After the presenters have posted their statements pro and con and their rebuttals to each other for Debate 7.3 and Debate7.2, classmates are required to write a paragraph response by Fri. 10/11. First, before reading the debate, note if you are for or against the statement (before reading the debate, do you agree more with the pro or con position?). Then note if your position changed or remained the same after you read the debate (after reading the debate, do you agree more with the pro or con position?) Give any insights on the debate or debate topic.
Debate 7.3 Group Presentation on The Omnivore’s Dilemma pp. 109-133 or “Crave Man’
Con
“Obesity has gotten worse because of the advent of high fructose corn syrup, invented in 1980.”
Obesity during recent years has become a very serious issue in America. A study done in 2017 found that nearly 40% of adult Americans are obese which is shocking. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2017) However, can we put all the blame for America’s obesity on high fructose corn syrup? According to the American Medical Association: “High-fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute more to obesity than other caloric sweeteners.” (Hendley 2009) Also, Kathleen Melanson, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island had this to say about high fructose corn syrup and sugar:
But high-fructose corn syrup isn’t pure fructose (100%-fructose foods don’t exist outside of the laboratory; neither do 100%-glucose foods). High-fructose corn syrup is half fructose and half glucose-just like table sugar is. And, because they both contain glucose, HFCS and table sugar do activate leptin and ghrelin systems, says Melanson. In fact, they seem to affect them very similarly. (Hendley 2009)
Contrary to popular opinion, high fructose corn syrup is not worse for one’s body than sugar. The USA ranks number 1 in the world for the average daily sugar consumption per person with 126.40 grams (Ferdman). 126.40 grams of sugar is almost 500 calories which is one fourth of the recommended daily intake of 2,000 calories.
Rather than high fructose corn syrup being the problem, the true cause of obesity in America is the lack of education in nutrition for the average American. Sugar makes foods and drinks taste better, and therefore businesses are putting large amounts of high fructose corn syrup into their food and products. Sugar is also highly addictive causing people to eat more and more of a food that contains an excess amount of it. However, the average American isn’t aware that much of what they consume contains high amounts of sugar. The food industry is taking advantage of this ignorance so Americans will continuously purchase their products and goods. The improvement in the rate of obesity in America will change when people are properly educated on nutrition. When this happens, American’s eating habits will change, and in turn, the food industry will have to change its strategy.
Works Cited
“Adult Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oct. 2017, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html (Links to an external site.).
Ferdman, Roberto A. “Where People around the World Eat the Most Sugar and Fat.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Feb. 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/05/where-people-around-the-world-eat-the-most-sugar-and-fat.
Hendley, Joyce. “What’s So Bad About High Fructose Corn Syrup?” EatingWell, 2009, http://www.eatingwell.com/article/10233/whats-so-bad-about-high-fructose-corn-syrup/ (Links to an external site.).
reply from pro:
Rebuttal and Question
Hi Gabriel,
I do agree with you that obesity has become a major problem and the numbers are staggering. However I do not agree that a lack of education is the real problem. Take for instance, David Kessler, whom Lyndsey Layton wrote about in the article “Crave Men.” Kessler is a Harvard-trained doctor, lawyer,medical school dean and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, yet he is obese. At some point, Kessler weighed up to 230 pounds. With all his education he did not escape obesity. I also know of other people who are highly educated but they struggle with obesity. Even at DVC, a college where people get educated, when you look around you’ll find out that we have students and staff who are obese.
I also disagree with you that cane sugar is as bad as high fructose corn syrup. You noted that according to the FDA, nearly 40% of adult Americans are obese. The same FDA also noted that prior to 1980, the year high fructose corn syrup was invented, only 13% of the population were obese. Back during that time, they used cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup, and the obesity rate was not that high. Even if people are very well educated and aware of what high corn fructose does they can’t avoid it 100% all the time. Once in a while, they will find out that the syrup is in almost all everyday items, like convenient breakfast – cereal bars, and cereal itself.
Do certain groups (eg. men, women, hispanic, blacks, caucasians, asians, )have a higher rate of obesity? If yes, what are the possible factors responsible for that?
Proposition: “Obesity has gotten worse because of the advent of high fructose corn syrup, invented in 1980.”
Pro
Have you ever wondered why your taste buds always nudge you to go through the McDonell’s drive thru for that burger, or why you always crave for more McNuggets even after eating a whole pack of them? The answer: High Fructose Corn Syrup. High fructose corn syrup is made from chemically processed corn starch. Much cheaper than glucose or cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup is used by food and beverage companies as a sweetener because it yields them more profit. However, they make their profit at the expense of the American people’s health. Drinks and food such as soft drinks, fruit juices, sodas, cereal, yogurt, pasta sauce, peanut butter, burger buns and ketchup all contain high fructose corn syrup. Due to the impact it has on the human brain, I strongly agree with the motion that “Obesity has gotten worse because of the advent of high fructose corn syrup, invented in 1980.”
