Sociology of Food (Reading Assignment)

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1. from Whole Foods to Refined Today the trend has shifted from eating whole grain foods to refined foods especially carbohydrates (white flour and rice over brown). Reason was prestige; coz only wealthy can afford refined grains. The food loses its natural form and many nutrients-vitamins, proteins, minerals, folic acid, and antioxidants-as a result of refining. Refining increases the shelf life of food as it becomes less nutritious for pests. Moreover, refining not only makes whole foods durable and portable, but also concentrates their energy and speed them up. Industrial revolution brought in tremendous changes in nutrients components. One of the most momentous changes was the introduction of sugar and increase in the percentage of calories coming from sugar and carbohydrates. Because of removing fibres that slow down the release of glucose into the bloodstream from refined food, it is easier to digest. Because of refined food many people became prone to chronic diseases as heart diseases, and cancer. A diet high in whole grains reduces one’s chance of heart diseases, cancer and diabetes. 2. from Complexity to Simplicity Fertilizers are produced ignoring the biological activity in the soil and keeping in view that plants require big three macronutrients-nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous-to grow. The fertilizers developed with the purpose to increase output from soil destroys the biological activity and forcing plants to depend largely on NPK (nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous). Because of increased use of fertilizers, plants become more prone to pests and diseases, which results in low nutritional quality. Today, industrial agriculture is all about high yield with qualities that suited it to things like mechanical harvesting and processing. Nowadays, there is reduction in the diversity of species we are growing. We rely much on corn and soy today. These
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