Our National Eating Disorder

In his article "Our National Eating Disorder," Michael Pollen discusses our national eating disorder as being a confusion in regards to what we as Americans should eat. He mentions the fact that a Koala bear doesn't need to think about what it should eat; if it smells like something it can eat, that is what the bear will eat. With so many options for meals, we get lost in the idea of calories, taste, and/or "healthy" diets. We see so many scientific studies on what we should eat that we have lost the instinctive power  to choose what we want to eat. He talks about the causes of this being scientific studies as well as such a mixture of culinary cultures. For example, we have French cuisine, Chinese food, and Southern food all very easily accessible at any point of the day. This makes it so easy to get confused when we are choosing what to eat. This a troubling situation, and it is coupled with the fact that Americans are so caught up in what is "healthy" at that point in time. One of the most interesting point Pollen makes in his article is that we are so easily swayed in our eating habits to make them more healthy, however, that is possibly our downfall to being healthy. He mentions how the French have drastically lower obesity rates and heart disease rates than Americans and they regularly drink wine and eat cheeses. This diet isn't necessarily unhealthy, but if they are consumed on a regular basis, you would think it is an unhealthy lifestyle, right? No. Because they are consistent with their meals, it isn't confusing to chose what to eat. As a result, they can settle into what they want and not be confused with any scientific studies that suggest otherwise.
I really enjoyed what Pollen had to say about how Americans live in such a way that we can be swayed in our eating patterns by studies, scientists, or other findings that will promote optimal health to those who follow. This is such an easy decision to make because people want to be as healthy as possible. I know I am guilty of doing this at times. If I see something in a magazine, on the internet, or another article, it is tempting to make a drastic lifestyle change in hopes that it will help you become more healthy in the long-run. I chose my meals by what is most healthy for me. I try to keep meals as consistent as possible, but it can be hard with such solid scientific evidence being thrown around.