P9: The Importance of Being an Omnivore

P9

    After reading “unhappy meals”, which is written by Michael Pollan, I found there are lots of unhealthy dietary habits in our daily life. Besides, some contemporary food issues are affecting our healthy lifestyle unknowingly. Such as the Pollan said, “a healthy claim on a food product is a good indication that it is not really food, and food is what you want to eat.” So, people always eating the food by their own habits and tastes, sometimes it is easy to ignore which kind of food is healthy for them. On the other hand, he provides some healthy dietary habits to his audiences. Something interested me is eating like an omnivore. In this case, he emphasizes how important to eat regularly; choosing the food which has adequate protein supplement; and attention to nutrition rather than your own dietary habits. Pollan said that “The greater the diversity of species you eat, the more likely you are to cover all your nutritional bases.” In this case, I want to talk my own experience. Last year when I came to America, I found westerners do not eat animal entrails, but Chinese and lots of Asian people eat them with relish. Actually, I greatly agree his idea that people should eat like an omnivore, because people could achieve more different kinds of nutrients they need if they are omnivores.

     However, the author Dupuis has opposite point of views with Pollan. In his article “Angeles and Vegetables”, he thinks that people should choose the food by their belief, and it is much more important than the healthiness and nutrients of the food. Dupuis said that: As this brief history shows, angels were present at the birth of American food advice, revealing the truth to intermediaries who then evangelized to popular audiences.” From this point of view we can see he thinks people choose their food is depending on the angle, something like their pursuit, religion and their beliefs. In my opinion, I do not agree with his idea. With the progress of mankind and the world economic development, all of things has changed and update. So, whatever the appearances and nutrients of food also have changed in variable ways. As results, we should not believe all of things as the angle said and other old saying. We need to focus more on the nutrition and healthiness of food rather than own dietary habits. Such as the Pollan said, eating like an omnivore.

                                                         Works Cited

Michael Pollan."Unhappy Meals. " New York Times Magazine28 Jan. 2007:ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web.19 May. 2012.

Melanie Du Puis, E.. "Angels and Vegetables: A Brief History of Food Advice in America. " Gastronomica7.3 (2007): 34-44. Research Library, ProQuest. Web.19 May. 2012.