Omnivores Delimma

In America, we do not decide what is healthy and what is not by the authenticity of natural food, but rather nutrition facts. If we are in a store and see a label that says “only 100 calories” we are drawn to that item instead of an item labeled “organic” or “all-natural”. This is because as a society, we are always on a “fad diet” and believe that health has to do with calorie counting and sugar intake as opposed to the actual production of the food itself. In Michael Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, argues that this is not the case. Pollan goes into an in-depth investigation to show that the organic food chain is the healthiest and most realistic of the “three principal food chains that sustain us today: the industrial, the organic, and the hunter-gatherer” (7), He describes the “omnivores dilemma” as the constant problem that people with vast amounts of food must face everyday. The question Pollan continuously raises is the idea that because we have the ability to eat almost everything, we struggle with being able to decide what the best choice is. Therefore we must always ask ourselves the question “what should we eat”? Throughout his extraordinary exploratory first hand research, Pollan shows that we would be healthier and happier if we truly knew where our food was coming from and how it was produced. Pollan promotes a food chain where the food can be directly traced back to its origins, as opposed to industrialized food. Therefore, it can be conceived that the best way to achieve this idea is to follow the organic food chain. The organic food chain is best for expressing Pollan’s idea that if we know where our food originates, we will be find greater satisfaction in our meals. The organic food chain is one that provides the most natural benefits to humans. A prime example of this can be seen on grass-farms because; grass is “the foundation of the intricate food chain” (126). Pollan points out that grass is typically overlooked as a material of