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Michael
Pollan
Zea mays,
or corn as it is more commonly known, is the world's
most widely planted cereal crop.
In North
America, corn is treated like a king not only in the
fields and food system, but also in Washington, D.C.
Last month,
President Bush signed a bill requiring taxpayers to pay
farmers $4 billion a year, over a ten-year period, to
grow more corn. More corn when the U.S. is desperately
trying to find ways to get rid of the current surplus
corn produced here. More corn when farmers are currently
selling it for over a dollar less per bushel than it
cost them to produce it. A $190 billion bill to grow
more corn when planting less corn would increase the
price farmers receive for it, and eliminate the extreme
surplus. If farmers don't benefit from this bill, then
who does? The Archer Daniels Midlands, Tysons and
Coca-Colas of the world.
The United
States, possibly without realizing it, is a nation
saturated in corn. The animals we eat are fed a diet of
corn, even if it is not good for them. The natural diet
of beef cattle, for instance, is grass, but they are fed
the cheaper corn, which disrupts their digestive systems
making it necessary to give them antibiotics to stave
off illness and infection. 10 billion bushels of corn
are devoted to feeding livestock annually; companies
like A.D.M., Cargill and ConAgra have figured ingenious
new ways to dispose of the leftovers - and there are a
lot of leftovers -- turning it into everything from
ethanol, Vitamin C, biodegradable plastics … and
high-fructose corn syrup.
High-fructose
corn syrup has done wonders for keeping corn in
business. Soft drink and snack manufacturers have
largely abandoned sugar for corn syrup, and nearly 10
percent of Americans' calories come directly from corn
sweeteners. Along with the corn-based animal protein and
corn products such as breads and chips that we consume,
we are saturated in corn.
This great
corn excess is doing excessive harm to our bodies and
our environment. It is probably not by chance that the
surge in obesity and Type 2 diabetes in the U.S.
coincides with the surge in use of corn sweeteners in
soft drinks and snacks, corn sweeteners whose relative
bargain price enabled manufactures and retailers to
create ever-larger portion sizes.
What's
more, it also appears that high-fructose
corn syrup is metabolized differently than other sugars,
making it potentially more harmful.
A recent
study found that fructose
elevates triglyceride levels in men shortly after
eating, potentially leading to increased risk of obesity
and heart disease. Less is known about the
effects of eating so much corn-fed meat, though in the
case of cattle, researchers have found that corn-fed
beef is higher in saturated fats than grass-fed beef.
In terms of
our environment, 80 million acres of corn is causing
serious harm. Common corns demand more nitrogen
fertilizer and pesticides than any other food crop,
resulting in chemical runoffs that penetrate groundwater
and pollute our waterways. And production of the
required fertilizer and pesticides consumes vast amounts
of oil and natural gas - a half a gallon of fossil fuel
for every bushel of corn, to be exact.
In terms of
land and resources devoted to it, and consumption of it,
corn is, indeed, king. But not necessarily a benevolent
king.
New
York Times July 19, 2002
Corn has
caused health problems for thousands
of years. Contrary to popular belief, corn is not a
vegetable, but a grain. Grains break down to sugar very
rapidly and increase your insulin
output. And modern technology has only escalated
corn's ability to damage our health, with more genetic
modifications looming in the shadows, waiting to inflict
damage to your health.
Michael
Pollan, author of the New York Times article, also wrote
a marvelous article
on grass-fed beef earlier this year in the NY times.
Related
Articles:
Corn
Caused Disease Among Native Americans
Genetically
Modified Corn Spreading to Protected Wild Corn
Return
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