Flood 1

Aidan Flood

Professor Mary Hays

Rhet 105

2-1-18

Word Count: around 1,175

How to Eat the Simple Way

The source that I read is “Eating Made Simple” by Marion Nestle. It explains different topics and if they are or aren’t healthy for you. It also shows us if claims made about these different topics of nutrition are true or not. The thesis of this essay is that there is no exact answer on how to eat and stay healthy, but there are basic principles that you can follow to try and stay healthy. These principles are; eat less, move more, eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and avoid too much junk food (Nestle, 37).

Some of the support of Nestle’s thesis is that “eating less” means consuming less calories which in turn means eating smaller portions and less frequent between meal snacks. “Move more” refers to balancing caloric intake with physical activity. Eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains provides us with nutrients that are unavailable from other foods. Avoiding junk food allows us to shun foods with minimal nutritional value. Some examples of these types of food are highly processed sweets and snacks that are made with large amounts of salt, sugars, and artificial additives. Soft drinks are probably the worst type of junk food because they are filled with calories and have almost no nutritional value. Part of the reason nutrition science has become confusing is that researchers typically examine single nutrients detached from food itself, foods separate from diets, and risk factors apart from other behaviors. This type of Flood 2 research is reductive because it contributes health effects to the consumption of one nutrient or food when it is the overall dietary patterns that really counts most. As Nestle states

America’s obesity rates began to rise in the 1980’s and have risen ever since because people in

America have started to eat more calories than they work off in a day (Nestle,39).

Part of the problem is that people began to use convenience foods like prepared packaged products and restaurant meals which generally tend to have more calories than home cooked meals. As they say, “it’s all about the calories” (Nestle,39). Another problem of distinguishing health advice are supermarkets. They are the ground zero for most people when figuring out what is true or not with health claims. The store’s job is to sell as much as possible so they will do everything they can in their power to do just that. Everything they do is for a reason, such as the positioning of the products on the shelf and the different background music. Not all these schemes are in the people’s best interest either, as much as we might want to think they are. Another hot topic of nutrition is if organic products are healthier. The main difference in organic products is that synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds aren’t used in the process (Nestle,40). Studies are hard to prove if these products are indeed healthier or not but based off of assumption professionals usually say they are. Next is dairy and calcium; are they really necessary? Dairy products account for about 70 percent of the calcium in American’s diets (Nestle,41). Calcium is vitally important in preserving and keeping bones healthy. But bones also need the rest of the essential nutrients not just calcium; so, bone strength depends more on overall patterns of diet not just calcium.

To prove this, populations that usually do not consume dairy products tend to have stronger and more healthy bones than those that due consume dairy. Which goes to show that the jury Flood 3 is still out on whether or not dairy is essential to a person’s diet or not. Meat is another controversial topic in the nutrition world. The people that are against meat say that it increases cholesterol, as well as raising the risk for heart disease and cancer. The proponents for meat say that it is a great source of protein and other vitamins and minerals. Studies have not been able to prove that meat does in fact cause those negative side effects by itself so professionals say to stick to leaner meats like chicken and fish. They also suggest to make the portions smaller. Fish is also a topic of discussion in the health world because it has a rumor to possibly help the heart, but people aren’t for sure or not. Science says that fish are the most important sources of omega-3 fatty acids; proof of this that research shows that people native to

Greenland whose diet consists mostly of fish have lower frequencies of heart disease

(Nestle,43). There are also said to be risks with eating a lot of fish because they are likely to have accumulated methylmercury and other toxins through predation. Since the findings about whether or not the risks outweigh the rewards is inconsistent, dietary advice says to eat fish just twice a week (Nestle,44). Lastly, soda is a topic of nutrition, but there really isn’t a debate with this one. Sugars and corn sweeteners account for a large amount of the calories in supermarket stores, and pretty much 100 percent of the calories in juices and sodas. There is a direct correlation between obesity and soda. If you are obese there is a strong chance that you are a frequent soda drinker.

The warrants in this essay are overall good health and nutrition. Some others are to always check if something is actually good for you, and not just go by what you hear or what popular belief is. A backing of the warrant is when she says, “nutrition is difficult to conduct, but if you follow the basic principles you will be healthy” (Nestle, 40). This is a backing because Flood 4 it shows that she believes in what she is saying and really means it. The ethos of this source is

Marion Nestle; who is a professor at in both the Department of Nutrition,

Food Studies, and as well as the Department of Sociology. The conclusions that I draw from her are that she definitely is very educated and smart. I also think she is very dedicated to what she does. I think that people definitely can trust her and what she says; she also seems to be an ethical person as well. The Logos of the essay is that there are many controversial topics out there about nutrition and you should be wary about what you believe in and don’t believe in. I believe that the pathos of this source is anybody and everybody.

What I mean by this is that the information that Nestle is giving out can be used by anyone and be helpful for anyone that reads it. I think this because health and nutrition can be meant for any person. If I had to narrow it down I would say It is meant for people in their late teens and twenties or people who are unhealthy looking to make a change.

Works Cited

Marion Nestle. “Eating Made Simple.” : a Bedford Spotlight Reader. Edited by Holly Bauer, Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017. Pp. 37-45