What to eat, what not to eat, and how to think about health: a manifesto for our times.
Amazon Significant Seven, January 2008: Food is the one thing that Americans hate to love and, as it turns out, love to hate. What we want to eat has been ousted by the notion of what we should eat, and it's at this nexus of hunger and hang-up that Michael Pollan poses his most salient question: where is the food in our food? What follows in In Defense of Food is a series of wonderfully clear and thoughtful answers that help us omnivores navigate the nutritional minefield that's come to typify our food culture. Many processed foods vie for a spot in our grocery baskets, claiming to lower cholesterol, weight, glucose levels, you name it. Yet Pollan shows that these convenient "healthy" alternatives to whole foods are appallingly inconvenient: our health has a nation has only deteriorated since we started exiling carbs, fats--even fruits--from our daily meals. His razor-sharp analysis of the American diet (as well as its architects and its detractors) offers an inspiring glimpse of what it would be like if we could (a la Humpty Dumpty) put our food back together again and reconsider what it means to eat well. In a season filled with rallying cries to lose weight and be healthy, Pollan's call to action--"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."--is a program I actually want to follow. --Anne Bartholomew
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good book, could be half as long:
I have read a handful of books about food and diet. I may not be the target for this book. I'm skinny and eat mostly non-meat food anyways. It is an interesting book, but I actually found myself zoning out, skipping paragraphs, then pages, then a whole section at the beginning. I already think our processed food culture is messed up, and he does go on and on about that if you need to be convinced. It is best when he references a specific study or the history of how grain was processed. The author... more info
One of Us...One of Us..join us..forever and...ever:
I have to say I'm prejudiced towards this kind of book that offers the reader a "lifestyle". With that said, I probably follow a lot of the ideas in the book, but I didn't have to read the thing to come to obvious conclusions like eating fewer portions of food will make you thinner. Really? Processed food is bad for me? Wow, I've been living a lie. Though it won't explain how some people live healthy and long lives and they eat crap, drink too much, and smoke. I'm impressed with the way these... more info
Eat food:
Pollan's seven word manifesto has the potential to change how we eat in this country. He goes through the science of where we went wrong (redutionism) and then tries to explain how we can do better (holism). Eat food, mostly plants, not too much. He then explains that is clear and understandable terms. We should all read this book and inculcate its message into our lives.
A manifesto for mindful food consumption...:
Author Michael Pollan develops a powerful thesis which is succinctly summarized in the title: * Eat food (he defines "food" and differentiates it from what passes for food at the grocery store
* Eat in moderation
* Eat mostly plants That pretty much sums up the message, along with ancillary tips: eat at a table, eat with others, grow a garden however small, etc. About 60% of the book is filled with background material and science which at times made my eyes glaze over. This book... more info