The consumption of high fructose corn syrup in fast food meals and drinks have heightened the obesity rate in the United States. According to the article “High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)” written by Justin D. Garcia and published on Salem Press Encyclopedia “some experts have claimed that fructose prevents the body from producing leptin, a hormone that sends signals to the brain when the body is no longer hungry” (Garcia 1). This clearly explains why most Americans can’t part with Burger Kings “Whopper” or McDonald’s “McNuggets”. When the body does not produce this very important chemical, leptin, all it does is crave for more and more fast food meals. The “red stop eating button” that signals the brain to stop eating does not activate. As a result, people consume way more bad calories than are needed by the body, which leads to obesity. As David Kessler puts it in the Washington Post Article “Crave Man”, “Instead of satisfying hunger, the salt-fat-sugar combination in [fast foods] will stimulate that diner’s brain to crave more” (Layton 2). Basically, people do not eat out of a need, rather they eat to satisfy a craving because of the signals sent to their brains by High fructose corn syrup. In Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma he ascertains that “there’s more corn sweetener in my cheeseburger, of all places: the bun and the ketchup both contain high fructose corn syrup. It’s in the salad dressing, too, and the sauces for the nuggets” (115). The modern-day American is well accustomed to fast food joints and most of the foods they offer contain high fructose corn syrup. The CDC records that about 40% of Americans are obese now compared to 13% prior to 1980, which is when high fructose corn syrup was discovered. Obesity can lead to a myriad of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart attack, certain types of cancers and high LDL cholesterol. All of these diseases can eventually lead to death.
Unfortunately, this monster (high fructose corn syrup) is not only found in fast foods. It has managed to make its way into our homes. Everyday food items purchased from the grocery store such as cereals, cookies, and breakfast bars contain high fructose corn syrup. Next time you plan on eating one cookie and end up eating the whole packet, blame it on high fructose corn syrup. Pollan noted that a “32-ounce soda [from the grocery store] contains 86 grams of high-fructose corn syrup” (115). Evidently, some of us are drinking our way to obesity, which of course has a high price attached to it. High fructose corn syrup is the culprit to blame for the obesity pandemic the United States is facing. The food industry is using high fructose corn syrup to mess with our brains, get us to eat more and more without satisfaction while they fatten their pockets.
Works Cited
García, Justin D., PhD. “High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).” Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – A Natural History of Four Meals. The Penguin Press, 2007.
Layton, Lyndsey. “Crave Men.” Washington Post, 2009.
Reply from Con
Rebuttal and Question
Hi Mberry,
I agree with you that high fructose corn syrup will cause you to crave more after eating it, but high fructose corn syrup is not the only substance that causes this. Cane sugar, which high fructose corn syrup is meant to replace, is also addictive and causes one to crave more. Therefore, the argument doesn’t stand when the real issue is the amount of sugar (or sweetener) in the food we eat.
In the sources you cited and the examples that you used, you only mentioned about how fast food and other unhealthy foods and drinks like soda have a lot of high fructose corn syrup added. However, it makes sense that obesity is becoming a problem if people are eating these unhealthy foods. American’s have a choice of what to eat and it seems that many of them are choosing unhealthy foods like fast food. You said: “The CDC records that about 40% of Americans are obese now compared to 13% prior to 1980, which is when high fructose corn syrup was discovered.” However, the CDC also said: “The average restaurant meal today is more than four times the size of typical 1950s fare” (Barclay). The real cause of rising rates in obesity is the increase of portion sizes. Picking between one type of sweetener over another (high fructose corn syrup over cane sugar) would not make as big of an impact on people gaining weight than the fact that people are eating more because the portions are larger.
Discussion Question
Is the average person more aware of how “healthy” foods are or of the portion size and calories of what they are eating?
Works Cited
Barclay, Eliza, et al. “It’s Easy to Become Obese in America. These 7 Charts Explain Why.” Vox, Vox, 9 Aug. 2018, https://www.vox.com/2016/8/31/12368246/obesity-america-2018-charts.
Debate 7.2 Group Presentation on The Omnivore’s Dilemma pp. 85-108
Eating Large Amounts of Processed Foods has made Americans Unhealthy- Pro
The consumption of processed foods has become widely spread throughout the United States and many other countries, yet there are still large amounts of people who do not fully understand what a processed food really is. According to the US Department of Agriculture, a processed food is “a food item that has had a series of mechanical or chemical operations performed on it to change or preserve it” (Fry, 2015). It is important to note that any foods with preservatives, food additives, or substances such as salt, sugar, and fat can also be defined as a processed food. From a nutritional perspective, processed and even ultra-processed foods can provide key nutrients. Some nutrients like protein are naturally maintained throughout processing, while B vitamins and iron may be added back if they are lost during processing. “Fruits and vegetables that are quickly frozen after harvesting can retain the majority of vitamin C” (Brown, 2017). However, there are many reasons as to why processed foods are frowned upon.
