nutritionists who came up with the lipid hypothesis.

How did John Kellogg start out in the food business? Chapter 2 End

Started the breakfast cereal business to dethrone animal protein at the morning meal.

Kellogg and Fletcher represent a humorous but also sad example of what happens when you believe that the pleasure of eating is degenerate or immoral. What is this example? Chapter 7 End

That chewing foods one hundred times per bite would improve subjective and objective well-being of a person.

What are the intentions of Michael Pollan?

The intentions of Pollan are for Americans to be able to allow Americans to consume real food, be healthier, and enjoy what they eat.

Who benefits from the "Nutritionism may be the best thing...", way of thinking, who loses, and how? Chapter 6 End

The scientists and producers benefit. This is because they profit more and people are more guaranteed to listen to them. The consumer loses because they become unhealthier, and are entrapped and stuck listening to the producers and scientists pushing them to continue following the unhealthy diets pushed out.

What does it say of cholesterol?

There is a weak non significant positive correlation between dietary cholesterol and risk of CHD.

What was the problem with the US Academy of Sciences? Chapter 1 End

They needed to codify an official dietary language. (Ended up forming one that we still speak up to today)

What is Pollan's view about the McGovern commission and their thinking? Chapter 5 End

They were claimed to help Americans move to a healthier diet, that ended up with having more heart attacks on it.

What was the reaction to the proposed recommendation to eat less meat by the "cow industry"?

This brought a negative reaction because people were being offended on being told how much "food" to eat. (switched to nutrients)

What does "nutritionism" mean?

foods are the sum of their nutrient parts; consuming food is for its nutritional value