How to Eat Simply

I like to think of myself as a healthy eater. I have fruit with every meal, and, while I probably don’t eat enough vegetables, I certainly make an effort. I strive for whole grains and organic milk. Local is always better when I can. But I also fall into the trap of nutritionism that Pollan writes about in his article. I feel good about processed cereals if they have a lot of fiber or protein, no matter how long the ingredient list, and I tend to think about which foods to eat based on the particular nutrients they contain. Not so much anymore, but I used to love reading news articles on which foods to eat and which ones to avoid, always based on a specific nutrient they contained. I loved eating Chobani yogurt with the knowledge that it had little fat and lots of protein, not because of the overall makeup of the food.

If I took Pollan’s simple approach, I would have to think a lot less about food. Eat fruits and vegetables, but stick mostly to leafy things. Throw in some whole grains and a little dairy. Make it unprocessed, local, and organic, and I’m good. 

If Pollan’s advice is so simple, why do so few people follow it? What barriers exist to eating this type of diet?

Of course, there’s always the issue of cost when opting for organic, local, whole foods. But one of Pollan’s suggestions is to cut down on meat, which typically costs more than other foods. So by moving meat out of the diet, room in the budget opens up to spend more on high quality vegetables, fruits, and grains. Additionally, Pollan notes that most of us need to simply eat less food, which will also reduce food costs.

The big issue, though, is knowledge. People have to be aware of Pollan’s “whole foods” approach in order to follow it, but they also have to know where to get that food and how to prepare it. If people have access to the food but don’t know how to cook it to their liking, they won’t buy it because, as noted in Hjelmar’s Denmark study, food has to be tasty in addition to healthy in order to entice anyone. While many Americans eat food for fuel rather than pleasure, we’re not that virtuous.

The issue of knowledge is also wrapped up in the sticky issue of the food industry. As Pollan discussed, many industries benefit from the ignorance of the general population. If we focus on the individual nutrients inside of our foods rather than the food as a whole, processed breads, cereals, and countless other products seem healthy. Packages can tout that they have no fat or a huge does of fiber, and it’s enough to sell the product even if the product as a whole really doesn’t belong in anyone’s diet. With these issues of nutritionism and the food industry in mind, consider these questions:

How should we address the “methods” problem that Pollan discusses in which scientists focus on just one nutrient at a time? How can we get out of the pattern of testing nutrients out of context of the food, food out of context of the diet, and diet out of context of the lifestyle? Is this possible? Is it something we should even strive for, given that traditional diets seem to feed us well anyway? 

How can we combat the misleading headlines that supposedly teach people about diet when the studies are actually based on faulty ideologies (nutritionism) and methods?

Can we break free from the “nutritionism” that Pollan talks about so long as industry has a hold on politics? How can we try to move toward a “whole foods” diet without offending industries? Is it possible?

How could public schools play a role in dispelling the myths of nutritionism?