In Response: An Omnivore's Dilemma

This post is in response to the article discussion by Aaron Mittica from Paleo Diet Online, which addressed Michael Pollan's book, entitled, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I'll be honest, I have not read this book, however the discussion, I felt, was important in that it creates a point that many of us (paleolithic-centered people) are often confronted with. Let's begin.

Aaron's first topic summarized the beginning chapter in Pollan's book. Pollan began with an abstract, very brief, discussion of corn horticulture. He described a local Iowa farmer - not far from home, who had discovered how modern day culture had transformed the grain's architecture. After harvest, the product was delivered to the regional processing plant where the grain was converted to a large number of food constituents, one being high fructose corn syrup, a common food additive in Western society. I'll spare you the chemical make-up of fructose and the science behind today's latest cancerous, sweet craze. Hopefully most reading this, are familiar with this topic, as I will leave this subject for another rainy day. Not to further digress. Aaron's discussion then transitioned into the author's story of a corn-fed steer. This cow was ordinary and it's life ended, like most, in a slaughterhouse. The diet of the steer, like most, consisted of cereal made of corn, fat, sugar, anti-biotics, and growth hormones. Of course, the diet of the cow is one that would eventually kill the animal, however due to the steer's short life span before slaughter, this diet is largely one that would generate maximal yield. Aaron concluded this section with the author's summary of the process; that is, a corn-based meal, which was quickly consumed at a large, well known fast-food restaurant.

The second and third topics summarized by Aaron, related to Pollan's other sections in his book, which I will sum up in less detail than the first. The second topic refered to an organic farm, one that was self-sustaining but most importantly, an industry that was free from corn-fed diets. The third topic refered to meals that had to be hunted or gathered; that is, free from processing. Eventually, as the author described, this scenario ended with a twist where a person would be confronted with a different choice of lifestyle.

So, what's your point, is probably something that you are asking right about now. Well I'm certainly not trying to sell vegetarianism to you. I eat and live in a paleo/zone world. However, my point is similar to Aaron's. Are we human beings or are we the fungus that lives off of the product of agriculture, which the United States is a leading producer of? Corn is everywhere and to the paleolithic man, this just isn't acceptable. For example, today I was thinking how difficult it is to find grass-fed meat. I'm curious as to why large, commerical grocery stores, in general, refuse to carry grass-fed products. Recently, I read that Wal-Mart was considering making available more organic food items. I suppose that I'll have to wait a little longer before those choices are available in the meat produce section. Today, I reached for the grass-fed bison at the local organic food store.