Olivia Steely

English 102

Summary Response Essay

February 12, 2016

Mind over Body

         When one is trying to choose nutritious foods, is the problem more closely related to the environment or the eater?  Are these struggles closely related to the commonly used Western diets?  These are the questions author and teacher Michael Pollan set out to answer in his article “Escape from the Western Diet.”  Pollan explains concerns with popular diets plaguing our society and provides keen insight into how to transcend these struggles.  Pollan accurately explains that leaving the Western ideology of nutrition is difficult, but he is incorrect when he asserts that Western diets cause more disease and that one can no longer separate the body’s health from the environment.

         Pollan’s article explains on the dangers of the traditional Western diets and provides a new method to improve one’s health.  Pollan insists, “Scientists can argue all they want about the biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon, but whichever it is, the solution to the problem would appear to remain very much the same:  Stop eating a Western diet” (435).  Pollan believes that even though this task is difficult, the benefits are exceptional.  He explains that the connection between one’s body and environment is increasing every day, and this can be dangerous.  In other words, one needs to get rid of the idealism of the Western diet and develop a new outlook.  Then, Pollan describes his three rules for health, claiming that his proposal simplifies the eating process.  Pollan lists his new rules as “Eat food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants” (440).  He is confident in his simplistic yet original set of healthy guidelines.  In conclusion, Pollan is discussing the dark side of the Western diet and sharing his own views to improve one’s health.  

         Pollan has three main points in his article, with his first point being that the Western diet is extremely hard to leave.  Pollan argues that “to escape the Western diet and the ideology of nutritionism, we have only to stop eating and thinking that way.  But this is harder to do in practice, given the treacherous food environment we now inhabit and the loss of cultural tools to guide us through it” (437).  What Pollan is saying here is that each person in this culture is surrounded by unhealthy foods with no escape.  I agree with this statement completely.  The goal of leaving this dangerous environment and going a different direction sounds simple and enticing; however, the actions to follow through are difficult and harsh.  I look around at all the people I know, and I see the struggles they go through everyday regarding their health and appearance.  Many ideas come about claiming the key to perfect health, and insane amounts of money are spent trying to achieve this ideal.  In the end, the Western diet and ideology is very difficult to leave, and one must be fully prepared to be alone in the journey to health.

         Pollan goes on to describe the dark side of the Western diet and eating this way causes more negative side effects than traditional diets.  Pollan warns that “people eating a Western diet are prone to a complex of chronic diseases that seldom strike people eating more traditional diets” (435).  Here Pollan is claiming that, compared to other diets, Western diets causes significantly more illness than people avoiding these industrialized foods.  However, Pollan is mistaken, because he has not established a legitimate argument.  Pollan admits that there is controversy regarding his statement, but also claims these issues are irrelevant; they still corroborate his point to stop eating according to Western diets.  While this could be true, Pollan cannot make a generalization as great as that one.  Each individual is different and responds in varying ways to diets.  While some people may have no benefits, albeit negative side effects, other individuals may have complete success with no problems.  I know numerous individuals who have tried Western and traditional diets and have had success in both.  Ultimately, then, my point is to demonstrate that without scientific proof, this assumption cannot be perceived as truth.  In sum, Pollan describes the harsh realities of the Western diet, but inaccurately claims that this diet causes nothing but negative side effects.

         Pollan’s last point is that one cannot separate the body from the environment.  Pollan explains his own observations of Western life:  “...I no longer think it’s possible to separate our bodily health from the health of the environment from which we eat or the environment in which we eat or, for that matter, from the health of our general outlook about food (and health)” (439).  What Pollan is essentially saying is that our body’s health depends solely on the environment in which one lives and eats.  However, Pollen is mistaken, because he overlooks the individual responsibility necessary for successful completion in any diet.  Throughout the entire article, Pollan does not address the determination needed to be healthy.  This is not to say that one’s body is not heavily influenced by the environment, but rather that there is individual responsibility that is at least as equally important.  Every person makes choices for themselves, and this decision-making must be for the highest good of the self at all times if one expects to complete the diet successfully.  From what I have seen and experienced, the individuals who are the most determined, conscious, and mindful of the food they take in are the most successful.  If one truly wants to change his or her diet, the success will follow regardless of the environment.  Overall, Pollan supports his claim that the body is hopelessly linked to the environment; however, this belief underestimates the power of the people.

         In conclusion, Michael Pollan, author of “Escape from the Western Diet,” correctly claims that removing oneself from the Western beliefs of diet is difficult, but he is incorrect when when he asserts that Western nutrition causes nothing but illness and that one cannot disconnect the body from the environment.  Although Pollan does an excellent job of explaining his points, one cannot make general assumptions without the basis of scientific research.  In the end, how one goes against the flow of Western culture and chooses health over convenience is up to that individual.  Whether one chooses health or not, a distinct separation of the mind from the environment can be achieved; however, responsibility must be recognized.