I was reading some of the blogs on the New York Times website when I came across on entitled ÂWhy Eating Well Is Elitist. The author, Michael Pollan, cited an article arguing that energy dense foods have become cheaper and easier to get than they traditionally have been in nature. Living organism naturally want to expend as little energy as possible while still getting the most food energy as possible. These energy dense foods include high-calorie sugars and fats. The former is found in ripe fruits and honey and the latter, in meats. Looking back at our evolutionary history (if you believe in that sort of thing), obtaining these foods required people to expel a lot of energy to get and then consume. The quest for these foods kept us thin. Nowadays, the modern grocery store eliminates the energy expelling quest to obtain these foods. The result of which has lead to our rising rates of obesity.
So why are high-energy foods being pushed upon us so easily? Because of the welfare queens–American farmers. The American government gives money (that you and I have given to the government) to farmers to grow corn and soy. So naturally they grow vast quantities of the stuff. This drives down the cost of processed foods made using corn and soy, such as high fructose con syrup and other high-calorie sugars. We are not paying the farmers to grow carrots, greens, or broccoli.
However, if you want to change The State Of . . . our food consumption you have to start with you. And not just by changing your diet, but also by letting your representative know that even though he may be getting all that money from the farming lobbyist, you may not vote for him next time around.
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