Look around you – are people in your life generally getting slimmer or heavier? What is it about western culture that predisposes us towards being unhealthily overweight? Mark Bittman, New York Times food writer, has a theory on this that is unquestionably worth listening to and considering.
Bittman has pondered and written extensively about the idea of rethinking consumption and advocates responsible eating that is good for the consumer and the planet. He's concerned about the ecological and health impacts of our modern diet, which he characterises as overwhelmingly meat-centred and hooked on fast food.
“Did you know that between 1950 and 2000 the population of the world doubled, yet the consumption of meat increased five-fold?” he asks. So who ate all that meat? Hint: think “fast food”. Add into the mix, “the overwhelming marketing campaign on the part of ‘big food’, started in the post-war years… so that we know that we are always only 100 feet from a can of coke”, and we’ve got one hell of a recipe for disaster. [No apologies for the puns.]
Bittman suggests that fast food is implicated in the cycle of dietary and planetary destruction, through industrial-style agribusiness. He also worries the latest organic push is being subverted – appearing to be a new panacea when in fact a lot of organic food is not ‘organic in spirit’, travelling from all over the world, fed an artificial/manufactured diet etc. Far more marketing rather than truth.
“We all need to act”, he says. “We need to stop raising animals industrially and stop eating them thoughtlessly”. In fact he has an answer, we just need to follow Bittman’s simple recipe:
- less meat - less junk - more plants
Sounds too easy!
Watch and listen to Mark Bittman’s TED talk on what's wrong with the way we eat now (too much meat, too few plants; too much fast food, too little home cooking), and why it's putting the entire planet at risk.
What’s Wrong With What We Eat:
By the way, he’s not about everyone turning vegetarian, although he argues that the most environmentally sensitive lifestyle is one of veganism, he’s advocating smart choices.
Mark Bittman Argues Against Vegetarianism:
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More information about this topic in our organic food section
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Look around you – are people in your life generally getting slimmer or heavier? What is it about western culture that predisposes us towards being unhealthily overweight? Mark Bittman, New York Times food writer, has a theory on this that is unquestionably worth listening to and considering.
