Monday, December 3, 2012

Time Magazine Says I'm A Snob, Are You?


Let’s start with a little scenario. At work, you’re up for a promotion. The promotion would be great; the extra money will make a difference. It’s something you’d really like to happen. Your current position is fine, it pays the bills but you’d love the opportunity to take on the new job. Announcements are made and you don’t get it. Initially you’re crushed but you find a way to spin it. “I didn’t really want the job, it would mean longer hours and more stress, I’m fine with my current position.” Let me translate, once you saw that you weren’t switching jobs, and receiving the associated benefits, you made a case for status quo…that doesn’t mean the promotion wouldn’t have been better.

The same thinking applies to food. Organic everything is not in everyone’s budget. That doesn’t mean (Stanford University) that organic/wild/grass-fed isn’t “worth” it. It’s up to nutritionists to assist individuals to make the best food choices with what they have to spend. Dr Oz, in a Time Magazine cover story “What to Eat Now: the anti-food-snob diet”, is telling Americans not only do you not need the “promotion” (or fresh produce or uncanned food) but also that your current position (supermarket staples) is just as good. I’m all for pointing out affordable, cost-effective food options but you don’t have to knock well-produced food. If we assume  all foods are created equal you’re not getting the whole story.

Dr Oz would probably agree you can get heart surgery at most hospitals but “elite” institutions like Columbia University Medical Center will offer cutting edge techniques, the finest doctors and superior care. Would it make you a “health snob” to send a family member, assuming you had the opportunity, to a top-notch hospital? Or is all heart surgery, like spinach, is the same?

Throughout the article Dr Oz frequently uses “nutritionally speaking” but “speaks” only in the terms that support his message. He cites sodium and the macronutrients protein, carbs and fats in his explanation. Surely, doing his show day after day with nutrition experts (who are really well versed “nutritionally speaking”) Dr Oz knows of BPAs in most canned goods, pesticides in conventional produce, omega 3s and trans fats but maybe I’m being elitist in mentioning these details. In a discussion on meat, Oz condescends and says “there’s no question grass-fed, free-range, pasture-dwelling cows lead happier lives” but when he glosses over hormones, antibiotics, E. coli saying “if these things are important to you and you have the money to spend” go for it. Yes, hormones, antibiotics and E. coli are rather important, not a very “happy life” for me with my family consuming those.

Many of the examples cited are inconsistent. Nitrates in cold cuts are discouraged “don’t go there” but potential trans fats in PB are ignored. “Baked Pita Chips are great” really, “nutritionally speaking” what do they offer? Is fiber an “artisanal ingredient”?  Dr Oz  breaks down fats into the archaic saturates are bad and unsaturated are good but nutrition experts, even the non-snobby ones, know that there are good saturated fats  (hello coconut and chocolate) and less healthy unsaturated fats so that’s not a great teaching tool.

I would let all these details go (not so good at letting things go but I would be less harsh) if the premise of the article was healthy, affordable food for all. However, polarizing specialty brands, farmer’s markets and “meat boutiques” on one side as snobby and unnecessary and suggesting supermarket, conventional food as affordable, accessible and every bit as good doesn’t tell a balanced tale. And I have to point out people would be better served using hard-earned money for organic dairy than the esoteric supplements Dr Oz pushes daily on his show.  It would be nice if we could all eat high quality food, achieve professional success and go to the finest hospitals but we cannot. We need to make the best food choices we can, within our budgets, and that may involve some sacrifices in terms of health and taste.  I may be a food snob but I’m an honest one.
Did you read the article? Do you think you need to knock the smaller and perhaps more expensive options to point out affordable ones? Do you think organic, grass-fed, fresh, hormone free food is "basically the same"? 
Last day to enter/win Foodtrainers Favorite Gifts (I should say snobby gifts).

31 comments:

  1. I find it very ironic that Dr. Oz said any of this, considering that in one of his episodes last year (which many people still quote today) he said "you should never buy anything with more than 2 ingredients". lol. Ummm..... he's such a hypocrite.
    I didn't read the article, but now I want to. I'll have to pick it up today. Thanks Lauren!

