Carolyn Phenicie, Contributing Writer, Food Culture
Although the formal diet business in this country still pulls in a whopping $40 billion a year, that aspect of our food culture may be slowly changing as Americans shun the latest fad diet -– be it low-fat, cabbage soup, or cookie –- in exchange for a regimen based on whole, natural foods.
This is perhaps best exemplified by the success of Michael Pollan, a journalist and the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, and most recently, Food Rules: An Eaters Manual. While his previous books are lengthy examinations of the food system currently in place in this country, Food Rules is less than 150 pages and focuses on simple, easy-to-follow rules for eating better. Food Rules was ranked number one among paperback advice books on the New York Times bestseller list. In a review of the book, columnist Jane E. Brody wrote, "In the more than four decades that I have been reading and writing about the findings of nutritional science, I have come across nothing more intelligent, sensible and simple to follow" than the 64 rules listed in the book. Pollan also recently appeared on Oprah -- who quite humorously deferred giving opinions on beef, after her 1998 lawsuit with the beef industry -- to tout the book and his rules.
Pollan's primary rule is "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." He contends that the Western diet of highly processed, artificial foods is the primary cause of the rise in Western diseases like diabetes and heart disease. He adds caveats like "Don't get your fuel from the same place as your car," and "Don't eat something your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food."
Additionally, the documentary Food, Inc. –- which focuses on how big agriculture has overrun the country's food system, making highly processed foods cheaper than fresh produce –- was nominated for an Academy Award this year. And bloggers who write and photograph the natural, whole food they eat, like Kath Eats Real Food and Healthy Tipping Point, are becoming increasingly popular.
According to the Department of Commerce, the food industry shipped $538 billion worth of food in 2006. Coupled with the success of personalities like Hungry Girl (who offers readers of her online newsletter ways to lighten-up calorie- and fat-laden foods, often with highly processed ingredients), it's unclear how much the whole food movement can really impact the American food culture.
It's still easier to find a hamburger of dubious quality beef than it is to find organic produce, but if, as Pollan suggests, American consumers "vote with their forks" each time they eat, that may be changing.
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