Thoughs on "In Defense of Food"

The first section of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, Pollan covered many topics. He talked about how we have now switched from eating foods to “nutrients” because nutrients are more scientific and we know what they are. Nutrients include the labels of cholesterol, fiber, and saturated fats, which cause them to sound more scientific. Pollan also talked about the problems with obesity, cancer, and diabetes in the U.S. George McGovern tried to address the problem with his document called “Dietary Goals for U.S.” This document blames obesity and health conditions on the consumption of dairy products and meat. Then after all of that controversy, the ideology of Nutritionism arrived and this proposed that we only look at foods in terms of quantity of nutrients. This means we are saying that processed foods are healthier than whole foods! Pollan explained this by saying it is easier to put a health claim on sugary cereal than a potato or carrot because we know the nutrients in the cereal. This is horrible to think about, but it is sadly true. Just as the “Dietblog” explains, nutritionism is an ideology that puts the value of food in its nutrients and not the food itself. “Dietblog” is also ashamed of the fact that cereals such as Cocoa Puffs have health claims screaming off the box while the vegetables and fruits are sitting there quietly. I think nutritionism is too concerned on what is in the food, which is forcing people to make bad decisions on what to eat. I agree with “Dietblog” when it says we need to stop stressing over the minor details in the diet and start enjoying the food we eat.
(Link to "Dietblog" is on the title.)

Holstein Dairy Cow Blog

Is Genomic Testing of dairy cattle sending the industry down the right path?
There is a lot of controversy out there!!
Is it going to narrow the genetic base even more than it is? I would say yes. The breeds have been narrowed a lot in the past 30-40 years as the genetic pool became a world wide market.
Now the genomic testing will narrow the cow side of the genetic base more than the bulls ever were.

The value of a lot of great cow lines will drop to a value of grade/commercial cows. A few cow lines will have even greater value to the A.I. companies but will they be willing to pay double the price for the young sires they purchase or lease?

By Dr. Ole Meland