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  2. Thanks for writing this - I'm wide awake and energized (on a Monday) after how enraged awful pieces of Journalism like this make me :). Honestly, I don't even buy the money aspect of this. Mostly b/c when I made the switch to eat less chemically pumped foods I noticed that while it was maybe .50cents -$1 more I ate WAY less - which meant my money went just as far if not farther with organic vs. non-organic. My mom also noticed that after switching to farm raised chicken she would eat 1/3 of a breast where before she would eat 3/4-all of it. So I just think the money issue is often an excuse for people to maintain ignorance about food because eating healthy foods takes work and investigation. Most people would rather grab the processed crap on the shelves and make themselves feel better by claiming it's what they can afford. Also, I hate how people gloss over the chemicals, hormones, and pesticides that are in all of these foods. A while back I blasted chick fil a for being horrible food that parents shouldn't feed to their kids. A FB friend of mine (who is about 300ibs, btw) said "not everything there is bad, the grilled chicken breast is not fattening and the salad with ranch is great for you." Forgetting about the with ranch part, I had to remind her that while their grilled chicken might be okay in the fat/calories section it has 20+ ingredients (not just 1 - Chicken?). Love the Medical care analogy!

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  3. Great blog post! SO TRUE! Me thinks Dr. Oz, unfortunately, is catering to big, mass food advertisers whom he needs for the monetary success of his show. Sad, if true. But one thing in the article I did agree with: using frozen fruits and veggies, which can often be as nutritious as fresh (and a lot cheaper for some families). Thanks Lauren for another great blog!

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  4. Whitney's comment reminded me in a funny way of when I started feeding my dog much higher-quality (read: more expensive) food. Initially, my husband thought I was nuts for buying him kibble that cost twice as much per bag, but then realized the difference in serving size meant that each bag actually contained more servings so the cost per serving was actually less than it had been with the "cheaper" food (which the rescue organization had been fed him and had recommended we continue). Have to look at the quality of what's in it... and we realized that once we were using the food that didn't have as much "filler" in it, he needed less of that food. Same theory behind human food, but we humans tend eat a greater variety of stuff so I think it was easier to see with the pup :)

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  5. Love someone as worked up as I am, thanks Whitney. I wish fat/calories were all we had to worry about with food. This is all funny coming form someone who suggested we go organic with apple juice b/c of arsenic. So which chemicals are we ok with? It seems it depends on who we are trying to butter (non-organic) up.

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  6. i am not against the "frozen block of spinach" but don't tell me it's the same thing as what I purchase at the farmer's market and don't make me feel bad (in an effort to make those who can't afford fresh and that's debatable feel better/less guilt ridden). Frozen can be superior to fresh in certain categories and lack in others. This is not the case for canned tuna, conventional meat or dairy. It's a case by case basis. You can appeal to big food by saying they are good options and appeal to small scale producers and farmers trying to do the right thing. Instead he said small companies are going to be annoyed...and everyone who believes in them as well.

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  7. a great point, as whitney said maybe when less "stuff" in it, we will eat less so who is to say what's "cheaper"? There are so many ways Oz could've made this more balanced. It's not only about who can/afford or who can't either. Many people with limited budgets I can bet are shaking their fingers saying "we know better" even if we can't make the best choices because of constraints. Your dog knows better for goodness sake :)

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  8. I agree. I am beginning to wonder what organizations/businesses are funding Dr. Oz.

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  9. Dr. Oz has always rubbed me the wrong way with his holier-than-thou preaching. What also bothers me about him is his hypocrisy on so many levels. And he contradicts himself! Anyway, I don't listen to him anymore. I guess that makes me a snob on more than one level.

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  10. I find articles like these so frustrating. A big issue with discussing nutrition in the media is that nutrition is quite complex. And unfortunately, the media tries to turn a complex topic into easy to understand sound bites. Most people just want simple answers and personalities like Dr. Oz are all too happy to cater to that need. This generally misrepresents the underlying message and results in a ton of misinformation being disseminated by supposedly trustworthy sources. Also, people just don't want to hear that high quality food is worth paying for or that there are actually nuances within the much demonized fat category. It just kills too many brain cells to give it that much thought!

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  11. True, true "supermarket food basically the same" is easily digested.

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  12. do we even object to the word snob? If it means choosing better things over inferior ones to the extent I can... I'm an "everything" snob.

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  13. I have not read the article so I'm going simply by what you wrote here. Dr. Oz might be the biggest hippocrate out there. Be weary of anyone not willing to live the advice they preach. Like he doesn't eat the best food his money can buy? He is a such a contradiction.

