Healthy Eating in a Technologically Advanced World Research Paper - 4

Healthy Eating in a Technologically Advanced World - Research Paper Example Michael Polland, a protagonist to this theory, presents a series of facts to support this notion. According to Polland, nutrition ideologies are as a result of two basic assumptions. The first assumption is that the key to understanding food is based on the nutrient. Over the years, scientists have conducted a series of research in order to identify the types of nutritious foods that people should consume. However, this assumption is unexamined and ensures that the individuals in the society are dependent on scientists and other experts to inform them about the types of food they should eat. The second assumption supports the notion that the purpose of eating is to maintain and promote bodily health. Polland observes that this assumption is not shared by all cultures and presents a ‘French-paradox’ where the fact that a population that eats all sorts of unhealthy nutrients is in many ways healthier than the American society (Nytimes.com). Polland also states that scienti sts have been unable to discern the qualitative distinctions between foods. Inevitably, selected foods such as beef and chicken became mere delivery systems for varying quantities of fats, proteins and other nutrients (Nytimes.com). Nutrition ideologies benefit manufacturers and not consumers. Since the 1982 National Academy report based on nutrition, the food industry set about re-engineering a plethora of food products so that they contain more nutrients as per the recommendation of the government and the scientific community. Contrarily, the typical real food is unable to compete under the rules of nutritionism.  Ã‚