Chung 1 Janice Chung Professor Erin Dietel-McLaughlin WR 13300-03 19 April 2013 Do Superfoods Make A Superman?

As obesity rates are on the rise, with more than a third of Americans being classified as morbidly obese1, an increasing number of people are conversely becoming extreme health fanatics. Though the fast food industry is expanding, with more than 33,000 McDonalds in 119 countries2, the health food industry is following in suit. There are 340 Whole Foods in the United States and United Kingdom3, and 395 Trader Joe's in America alone4. These booming groceries are supported by hundreds of advertisements and commercials that rave about the health benefits of organic produce and "superfoods." The Harvard Pilgrim Health Center defines these as "foods that have extraordinary health benefits, are generally whole and natural, and contain a range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants." Blueberries, oranges, and walnuts are a few to name, as well as some more uncommon foods like kale, acai berries, and bee pollen. Though there was a decrease in the interest of healthy foods in the 90's, there has been resurgence in recent years. Superfoods are widely advertised, as well as healthy living in general. There are a multitude of advertisements boasting about how antioxidants in blueberries can prevent cancer, or how acai berries promote weight loss. Vegetarianism and veganism are also growing trends as people are becoming increasingly aware of their health, the environment, and animals' rights. Statistical analysis has shown that people who eat meat are twice as likely to

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Center for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html (13 August 2012) McDonalds Corporation, http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html (2013) 3 Whole Foods Market, http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info (2013) 4 Trader Joe's, http://www.traderjoes.com/about/ (2013)

Chung 2 suffer from heart disease than those who forgo it5. Foods that specifically cater to meat free diets are now more readily available in groceries and even universities. When we first learn about superfoods, we overenthusiastically rush off to the nearest organic market to buy everything healthy. It seems that our entire society is making a shift from processed foods onto more natural and whole grain foods. Therefore, even though someone may be perfectly healthy eating meat and sweets, they may feel pressured by their peers and the media to change their habits. Some people are too eager to share their newfound lifestyles and push their beliefs onto others. There are many stereotypical views of vegans as being pretentious because they believe their eating habits make them superior to meat eaters. There are also people who become too obsessed with eating only superfoods. A short British documentary called Health Food Junkies featured several people with rather extreme diets and viewpoints. A woman named Suki Zoe only eats raw vegetables and drinks a glass of her own urine every morning to evaluate how her body is functioning at that exact moment. Kate Wood has been a raw foodist for over 14 years, and has raised her young children on the same diet. I thought this was a bit ridiculous, as growing children need more nutrients than what are just found in vegetables and supplements6. Several people may actually acquire orthorexia, an eating disorder characterized by an unhealthy obsession with healthy foods. In my multimedia satire, I critique these extreme behaviors to make a point of how too much of a good thing can have negative effects, and how we can still be healthy without being on such strict, superfood based diets. I chose the format of a comic strip to present my critique. I was inspired by The Oatmeal, an online archive of humorous comics illustrated by Matthew Inman. His most popular comics often critique abnormalities in social behaviors, trends, or daily annoyances. He simultaneously

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Natural News, http://www.naturalnews.com/025957.html (30 March 2009) WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/kid-nutrition-nutrients (2 December 2012)

Chung 3 humors and shames his readers, but in a manner that is not overly offensive. My initial idea was to make a scale to show the two extremes, obesity and orthorexia, neither of which are healthy, nor should be promoted. However, we have developed a warped way of thinking where we believe that orthorexia is acceptable because the sufferer is making healthy food choices. Because our society is also fixated on weight loss, orthorexics are often even praised for their self destruction that is perceived as "self control." I don't go into so much depth or detail in the comic because people would not want to read large blocks of text in comics. I gave enough information to get my point across. I briefly mention orthorexia to give an example of how an obsession can get out of hand. I ultimately decided to begin my comic by defining superfoods and discussing the current trend with healthy eating. I explain how and why they are gaining popularity. I use a critical tone when stating how great I think it is when vegans shove their beliefs on everyone. This may upset some vegans, as I make use of a stereotype, but I make it seem less offensive by drawing an exaggerated situation. I illustrate more extreme behaviors shown in Health Food Junkies and take quotes from the documentary that accentuate the absurdity of their diets. I also mention orthorexia and our warped views on it. Though my comic critiques this obsession with superfoods, my goal was not to specifically shame people who are exceedingly health conscious. I wanted to draw attention to the possibility that they may become fixated with healthy eating for the wrong reasons, or take an obsession too far. Though vegans and raw foodists argue that they live longer, studies show that our grandparents did live longer, without any knowledge of superfoods. They actually had more diseases and less immunizations, which led to better health in the long run. They also had less varieties of foods to choose from, yet they lived well into their 80's and 90's. I mention this

Chung 4 not to deter anyone from eating superfoods, but to assure people that they don't necessarily have to eat kale and tofu to be healthy. Likewise, they don't have to avoid processed foods or high fructose corn syrup to prevent heart disease. We should be eating everything in moderation, because an overabundance of antioxidants found in many superfoods could actually increase the risk for cancer. Superfoods have their positive and negative attributes, as do most foods. The key is not in eliminating certain "bad" food groups, but rather balancing every food group in your diet according to your needs.

Chung 5 Works Cited "Adult Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 29 Apr. 2013. Deacon, Rowan. "Health Food Junkies 1." YouTube. 06 Feb. 2008. Channel 4. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTecK6odDoc>. "Home - The Vegan Society." Home - The Vegan Society. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.vegansociety.com/>. "The Oatmeal." Comics, Quizzes, and Stories -. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.theoatmeal.com/>. "Orthorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association." Orthorexia Nervosa | National Eating Disorders Association. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/orthorexianervosa>. "Real Life Nutrition." WebMD. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://blogs.webmd.com/food-and-nutrition/2011/12/theparadox-of-the-super-foods-trend.html>. "St. Vincent Heartbeat: Study Shows Vegetarians Live Longer." Weather. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://arkansasmatters.com/heartbeatfulltext?nxd_id=637322>. "Superfoods can make cancer MORE likely, says pioneer of DNA study." Mail Online. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2259280/Superfoods-make-cancer-MORE-likelysays-pioneer-DNA-study.html>. "Vegetarianism: A Growing Trend among the Young." Vegetarianism: A Growing Trend among the Young. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/eng/news/193/vg_57.htm>.

Chung 6 "What Is Super Food?" LIVESTRONG.COM. 19 Apr. 2013 <http://www.livestrong.com/article/72204super/>.