reading response
Eat What You Need
Maxfield’s formula of trusting our body, ourselves, and meeting our needs rests on the questionable assumption that our mind is not telling us what we want but telling us what we need. Our bodies need nutrients to function properly. Too much or too little nutrients can cause illnesses and other problems in our bodies. The key with this is not to do as Maxfield says, to blindly follow whatever cravings our bodies have, but to fulfill the basic needs of our bodies. There are a few key things to understand in order to fulfill our basic needs such as, being able to differentiate between the good and bad cravings our body has, knowing what nutrition facts are showing that certain foods put into our bodies, and most importantly how to read and comprehend nutrition facts and how to live a healthy lifestyle. And although nutrition may seem of concern to only a small group of individuals, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about living a healthy and strong life.
In Maxfield’s article she claims that food is not moral or immoral and, therefore, we can eat whatever we desire and not suffer any negative side effects, which she ignores. Our bodies and minds are not perfect. When a glass of Pepsi and a glass of water is placed in front of us, our body needs water but most people would go for the glass of Pepsi, giving us no nutritional value. Also studies have shown that hunger can actually be caused by thirst, so as we fill up with food, our basic needs are not being met because our body does not recognize this.
Both Pollan and Maxfield reject nutritionism claiming that these people are in it for the money. New products are being created to meet our nutritional needs but not our basic needs. While it is true that there are better foods than processed foods, we cannot simply ignore nutrition calling it confusing and a trap to make more money. For our body to operate at its peak we need that nutrition and ignoring it can cause unhealthy deficiencies. One such example is the lack of Vitamin C in the crew on ships during the days of Columbus caused scurvy. To cure this problem, foods containing Vitamin C, such as pickles, were brought onboard the ships.
Maxfield claims, “Culturally… we resist these scientific findings,” that people can be fat and healthy, “in favor of a perspective that considers fatness fatal and thinness immortal.” While it is true that an individual can be fat and healthy, it does not follow that that individual is healthy because their diet consists of Twinkies, soda, and junk food. At any state (under-weight, normal, over-weight, or obese) you can be healthy, but you are at more risk with your health depending on weight. One such risk is that over-weight and obese people are at an increased risk of diabetes. The key to Maxfield’s claim is healthy eating, being active and living a healthy lifestyle. Obviously someone who eats only Twinkies, cheesecake and steaks and drinks only sodas is going to operate completely differently than someone who eats salads, little red meat and fish while drinking a majority of water. Furthermore, one study has shown that one of the most beneficial eating habits on the planet is the Mediterranean diet. This diet includes greens, vegetables, olives, red meat once a month, fish and chicken, and getting most of their fat from olive oil.
Maxfield also speaks about the moralization of food by claiming that, “Our skewed views of fatness then facilitate skewed views of food.” She states that people call food “good” or “bad” much like people would call a robber “bad” and a police officer “good.” She criticizes the moralization of food but that does not work. How could a robber be “neutral” or even “good?” If he hurts someone and steals from someone, there are consequences. Someone is hurt. Is that kind of moralization bad? How can someone call a Twinkie “neutral?” Do Twinkies not bring bad things into our bodies that clog arteries and cause problems? Moralization is placed on food to give warnings. Twinkies are bad, sodas are bad, and candy is bad.
My solution is simple. Nutritional facts are confusing. Vitamin C, Vitamin A, what do these vitamins do? Why are they essential? Why do I need to know about calories? What is the government doing with MyPlate? My solution is to learn how to understand these things. First, the government should be involved in helping Americans to understand these essentials to healthy eating. Second, is that Americans eat healthier, be more active, and live healthier. People will get over-weight, obese, some under-weight, and others will be normal. As long as we follow what those who know what they are talking about, we will live as healthy as we can. Third, is to work our way out of our eating habits we have today and become healthy eaters. You and your body will be thankful.
I understand some people may take the side of Maxfield, because having a specific diet plan is hard to keep to or maybe because they might be overweight and feel completely healthy, so they don’t feel the need for change. Admittedly, it is true that it is hard to stick to a specific dietary plan especially when everyone around you is not following your diet. If you have ever gone to a dinner at another person’s home and they offer you a soda, while they have perfectly fine water, you take the soda. The problem we face is that we prefer junk food over what our body needs and we often lack the self-constraint to resist the urge to indulge in junk food. The problem is not that people become overweight but rather, being overweight can become a problem. Likewise, not eating often enough can become a problem even though some people are perfectly healthy not eating very much.
Food is either black or white, there is no middle ground. Food is either good for you or bad for you. The way I understand it is that there are multiple levels of food. Some are horrible for you, some are bad, some are good or better and some are the best for you. One instance is that iceberg lettuce is healthy, yet romaine lettuce is healthier, and even healthier is spinach. Iceberg is the most popular lettuce used in salads in the United States, yet in most places all these lettuces are roughly the same cost.
The last thing I mentioned is one of the most important things to living healthy. The Center for Disease Control has addressed the health benefits of being active as being able to control weight, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, reducing the risk of some cancers, strengthening bones and muscles, improvement in mood and mental health, improvement in ability to do daily activities and prevent falls as an older adult, and increase chances of living longer. Even a person who eats healthy cannot receive the full benefits of their diet if they leave out physical activity. Getting the maximum results of living a healthy lifestyle includes physical exercise, such as walking, running, weights, jump roping, etc.
I strongly disagree with Maxfield’s formula of trusting our body, ourselves, and meeting our needs. Therefore, my stance remains that Americans need to eat healthy, be active, and live healthy. The benefits far outweigh the faux joy that people have when eating a Twinkie or having a soda. The real joy of feeling more confident, proud and in shape comes from choosing a healthy lifestyle and sticking to it. The real joy and confidence booster comes when refusing to take a soda because you have already chosen to live a healthy lifestyle. We cannot rely on ourselves to always automatically choose what our bodies need. First we need to know what our bodies need and then we need to follow through with fulfilling those needs.
