Junk Food To Solve Obesity?

 


Wow!  The Atlantic's science writer, David Freedman, really went out on a limb in June with his article How Junk Food Can End Obesity. Talk about going against conventional foodie wisdom.
I've been trolling the net to see the response and have yet to find anyone who chimes in in support of his thesis. His thesis? He argues that trying to get obese folks to eat local and organic or from farmer's markets and urban gardens is a pipe dream. Rather, he supports recent moves by fast food companies (and other junk food purveyors) to healthy-up their burgers and egg-a-muffins.  Forbes, Salon, and, Mother Jones ain't havin' it.  I'm not entirely convinced of his argument either. I wonder if this is the answer to eating and weight in twenty-first century America. And also, his unreflexive use of the term "obesity epidemic" is troublesome, to say the least. I already looked at this issue in my review of Julie Guthman's  Weighing In.   But boy-oh-boy, he hit all my pleasure buttons as he skewered elitist foodieism (I just made that word up).  The more analytical voices brought to the question the better, right?  Currently, the unison drone of CSAs, grass-fed, locavore, free range, co-opery is getting to be quite a bore!