Being healthy doesn’t mean being a food snob

If you go organic, you run the risk of contributing to the starvation of others. This is one of many outlandish claims made by Brian Wansink, author of the book Mindless Eating.  The author, who gives an inside look at what we eat and the reasons why, labels those who eat organic food as “rich yuppies,” apparently not thinking about those who cannot afford to buy a package of free-range chicken breasts.

In an interview with Sara Bresslor of Salon.com called “Sugar High: Why Your Food is Getting Sweeter,” Wansink references Domino’s Pizza, which recently had a much needed facelift, remaking all of their pizza and sauces from scratch. But Domino’s has made its sauce sweeter, banking on the idea that adding a little sugar to anything can make it taste better.

One person who agrees with Wansink is Anna North of Jezebel.com, who writes in her article “Sugar is Not the Enemy: Against the Demonization of Food” that she wishes people who enjoy a donut every now and then were not treated as “self-destructive crackheads.” North claims that the health nuts that rave about healthy eating have a “holier than thou” attitude.

She even defends the controversial food ingredient high fructose corn syrup, saying it should not be dismissed as bad. Besides, North rationalizes, it’s cheaper than real sugar.
Corn syrup, the predominant sweetener in everything from soda to salad dressing, is said to be a natural sweetener that simply enhances the flavoring of our foods. The FDA approved its introduction in 1977 after the price of pure sugar went up.

Not only is it cheaper to produce, but it also extends the shelf life of many processed foods. However, health experts have found that corn syrup is one of the chief culprits of obesity, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases, many of which increased in frequency since corn syrup was introduced.

Two years ago, I was ready to do a complete overhaul of my diet. A chronic overeater as a teen, it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay away from the unhealthy foods in bars and restaurants, since I was working full-time as a waitress. Most of the time, my meal choices were fried and greasy and within months I started to feel the effects. Lethargy, difficulty concentrating and a steady disinterest in work and school made me realize I needed to completely change the way I ate.

I was skeptical at first, wary over the sudden popularity of detox programs and going strictly organic. So I began researching for the most simple, inexpensive ways to stay healthy. After all, I thought, is being healthy really that hard?

Matthew Pollan, Oscar-nominated filmmaker for his 2009 documentary Food Inc., doesn’t think so. In his book, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Pollan gives an easy-to-understand rule about what to eat: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Simple for some, hard for many, but it disproves claims that eating healthy is some luxury only for the rich. Regardless of cost, sacrificing our health to save a few pennies on the dollar each month has led to billions being spent every year on treating diseases that could have been prevented just by eating right.

It is this cozy relationship that Pollan calls the “nutritional-industrial complex.” I agree with his belief that the food industry and nutritional scientists work close together to keep the foods we eat low in quality so that they can remain relatively cheap, be mass-produced at a faster rate and, in turn, keep the demand (and profits) high.

One of the many evils that keep this big business alive is the Food Guide Pyramid. Where meats, dairy and bread are listed between 4-11 servings per day, fruits and vegetables get only 2-5 servings per day. Such a small intake will not give our bodies enough of the necessary nutrients like Vitamin B, fiber and antioxidants to be truly healthy.

This is why during those rare moments you do find me in a grocery store instead of the local farmers market, I typically stay in one area: the produce section. I find more satisfaction in buying spinach and tomatoes than perusing the middle aisles of Kroger for cereal that will turn my milk blue or pasta sauces with ingredients I can’t even pronounce.

If that makes me “holier than thou,” then so be it.
 

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