2010-02-26 - Michael Pollan does not address one big part of the equation: Human Behavior

I had the pleasure of listening to Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, speak last night at Allegheny College. He is an outstanding writer, and presented his case about our country’s industrial agriculture’s affect on our environment, our food choices, and our health, in a captivating manner. I agree with a lot of his advice about how folks should change some of their eating habits. But it’s not so simple.   My hand was raised during the Q & A that followed, but I did not get picked to hold the microphone. This is my question: What about human behavior?   Having twenty-four years of experience providing nutrition counseling in both inpatient health care settings and on an outpatient basis, I am keenly aware that behavior change is difficult. I am also keenly aware that there are many different sorts of food habits among us. Individuals at risk for disease, who eat very poor diets, must be counseled and educated about why they need to change their ways, and given guidance on how they can begin making changes.  This however, doesn’t mean they will do it. Registered dietitians are trained to provide such behavior modification counseling. Most of us realize that this is not something most people can do in a short period of time, or in a complete-overhaul fashion. Many of us have also been exasperated in the disinterest many of our clients have when posed with the idea of having to eat differently.   As a nutrition counselor, I take every client’s individual health, situation and dietary history into consideration. I have heard for many years the excuse: “Eating healthy is more expensive than not”. I’ve never bought it, and still don’t. “Rice and beans are cheap,” I would at times tell my clients. The case that Pollan provided during his presentation, in which a family may have to choose between affording healthy foods and diabetes medication, is one-sided. Being a child of depression-era parents, and turn of the century immigrant grandparents, I find this dilemma hard to swallow. The choice should simply be to take care of your health. This would include finding ways to both eat well (and maybe less) and take any prescribed medication. We also know that if the “eating well part” comes first, we can prevent the “taking medication part”. In the case he showcased, it was too late. I’m sure the individual was given warnings, as I have warned many overweight patients in the past: “You need to lose weight and eat better, or you may develop diabetes”.   People make choices. They prioritize where their dollars go, even if their budget is very small. If they change the way they value nutritious foods, and understand the positive impact making these choices will have on their overall health or disease, they may become motivated to prioritize fresh produce over fast food meals, despite their sometimes (see example below) slightly higher cost. People need to value healthy foods, and make choices based on needs, not wants. My ancestors valued food. They grew it, procured it, and spent time preparing it for family meals. They realized the value of purchasing a twelve-dollar pear tree, which will yield bushels of pears within three years, and then years to come.   So let’s put the cost of “healthy food” into perspective: Pollan presented a slide that showed how many more calories per dollar one can purchase in junk food (about 1200 per five dollars or so), over vegetables (250). This is also a biased story. Two hundred and fifty calories in raw vegetables for instance, would provide about ten cups of raw carrots or ten crowns of broccoli. That’s a lot of vegetables, and could provide a family of four a healthy snack or side dish for several days through the week. The junk food calories, while providing immediate energy (in too many empty calories), will not sustain appetite (therefore, the individual will keep eating more, gain too much weight, and increase their risk for disease).   I’m not sure what the answer is for the future of our nation’s health care, but I’m sure it will not come in the form of government policy, but instead on a personal realization that your health depends on your personal choices. Health care reform, like human behavior, needs to take baby steps in the right direction. Neither the food industry, nor the farmer’s methods, nor the health care system is responsible for your health. You can make the choice to prioritize healthy foods for your family. Since when do you need to have the food industry portion out 100-calorie packages for you? Sure, it seems easier, but it doesn’t solve the problem: Learning how to eat just enough out of the box on your own, without gaining excess weight.   I agree with Pollan’s message: “eat food, not too much, mostly plants”, but we cannot oversimplify the complexity of the human behavior factor which is involved in food choices and eating. Eat well and make time to learn how to cook simple meals (it really doesn’t take that long) and don’t wait for the easy street. If you already are making health-conscious, environmentally sound food choices, continue doing so, but do realize that changing others’ behavior is not going to be an overnight success story. Behavior change is difficult and often requires professional support, but it is worth the effort, and will have a huge impact on the eating habits of future generations.      *****************************************************************     Pollan commented that a family could buy a fast food dinner for four for fourteen dollars. Here is an estimated comparison of a simple home-cooked meal (buying weekly sale items) to a $14 dollar fast food meal. Both feed a family of four, but the homemade meal reduces your risk for obesity and disease:   Baked skinless chicken, 6 leg quarters (sale, $0.79/lb)                $2.07 Baked potatoes, 4                                                                          $1.20 Margarine for potatoes and biscuit                                                $0.60 Green beans, canned, no salt added                                               $1.00 6 Biscuits (made from mix)                                                           $1.50 1% milk, 8 ounces                                                                         $0.21 Water   TOTAL COST                                                                              $6.58 ($1.65 per person)   CALORIES per serving = 650 (one pc chicken) to 850. Good source of potassium, vitamin C, B, and fiber. About 25 grams of fat   $14.00 Fast Food Meal = 1000 calories per person Very little vitamin A or C and fiber, about 40 grams of fat