One of the problematic trends in modern foods is that there is the consistent reassurance that anything you stick in your mouth is good for you. Granted, it’s likely that at some point, you may think, “Well, I do need sugar!” or “Well, fat is good for you!”
Pop! In it goes.
So where’s the problem?
Whilst it’s true that most foods, processed or otherwise, tend to have a ship-ton of vitamins and supplements, they cannot cancel out the dangerous chemicals that have been mixed in as well. Everything, from breakfast cereals to even water has a ton of minerals and vitamins that are not entirely natural or beneficial.
Our bodies need a sufficient amount of nutrients, to take in what’s needed and push out what isn’t. What we have adopted in modern society is that the vitamins and minerals that we stick into food is enhancing it, but this is not entirely true.
What we think is enhancing food is actually fortifying it – what is referred to by Pollan as “nutritionism” which is to substitute useful nutrients in food and replace them with useless or even harmful products in order it to seem fulfilling.
The best kind of nutrient in your diet is something that can be absorbed properly. Anything that’s good for your metabolism is good for you overall, whether it’s weight loss, health balance or simply your mood.
This can technically be defined as “functional food”, whilst non-functional is something artificially made, such as colourful breakfast cereals for your kids.
It’s reasonable enough to assume that if you can’t specify what exactly it is that you’re benefiting from as a result of chowing down artificial produce, then it can’t be good for you.
Examples of “functional food” can be food such as the bacterium in yoghurt, which can regulate your digestive system or other dietary requirements.
The message is simple – you are what you eat.