your consumer dollars at work

[low_delta]

Only the power of the sugar lobby in Washington can explain the fact that the official U.S. recommendation for the maximum permissible level of free sugars in the diet is an eye-popping 25 percent of daily calories. To give you some idea of just how permissive that is, the World Health Organization recommends that no more than 10 percent of daily calories come from added sugars, a benchmark that the U.S. sugar lobby has worked furiously to dismantle. In 2004 it enlisted the Bush State Department in a campaign to get the recommendation changed and has threated to lobby Congress to cut WHO funding unless the organization recants. Perhaps we should be grateful that the saturated fat interests have as yet organized to such lobby.

from In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan

Those of us who buy processed foods, are supporting this crusade.

Comments

[daphnep.livejournal.com]

I just finished that book, yesterday!

The beauty of it is that the solution to the whole problem (buying actual, yummy food instead) is so satisfying and rewarding on every level.

I loved Omnivore's Dilemma even more.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Funny! I just started it tonight. What's the other one about?

[daphnep.livejournal.com]

It's about food, and where it comes from. IMO it has both more entertainment value and more educational value than "Defense", it's like "Defense" was written to answer a few leftover questions lingering from the first, which is overall more complete.

He tells the story of various types of meals, an "average" American industrial meal, an "industrial organic" meal (like Wild Oats/Trader Joe's style), a "locovore" farmer's market type meal, and one where he grows, raises or hunts all the ingredients himself. It's extremely entertaining, while still digging into the science and politics of agriculture and the business of food retailing, and completely changed the way I thought about eating.

"Defense" is good, too, though, it's focused more on health and a few pragmatic "how-tos", I thought of it like a pep-talk revival of all the stuff I learned from "The Omnivore's Dilemma."

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I'll have to get it. I don't know anything about the guy or his books. I got this one from a friend, who is apparently unaware of that one. Thanks!