What We Eat: Importance of Food

Essay Instructions:

Length/Formatting: As an in-class essay, this paper does not have rigorous formatting requirements. You should plan to write between 700-1000 words in length.
Citation Style: Be sure to cite your quotations using MLA style in-text citations. A Works Cited page is not required for this assignment due to time limitations.
Exclusions: You may not use ANY sources not discussed in the directions for this paper, including notes. You MAY use the text of the selected readings, The Write Stuff, and a dictionary/thesaurus.
Directions: Write a well-developed, thoughtful paper in response to the topic below. Pay particular attention to content and organization, including your introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion. In order to achieve higher grades, display critical thinking in your argument and use of evidence as well as sophisticated use of language. Please refer to the Brenau Writing Rubric for more information on grading.
Quotations: This paper does require quotations in order to pass. All paraphrases and quotations must be correctly structured and cited according to MLA style.
Directions:
This paper is written in response to the assigned readings on sustainability:
Pollan, Michael. "Escape from the Western Diet" (624-631)
Maxfield, Mary. "Food as Thought: Resisting the Moralization of Eating" (641-646)
Freedman, David H. "How Junk Food Can End Obesity" (681-712)
Topic:
Michael Pollan, Mary Maxfield, and David H. Freedman all debate not just what we should eat, but how we should view food (especially food that's good for us). In your paper, first compare and contrast the position taken by Pollan and either Maxfield or Freedman (this part is equivalent to what our book terms "they say"). Then, add your own view (what our book terms "I Say"). Define your position on healthy food or healthy eating, explain why it's feasible, and demonstrate how it relates to the overall conversation on food. In this section (the "I Say" part of your paper) use your required secondary source as support.
This paper does require quotations, not just paraphrases of material, in order to pass. Be sure that you cite your quotations in-text according to MLA format (author page number) or (Weisser 607).
Reminders for paper structure and content:
Introduction: The introduction should begin with a relevant example or other detail. Use the middle of the introduction to contextualize the problem and offer a definition of sustainability (you might use one of the readings here). If you will refer to one or both of your chosen readings extensively, you should also introduce those titles/authors in the context portion of the introduction. End the introduction with a thesis statement that clearly states the problem and solution you will address.
Body Paragraphs: This paper requires a minimum of two body paragraphs (for example, one on the problem and one dealing with the solution) in order to pass. Papers with only one body paragraph will not pass. Better papers (Good/B or Excellent/A papers) will convey a more complex argument and will require 3-4 body paragraphs. Due to the limitations of time and length, it is not recommended that you attempt to write more than 4 body paragraphs.
Conclusion: This paper requires a concluding paragraph. Use the conclusion to emphasize the impact or importance of your ideas. Remember that better conclusions include a vivid detail, example, or emotional argument that will resonate with the reader.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Assignment
Name
Professor
Date
What Should We Eat?
Food is very essential for human existence on earth. Without food then no living thing, either plant or animal, would be alive. However, the kind of food we eat also determines whether we are leading a healthy life or not. Michael Pollan in his work Escape from Western Diet says it is not enough to just eat. You must eat what is good for you and avoid blindly following theories put forward by nutritionists because they favor the food industry more than the consumer. Pollan actually warns against eating too much food. Freedman is his work How junk Food can end Obesity seems to contradict Pollan’s. He says the likes of Pollan are discrediting fast food joints and blaming of introducing us to too much sugar, calories, and more other chemicals (Pollan 625). So what kind of food should we eat? Human health depends on a balanced diet that when strictly followed, then we will do away with unnecessary obesity as well as malnourished bodies.
Escape from Western Diet, work done by Michael Pollan, however, contrasts with David H. Freedman’s How Junk Food Can End Obesity. While Pollan, a journalist advocates for non processed food and advises on the use of plant food, Freedman is for the opinion that media has made many people believe that processed food is unhealthy. Freedman says the notion that only processed food makes us obese, unhealthy and overweight is not right. Both of them have valid points based on their arguments. According to Pollan, processed foods contained too many chemicals in the form of preservatives and these chemicals are not good for the human body’s health. The processed foods introduce toxic chemicals in the body making the body react and we end up obese and unhealthy (Pollan 627). Freedman, however, is against this statement. He says popular food producers, fast-food chains among them, are already applying various tricks and technologies to create less caloric and more satiating versions of their junky fare that nonetheless retain much of the appeal of the originals, and could be induced to go much further (Freedman 686). It is important to note that the two authors, Michael Pollan and David H. Freedman, have one belief they share; that processed food is harmful to human health. They, however, differ where Freedman says processed food is now treate...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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What We Eat: Importance of Food

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