Eating responsibly

Jessica Gomez

Expo Comp

Eating responsibly

                Our nation has expanded in the production of fast food and processed food. Today according to Michael Pollan “our entire food supply has undergone a process of “cornification””. This means that most of your byproducts contain corn. Although corn has it nutrients, too much can lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. But because almost all of byproducts contain corn it impossible to maintain a healthy diet. Wendell Berry would disagree. He states “eating is an agricultural act” Berry believes we can eat healthy if we follow his list of seven tips.

 Berry’s tips consist of participating in food production, preparing your food, learn the origins of the food you buy, when possible, deal directly with a local farmer, and learn as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production. He includes that we must also learn what is involved in the best farming and gardening and observe plus experience life’s histories of food. However, following these tips do not necessary mean that we improve our eating habits or eat responsibly. It simply helps us be aware of the junk we consume. Knowing how or where food comes does not mean we can change the way our food is processed.

Berry adds “For vegetables grown in huge monocultures are dependent on toxic chemicals-just as animals in close confinement are dependent on antibiotics and other drugs.” Acknowledging that our foods may be contaminated Berry insist that there is yet a way to eat responsibly. Does he mean to not eat at all? Sure, I can take extreme measures and learn the origin of my product, but knowing the source does not mean I can change the quality of my food.

There is a high demand for corn around the world because it’s cheap. “Taxpayers will pay farmers $4 billion a year to grow ever more corn” according to Pollan. Due to the industrial food economy that is more concerned with volume and price, consuming products have become a matter of “Eat at your own risk”. However, other‘s may believe that there are organic or natural products still available that will not damage or harm your body. This may be true, the question is: how much are you willing to spend on healthier food? Or do you have time to prepare a healthy meal?

 Discovering the origin of food does not mean we can eat responsibly. It means we are responsible for what we eat. Therefore, it is important to modify eating habits and rely on the purist substance, water.