Evolution and Our Food

I find it odd when people bring up current food issues and evolution. For example, in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, he discusses that we feed animals food they were never evolved to eat (p. 10). Honestly, I have never believed evolution held any bearing, and comments like these show the folly in this theory. If a cow evolved to eat grass, and we are concerned about the corn it is now fed, we must not think evolution exists. If evolution is what shaped the cow and gave it all of the stomachs needed to digest the grass it eats, why would we think evolution can't help it adjust now? Surely survival of the fittest has shown that cows are a superior animal to the bison. So surely they will adapt and evolve as we run out of grass to feed them. They will simply begin to morph and new cows will be born that are designed to eat corn. Right? Yet, this is not the implication when we read or hear about this current food dilemma. In fact, humans are becoming increasingly allergic to corn, the main ingredient in processed foods.

So you see, we must decide if we agree that evolution is true, or if it is false. If evolution is true, then we have no food concerns because animals and people will adjust and evolve to be able to eat what is more readily available. However, if evolution is not true (which I hold to), then we have some real concerns. The rising epidemic of obesity, food allergies and intolerances, and nutrient poor foods will continue to be more of a problem as long as we continue turning our heads and ignoring it. While most people understand that whole foods are best for us to eat, junk food continues to be the most profitable food industry, second only perhaps to fast food. Truly, the epidemic exists. There is a great concern in America. We have a higher incidence of obesity and diabetes than ever before, especially in children, but our government continues to support their people. We continue to allow this to go on, showing manufacturers that we will happily eat their junk. How much longer will this go ? Will we stand on the side of evolution, assuming that it will get better, or will we stand up and demand whole, nutrient dense, healthy foods?