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  14. great post. i never liked watching dr. oz's show for this exact reason. he seems to only tell people what they want to hear and he has an enormous following. i agree that "organic" may not be in everyones budget, but just because it isn't affordable to some..you shouldn't discredit highest quality foods to make consuming the other foods seem easier to swallow.

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  15. My experience is that eating local, organic meats and produce is as cheap (if not cheaper) than food trucked in from 4,000 miles away or shipped in from south of the border...but I'm lucky because my city is surrounded by farmland.

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  16. he mentions he loves truffle oil etc but then goes on to say everyone else, stick with boring basics. Even if these foods were adequate, has Oz thought about the taste of what he's suggesting? Read the article will get you fired up Danielle.

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  17. good point even from an environmental vantage point, "cheaper" for whom? Right?

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  18. ha ha, "easier to swallow" Americans need to think more, not less about what they are eating. Things are too easy to swallow.

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  19. I just read the article and a few posts knocking it. I am in complete agreeance (spell check) with you and feel like Dr Oz is selling out. Like you mentioned, for all the pricey supplements he recommends, wouldn't that money be more well spent on QUALITY FOODS!? I am battling with our budget now...spend A LOT on quality groceries, having trouble making ANY cuts (will be what I start blogging about), even though I might be slashing the food budget, it doesn't mean I still won't try to eat organic and quality. Your health is everything (at least in my opinion) and I want to show people that you CAN eat quality AND be on a budget (at least I'm going to try)!!

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  20. A great post, Lauren. I agree with you 110%. I have not read the article yet but from everything you say here I am very disappointed in Dr. Oz.

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  21. Thanks for sharing--I definitely need to read this article. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be asking about it...

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  22. I have not read the article. I am not a fan of Dr. Oz. I feel like he says a lot of things just to get viewers. I find him to be rather disingenuous. Supplements? Please! You're a physician!


    I certainly don't think hormone-free food is "basically the same." Thanks for sharing.

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  23. I hear you, up until a point I did like Dr Oz and found him really great in person but this is a terrible stance to take.

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  24. I was surprised I hadn't heard about it, I was a week late reading Time and was blown away with what I saw. I hear many natural food companies up in arms. Hope you're well Jess.

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  25. A colleague pointed out perhaps he didn't even write it. I almost find it hard to believe he would be so inflammatory, no pun intended.

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  26. Can't wait to see those posts Erin. The truth is, even if we skip and don't go full throttle healthy due to cost, can you imagine saying "it's not worth it"? That's the part that floored me, ok if you have a budget, spend here/save there but don't knock natural, small-scale and high quality and frivolous.

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  27. I didn't read the article but I will say that it's a tough line to walk. For people who are on a very tight budget and are coming from a place of very low nutritional education, pushing them gently towards more healthy foods in the supermarket (like canned veggies instead of potato chips) might be ok - baby steps, you know. But that doesn't mean that the end game for all of us shouldn't be the ideal. Why shouldn't we all strive to eat the healthiest possible diet? Even for those who are just starting out with healthy eating, I hope that they will eventually get to that ideal place. But if we don't strive for that then we won't get there. I'm like you - I'm also fine with being a snob. I'm a snob in a lot of areas of my life and I'm at peace with it.

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  28. Agreed but you don't have to call people who strive to eat really well snobs. I'm fine with people who fly everywhere first class, I know it's more comfortable/better but not in my budget most of the time.

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  29. I don't follow Dr. OZ, but I certainly know that a lot of people do, and believe everything he says, so this is very disappointing to hear. I think I would get very worked up too if I read the article! So maybe for another day when I have time to get all worked up! What's really sad, is all the health/medical experts who sell out for the big buck-so glad there are people like you, myself, and others, who stick to their principles, no matter what! I don't think we need to bash all "big food" because not all is bad, but why knock the "little guy" too who's trying to make a difference in the overall quality of our food supply? Thanks for posting!

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  30. I feel pangs of guilt, I think I do bash big food but that's because I feel oftentimes it's so bad for people. It's not the "bigness". I guess here it seems Oz is bashing not only people who seek out high quality but these honest, committed people who produce these items and haul their goods to farmer's markets.

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  31. He has become a celebrity. RE: my previous comments regarding listening to celebrities talk about stuff. He should know better and I agree that he does a disservice to the fine people who strive to provide good food. Calling people snobs is pandering.

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