The Omnivores Dilemma

Chapter #5- Reading Guide

Name: ______Chau Vu____________________________
1: Pg. 86- Explain how a kernel of corn will be broken down into its various parts.
-> 1
st
, kernel is subdivided. Yellow skin will be processed into various vitamins and nutritional
supplements. The germs will be crushed for oil and the endosperm will be plundered for its
carbohydrates.
2: Pg. 86- What are some of the names of compounds that are in products that are made from
corn?
-> Glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, ethanol, sorbitol, mannitol, and xanthan gum
3: Pg. 88- it takes about __five___ gallons to process a bushel of corn, and prodigious amounts
of energy. Wet milling is an energy-intensive way to make food; for every calorie of processed
food it produces, another __ten__ calories of fossil fuel energy are burned.
4: Pg. 89- What did the discovery of glucose isomerase do for the industry?
-> Turned glucose into the much sweeter fructose.
5: Pg. 90- What does it mean when we say that we are liberating food from nature?
-> People began processing food to going back to being in nature, rather than being processed.
6: Pg. 91- Corn is the key constituent of what four processed foods? Is this surprising?
-> Cheez Whiz, Cool Whip, margarine and Tang. No, it isn't surprising because most of the food
we eat is processed.
7: Pg. 93- How much does it take to make a box of cereal? How much is it sold for?
-> 4 cents to make a box of cereal and sold for 4 dollars.
8: Pg. 94- What is the average growth rate of Americans? What does it mean by fixed stomach
and how does this relate to profits?
-> 1%, causes companies to either charge more or entice people to eat more food.
9: Pg. 94- How many pounds of food does the average American eats per year?
-> 15,000 pounds of food per year.
10: Pg. 94- Theres money to be made in food, unless youre trying to grow it- explain this
statement.
-> It requires more money to grow natural foods than it does to make processed foods.
11: Pg. 97- Explain what the author means by, getting more fruits and vegetables into food.
-> The nutrients and minerals of fruits and vegetables are being put into regular food.
12: Pg. 98- Does natural raspberry flavor mean that the flavoring is actually raspberry or even
natural? Explain.
-> Natural raspberry flavor means that it didnt come from a raspberry. The companies use the
extracts from raspberries to give their foods the flavor of raspberry.
13: Pg. 98- What is resistant starch and how does it get around the biological limit on how much
you eat in a year?
-> Resistant starch is virtually indigestible. It isn't counted in the limit of calories a person should
eat in a year.