Michael Pollan Op-Ed

Interesting piece. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=pollan&st=cse

Pollan's assumptions:

-Grain is fit for human consumption, and there's an alternative to raising grain that is sustainable without oil based fertilizers

-Health Insurance companies, unlike other insurance companies, will not play fair unless bullied into it by the govt

-Health ins companies and/or the govt has any idea what people should eat to avoid the diseases of civilization that he references

What I agree with - grass fed beef is much healthier for human consumption, creates much less impact to the environment and throws into question all the calculations about whether grain or beef makes better, more sustainable human food. Correllate-all the global warming concerns for beef change considerably if we stop talking about grain fed beef. If you have any time to read, "The Vegetarian Myth" is a fantastic book about food, sustainability, and health - rolls most of what I've learned about nutrition into one book and a very concise one. It's a must read book in my opinion.

The goal should be sustainable, non-grain based food production - annual monocrops (grains) are poor quality food and not sustainable.

Health insurance companies will respond to market incentives to take care of customers just like most businesses do if they are not allowed to circumvent competition through govt intervention. As is well delineated here (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909/health-care), current govt interventions create the excessive cost and compromised quality so easily observable in our US health care systems. I consider myself somewhat well read on the topic - books by Porter, Herzlinger, Kling and Gratzer. More govt control will do nothing to deal with these root causes.

Unfortunately for Pollan, if we continue to eat what the govt and its proxies tell us, we're going to get more sick, not less so. Zone/Paleo/Atkins/Eades protein power and even south beach to some extent - carbs regulate body fat accumulation. If you eat a bunch of high density carbs, you get fat and sick.

My two cents - not that you asked!