Food and Environmental Burden

 Rhetorical Analysis - How Junk Food Can End Obesity

     Most of the junk food contains a large amount of sugar, fats and carbs but less minerals and vitamins. This means that we are taking in large amount of unhealthy calories which leads to obesity. In the article "How Junk Food Can End Obesity," he tries to derail the common sense that processed foods, and the fast food industry are the reason for the long lasting problem "obesity" in America. Freedman claims that if the society wants to halt obesity problem, they should turn to the junk food industry for help not the "health food" movement since the processed food industry are controlling the market now. He shows a sufficient amount of evidence with credible sources to show why they can be responsible for such a change.      

     One piece of evidence that especially stands out is the fact that wholesome food is not affordable to everyone. The reason being is because there isn’t enough fresh local farms around to provide enough of wholesome food for it to be conveniently located and in abundance of and for the prices to drop and be affordable even to those who are living paycheck to paycheck trying to make ends meet. He backs this reasoning by actually visiting the poor side of LA and Oakland and hardly sees any wholesome food stores around. He quotes researchers from credible universities who specialize in obesity, who say that obese people may even chose fatty foods over wholesome foods, because of their convenience and price. This really did an amazing job on supporting his thesis for his targeted readers "obese people" and people in America particularly. This did support his thesis a little since it is true that fresh vegetables and fruits are expensive compared to processed food in "supermarkets". But he overlooked why wholesome foods are more expensive than junk food and why there aren't many farmers market in the poor side of America. Farm bill is the reason why wholesome foods are more expensive than junk food. The idea that wholesome foods are expensive and junk foods are cheap because of the system of subsidies in the farm bill pervades the conversation about food policy. Meaning junk food ingredients actually get more subsidy money than vegetables and fruits. About the relation between farmers market and urban poor places of America, we first need to know that the farmers market is failing. There are not enough farmers to populate the market stalls and too few customers filling their canvas bags with fresh produce at each market. From my view, we should buy more wholesome foods from both grocery stores and farmers market. If possible buy them from farmers market since it is cheaper there based on my mother and my experience.

     Freedman also reasons that fast food chains such as McDonalds, Carl’s Jr., and Burger King are aware of the obesity epidemic, and are making silent and gradual health changes to their menus. Freedman himself goes to one of McDonalds campus’s to challenge how they can add healthier ingredients to their menu, to which they have been secretly doing so for a few years already. His evidence and reason for his claim is that by these food companies making little changes, can make a huge impact, because these companies are the ones who can best reach the obese, because they are right where the action is. Again he achieves to strengthen his thesis but I think there's something odd about this. It is necessary for the whole junk food industry to change major part of their menus to healthy food if we want to put an end to obesity problem. But I don't think they will do so when wholesome foods are more expensive than junk food ingredient. 

     Finally Freedman identifies and dissects Michael Pollan’s arguments severely. He cites a quote from Pollan’s argument about processed food and solution: to replace processed foods with natural, whole foods. This source allows the readers to understand where Freedman’s argument is coming from. It appeals to the readers’ ethos, because he refutes Pollan’s exact words. Freedman refutes Pollan’s arguments with his points on the audience of Pollan’s food revolution by analyzing how Pollan’s health reform would only benefit an elite minority, and leave out a very important group: the obese masses. Freedman develops his appeal to pathos. It is important to understand the most important audience of a particular topic of discussion. Here, Freedman explains that Pollan excluded an important audience of consumers from his argument. However I think his way of writing can be really misleading to people who haven't read Pollan's work. In Pollan's "Eat Food: Food Defined," one of his main thesis was buy food from our local farmers market. Although Pollan did not mention about prices in his work benefits obese masses too when we know that cooking and eating wholesome food can save more money than eating junk food.

     To summarize he sets up so many different questionable conclusions to support his thesis but he never told us how junk food can end obesity directly. His title is very easy to attract obesed people yet easy to pull the interest of people who he refers as  "pollanites".In writing his article, Freedman takes a divergent tone, but also becomes satirical and perhaps even sarcastic at certain points throughout the paper. His use of the word “Pollanites” is a fine example of how he manages to incorporate a satirical tone, whilst remaining credible and true to his point. Freedman writes to an audience of American eaters, particularly those struggling with weight problems, who simply cannot embrace healthy eating and cutting down food intake as a means to lose weight. By writing to a much larger audience than that of Pollan, Freedman is more likely to stir up supporters and garner respect amongst his readers. After reading Freedman's article I noticed that America's economic system and laws are more of a topic that we should focus. There might be no evidence "to back up any health-risk claims about processed food," although there are tons and billions of evidence for how sugar and fat are bad for our health. Some wholesome foods can be high in calories and fat therefore those foods can be unhealthy. And he never compares the nutritional value between junk food and wholesome food.

      Eating healthy will always be a subject that we have to face forever so we don't need to buck up fixing the obesity problem. But junk food? Avoid it whenever possible.