Whole Foods Versus Processed FoodsAnalysis based on In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

N. Merna TorresOctober 8, 2014

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Processed foods Whole foods

Introduction

• The way human produce and consume food has dramatically changed over time.

• How did we go from eating whole organic food to processed foods? And Why?

• Michael Pollan gives a great overview of the history of food production and consumption in his book, In Defense of Food.

• According to Pollan, the history of refining whole food has been a history of figuring out ways not just to make them more durable and portable, but to also how to concentrate their energy and, in a sense , speed them up. (p 107)

Categories of Food

• There are two categories of foods, whole and processed foods.

• Whole foods are fruits and vegetables, whole grains, non-homogenized dairy products.

• Processed foods are refined foods in which nutrients are removed so that they do not spoil and are easier to stored and be transported.

Whole foods• Whole foods are found in their

natural state.• They maintain their vitamins and

minerals and nutrients. (Nazario, 2009)

• Fruits and vegetables are whole foods that contain phytochemicals, which are the natural compounds in plants.

• Phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, which give plants their colors have many health benefits.

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Processed foods• Processed foods are foods in

which the nutrients have been removed.

• They contain additives and preservatives such as artificial flavoring and chemicals.

• Pollan gives the example of refining grains such as wheat and rice by removing the fiber and germ, leaving behind only the high starch and carbohydrates. (p 108-112)

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Benefits of Whole foods

• Grown in nutrient rich soil.

• Plants obtain vital nutrients that work in synergy for health.

• Contains fiber, vitamins, nutrients that help the body fight diseases

• Contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidants that help protect cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage.

Why are Processed Food Bad

• Engineered by the Industrialization of food production for better storage, transportation not health.

• Designed to produce high energy in the form of glucose, empty calories that lack fiber and nutrients.

• Increase of pure sugar and carbohydrates cause the brain to crave sugar, overwhelms the body’s ability to regulate insulin levels for processing. (Pollan, p 113)

• This increase is our calorie intake and increase our cravings, increase risk of diseases and obesity.

• Causes the body to have a dysregulated metabolism.

What to eat

Reference:http://eatheallove.com/

Summary

• With the changes in the food industry over time, we have today what is called the “Western Diet” which consist of refined foods, which do not provide the nutrients our body has evolved to consume within our natural environment.

• Intake of processed food has lead to increase risks of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

• American are eating more but getting less from their food.

• As Pollan states American has developed the followed “A diet bases on quantity rather than quality has ushered a new creature on the world stage; the human being who manages to be both overfed and undernourished, two characteristics seldom found in the same body in the long natural history of our species” (p 122)

References

• Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An eater's manifesto. New York: Penguin Press.

• Nazario, B (2009, May 12) The Benefits of Healthy Whole Foods. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-benefits-of-healthy-whole-foods