--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We show our surprise at this by speaking…" description: "\"“We show our surprise at this by speaking of something called the “French paradox,” for how could a people who eat such demonstrably toxic substances a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/michael-pollan-408_america_we-show-our-surprise-at-this-by-speaking_2070693.png" --- # We show our surprise at this by speaking of something… ![“We show our surprise at this by speaking of something called the “French paradox,” for how could a people who eat such demonstrably toxic substances as foie gras and triple crème cheese actually be slimmer and healthier than we are? Yet I wonder if it doesn’t make more sense to speak in terms of…” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/michael-pollan-408_america_we-show-our-surprise-at-this-by-speaking_2070693.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/michael-pollan-408_america_we-show-our-surprise-at-this-by-speaking_2070693.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ad/michael-pollan-408_america_we-show-our-surprise-at-this-by-speaking_2070693.png) > ““We show our surprise at this by speaking of something called the “French paradox,” for how could a people who eat such demonstrably toxic substances as foie gras and triple crème cheese actually be slimmer and healthier than we are? Yet I wonder if it doesn’t make more sense to speak in terms of an American paradox—that is, a notably unhealthy people obsessed by the idea of eating healthily.”” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The “French paradox” is a myth; the real paradox is Americans’ obsession with unhealthy diets despite health trends. **In simple terms:** American diet paradox. Key Takeaway Question cultural diet myths. Themes nutrition cultural critique health myths Mood critical thought‑provoking Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - dietary counseling - food policy reform - educational campaigns - personal meal planning Key Concepts public health media influence Questions to Reflect On - Why do we cling to contradictory food beliefs? - What steps can shift national eating patterns? A Different Perspective Changing habits is hard despite awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) ## Related quotes > [“It's all about the "French Paradox," that much-publicized puzzle of how French people eat all that fatty food and drink tons of wine, yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/it-s-all-about-the-french-paradox-that-much-publicized-puzzle-of-how/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [That eating should be foremost about bodily health is a relatively new and, I think, destructive idea-destructive not just the pleasure of eating, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/that-eating-should-be-foremost-about-bodily-health-is-a-relatively/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Cooking for yourself is the only sure way to take back control of your diet from the food scientists and food processors, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/cooking-for-yourself-is-the-only-sure-way-to-take-back-control-of/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [America breeds ambition and while that can be a good thing, sometimes it's not. Ambition also breeds competition and that can be a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-khan/america-breeds-ambition-and-while-that-can-be-a-good-thing-sometimes/) [Chaka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-khan/) > [“Unhealthy love can make fools of women. It causes us to forgive the unforgivable. 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It's so sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-don-t-know-why-it-is-that-we-need-to-denigrate-to-knock-down-it-s/) [Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/) > [When people ask me why I don't eat meat or any other animal products, I say, 'Because they are unhealthy and they are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/when-people-ask-me-why-i-don-t-eat-meat-or-any-other-animal-products/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [“REBT’s Insight No. 1 holds that you have both healthy and unhealthy emotions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/rebt-s-insight-no-1-holds-that-you-have-both-healthy-and-unhealthy/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [ I think that the candidates who are doing it \[not debating\] are doing a great disservice to the party. It's a sign of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-think-that-the-candidates-who-are-doing-it-not-debating-are-doing-a/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. 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That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. 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When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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