One of the main reasons people have been told to stay away from processed foods is because the amount of sugar or corn syrup they contain. It is a known fact that sugar is solely empty calories, but high amounts of energy. Studies have shown that sugar can have detrimental effects on metabolism as well as leading to “insulin resistance, high triglycerides, increased levels of harmful cholesterol and increased fat accumulation in the liver and abdominal cavity” (Basciano et al, 2005). Secondly, evolution has gravitated our appetites towards foods that are sweet, salty, and fatty because of the energy and nutrients it contains. This leads to the competitive food industry attempting to manufacture foods that are as desirable as possible. Our bodies have mechanisms that regulate how much we eat and burn to keep us at a healthy weight; this has worked very well for us until recent years. “There is quite a lot of evidence that the reward value of foods can bypass the innate defense mechanism and make us start eating much more than we need, so much that it starts to compromise our health” (PJ, 2011). It comes as a shock to most that processed foods can contain dozens of additional chemicals that aren’t even listed on the label. For example, “artificial flavor” is a blend of chemicals and manufacturers don’t have to disclose the exact definition of.
Processed foods have been a part of the American diet for almost one hundred years, which makes cutting down on this lifestyle quite difficult. Obesity rates, high cholesterol, and heart disease have increased dramatically and links between these foods and different cancers have become more prevalent. The solution is easier said than done, however. These habits can be changed by only eating out once or twice a month and substituting more healthy and natural foods that fight off diseases, rather than cause them.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22011680 (Links to an external site.)
Reply:
Rebuttal and Discussion Question:
You bring up some good points in your statement. I agree with your statement that many processed foods provide key nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, iron, and Vitamin C. I also agree with your statement that one of the main reasons that processed foods are unhealthy for you is the amounts of added sugar and/or corn syrup added to them. That is what I argued in my paper. That people should “steer clear of processed foods that contain ingredients like trans fat, large amounts of sodium and sugar, and chemicals with unpronounceable names. They tend to be low in vitamins and minerals and lead to weight gain” (Are All Processed Foods Unhealthy?” Lehman MS).
I don’t disagree with your statement, I just don’t feel that you can make a blanket statement that all processed foods make Americans unhealthy. The definition of processed foods, according to the Information Food Information Council Foundation, is “any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it’s available to eat” (“Are All Processed Foods Unhealthy?” Lehman MS). By this definition, slicing an apple is an example of a processed food. There are many processed foods that are good for you, which you also mentioned in your argument. There are also many other factors that has contributed to making Americans more and more unhealthy over the years. We are less active, we move less, we eat out more due to our busy lifestyles, and we eat bigger portions of food. Also technology has contributed to Americans being more unhealthy. Our televisions keep us indoors on the couch instead of being active outdoors.
Discussion Question: The question that I would like to address in class is whether or not you think that eating processed foods is the major factor in making Americans unhealthy?
https://www.verywellfit.com/are-all-processed-foods-unhealthy-2506393
Eating Large Amounts Of Processed Food Has Made Americans Unhealthy- CON
Processed foods have a bad reputation, but not all processed foods are unhealthy. When we think of processed foods, we think of chemicals and additives being added. However, most foods you eat are processed. The term processed simply means “any deliberate change in a food that occurs before it’s available to eat,” according to the Information Food Information Council Foundation. (“Are All Processed Foods Unhealthy?” Lehman MS). Based on this definition, slicing an apple is an example of a processed food. “Most foods need to go through some sort of processing for it to be even edible or digestible”. Says Stacy Nelson, a registered dietitian and manager of clinical nutrition at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts’ General Hospital (“Not all processed foods are unhealthy, Harvard Medical School”).
There are several examples of processed foods that are healthy for you. Some examples of healthy processed foods are canned beans and canned fish.
These processed foods can even contribute to a healthier lifestyle because it’s more convenient to eat. It’s a lot easier to open a can of beans than to have to soak them overnight and then cook them. It can take up to about two hours to cook beans as opposed to a couple of minutes of opening a can. It’s also easy to open some canned fish and just add it to some salad for a delicious and healthy meal.
Another example of processed food that is healthy for you and convenient is frozen vegetables. Fresh produce loses its nutrients when exposed to oxygen, heat, and sunlight. Freezing vegetables actually helps to retain its nutrients. Raw milk is also pasteurized to kill the bacteria found in them. This is done by heating the raw milk at a specified temperature for a specified amount of time. Orange juice that has calcium added to it is also better for you than freshly squeezed orange juice. Dried fruits also have more fiber than fresh fruits. Fiber is an important nutrient for preventing many types of illnesses, such as heart disease, obesity, and colon cancer, among other ailments.
When eating processed foods, it is important to look at the nutrition labels on the packaging. Usually the less ingredients you see on the nutrition label, the better. “Steer clear of processed foods that contain ingredients like trans fat, large amounts of sodium and sugar, and chemicals with unpronounceable names. They tend to be low in vitamins and minerals and lead to weight gain” (“Are All Processed Foods Unhealthy?” Lehman MS). To say that eating large amounts of processed foods has made Americans unhealthy is too broad of a claim to make.
https://www.verywellfit.com/are-all-processed-foods-unhealthy-2506393 (Links to an external site.)
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/not-all-processed-foods-are-unhealthy
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