Spit It Out — An Internal Conversation
Me1: Welcome. Thanks for joining me today to discuss your thoughts on the twenty-first century. Can I get you something to drink? Water, Coffee, Soylent, Dr. Pepper?
Me 2: Thank you so much for having me. I’d like some water — from the tap please. Did you know Cadbury tested sixty-one formulas of Cherry-Vanilla Dr. Pepper (31 regular — 30 diet), searching for the most economical version they could manufacture that fell within the bliss point range?
Me 1: Ugh! Stop the interview.
I recently read The Extraordinary Science of Junk Food, written by Michael Moss. The extensively researched piece was published in The New York Times Magazine on February 20, 2013.
I knew a lot of what was in the article before I read it. You see, as the parent of a chubby kid who loved to eat, I pushed myself to learn about the foods our family consumed. I had motivation and I did a lot of research. I even went so far as to start a small, natural-food manufacturing company. Unlike David, I was quick to set down my slingshot against Goliath. It was a battle I wasn’t prepared to fight.
Over the years, it has become common knowledge that with the aid of science, humans — humans forming corporations, have learned how to produce vast quantities of shelf stable foods that taste great, light up our limbic brains and leave us wanting more, more, more. For most reading this article, I wouldn’t think this comes as breaking news.
Who among us hasn’t heard that processed foods are making us fat and sick? Who doesn’t know that high caloric restaurant meals served in portion sizes built for two, are making us fat and sick?
We know, but do we care enough to change our patterns? Can our thinking brain grab hold of our feeling brain to say, “Enough already!”
I’ve been playing around with this story for days. It started with food — I wanted to bring awareness to Michael Moss’ article.
But, as I typed and deleted, polished thoughts only to discard them, I found myself left with lots of questions and few answers. To me, how we deal with food is only one piece of a much bigger philosophical debate.
How as humans, have we let our knowledge and cleverness in manufacturing and selling lead us to a point where one industry (big food) is feeding another big industry (healthcare)? Oh! and now there is also the fitness industry.
Have we thrown ethics out the window in the name of profit?
Does money make the world go round?
Who is searching for a better way, putting humanity before profit?
Can somebody slow the ride down?
I’d like to get off, while I try to sort these things out.
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