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HeidiSummerhays
Instructor:TamaraWebb
English1010
11March2015
FoodasThought:ResistingMoralizationofFood

Inthearticle
FoodasThought:ResistingMoralizationofFood
MaryMaxwellpointstothe
vastamountofadviceandplentifulopinionsofhealthexpertsasbeingthereasonwhywe
asasocietyconfusinglyequateoureatinghabitswithrightandwrongandindoingso
moralizefood.Maxwellobjectivelyprovidesopposingperspectivesoftheissueinher
critiqueofjournalistMichaelPollansarticle
EscapefromtheWesternDiet
latershiftingtothe
expressionofherownopinionthatsocietyoverthinkstheissue,continuallychangingtheir
eatinghabitstofollowthemostrecentfaddietornutritioniststudyfindings.

MaxwellincludesquotedmaterialsandstudiesofexpertslikemindedtoPollanwho
approachthedietdilemmaofwesternsocietyasifthatsocietyisincapableofthinkingfor
themselvesandmustbe
taught
howtoeat.Causingthereadertofullyrealizejusthowmany
ofthemtherearetoutingthisposition.

Exposureisalsogiveninherarticletoseveralexpertswhohaveopinionsontheother

sideofthespectrumfromPollans,expertswhofeelifwejuststopworryingaboutwhatwe
eatandtrustourselvestoeatwhatweneedwhenweneedtoeatitwedbefine.However
Maxwellclearlydoesnotsubscribetothislackadaisicalapproachtonutrition/eatingeither.
WhiletheseexpertsaregiventheirduetimeinherarticleMaxwelldoesntthinkthose

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nutritionalexpertshaveitrighteither.Quotingonesuchexpert(MichelleAllison,HAES)
therearealotofpressuresandbarriersinthisworldthatgetinourway,thatconfuseus,that
distractusandattempttocontrolusincounterproductiveways.Maxwellraisesissuewith
howthesecontentionsaretheonestogivemoralizationtothewholeideaofeating,statingIn
thiscontext,healthfunctionsmoralistically.

OneofMaxwellsappealsistooursenseofhumorbypointingoutthatAsaculture,
whenweimagineeatinglikeanimals,wevisualizeafeedingfrenzy.Bringingalittlegiggleto
themindofthereaderfollowedbyarealizationthatwedoinfactthinkthis.

AlthoughsheneveractuallystatesherownpositioninnouncertaintermsMaxwell
nonethelessdoesntactuallyplaceherselfinonecampovertheothereither.Ratherthan
aligningherselfwithoneopinionortheotheragreatdealoffocusinMaxwellsarticleisissue
shetakeswiththefactthatexpertslikePollanrelatehealthywithbeingthin.Maxwellsays,
Ourskewedviewsoffatnessthenfacilitateskewedviewsoffood.Expressingherconcerns
thathowsocietyfeelsaboutthemselvesandtheirbodytypeisbeingheavilyinfluencedbythe
rhetoricexpertscontinuallyspewandhowitleadstothebeliefthataskinnybodyisbest,
whilefatisjustfatal.

Maxwellsufficientlysummarizesthedifferentpointsofviews,providingexcerptsfrom

differentpublishedarticlesofexpertsfromPollanssideofthespectrumgivingareadera
senseoftheauthorityofeachexpert.Afterprovidingnumerousexamplesoftheexperts
claimsinregardtothehealthywaywe
shouldbe
consumingfoodandtheunhealthyway
whichwethinkaboutandapproachtheneedforfood.InthefinalparagraphfinallyMaxwell

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explainsherownopinionsonthematter,stating,Whenweattempttoriseaboveouranimal
naturethroughthemoralizationoffood,weunnecessarilycomplicatethepracticeofeating.
AndfurtherInherently,foodisethicallyneutralnotionsofgoodandbad,healthyand
unhealthyareprojectedontoitbyculture.Asafinalstatementsheclearlyassertherown
contentionwithherfinalthreesentences,TrustYourself.Trustyourbody.Meetyourneeds.
leavingthereaderthefeelingthatMaxwellbelieveswerelookingateatingallwrong,
overthinkingit,ifyouwill.Moralizingfoodbythinkingaboutittoomuch.Astrong,believable
argumentwhichhasmeritsallitsownevenifMaxwelldoesnthavetheapplicablecollege
degreesandyearsofscientificstudiestobackherclaim.

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