Video: Michael Pollan, “No Free Lunch”
By WorldLink Staff | May 9, 2013 | 1 Comment
Remember that old adage you heard a million times growing up? “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It may seem like a gross oversimplification, but as journalist Michael Pollan points out in this bite-sized video, the link between our dietary habits and our healthcare spending has become impossible to ignore.
We pay less for our food than any people anywhere in the history of the world and, as Pollan says, “You get what you pay for.” The lesson of “No Free Lunch” seems to be that you can pay now or you can pay later, and when you consider the fact that four of the 10 leading killers in the United States are chronic diseases linked to food, it’s hard to argue.
Before you get depressed, realize this is good news. It means that the solutions to big problems are in our power to control. Want to help solve the health care crisis? Eat well. It’s just that simple.
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That was a very interesting, but disturbing article. It parallels nicely with some reading in my anatomy and physiology book. "A century ago, Americans consumed an average of 1.8 kg (4 lb) of sugar per year. Now, with sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup so widely used in foods and beverages, the average American ingests 200 to 300 g of carbohydrates per day and the equivalent of 27 kg (60 lb) of table sugar and 21 kg (46 lb) of corn syrup per year." Additionally, "a typical American consumes 30 to 150 g of fat per day, obtains 40% to 50% of his or her calories from fat, and ingests twice as much cholesterol as the recommended limit." Just so you know, people should not consume more than 30% of their calories from fat, no more than 10% from saturated fat, and no more than 30 g. (Saladin, 2007) This doesn't surprise me one bit how obesity and wealth have a positive correlation, just as Royte pointed out so does trash and consumption and the amount of trash generated.