In Defense of Food

In Defense of Food

By Michael Pollan

5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

Eat Food.  Not too much.  Mostly plants. 

These 7 words are what Michael Pollan distills years of food research into.  This is the answer to the question so many of us find ourselves asking all too often of the right way to eat to lose weight and be healthy.  Really you could stop right there if that is all you are looking for from this book, but if you continue on you’ll be rewarded with a plethora of information on food and food science.  Pollan discusses nutritionism and the age we live in where the nutrients in a food item are more important than the whole and how that can often lead us astray.  Frequently, a whole is greater than the sum of its parts and food is no exception.  Sometimes it is the way components in a food item or a dish interact that create benefits for the body and focus on just the carbs (or any other aspect) of a particular food overlooks this fact.

Pollan also discusses the social, cultural, and scientific changes over the years that have lead us to as whole gain weight, develop diseases, and generally live unhealthily.  He looks at how our great-grandmothers used to eat and urges us to go back to simpler times.  No he’s not telling you to give up your modern conveniences that help the cooking process, but he is telling you to eat REAL food not the stuff manufactured in laboratories.  So if you want a simple plan to be healthier and some interesting science, history, and cultural studies about food- be sure to pick up this book.