In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan, is essentially a document written to express his philosophy of food. First Pollan explains to us the bare bone idealism of nutritionism: food as the sum of their nutrients, in other words, food is what you get out of it. There are two categories of food: healthy, and unhealthy. The healthy food is food with the proper vitamins that we need to live. Unhealthy being, food with an excessive amount of that which we consider to be unhealthy and miscellaneous variants. there are basically nutrients that are good for you and some that are bad. He shares his take on the misconception of eating healthy. Pollan observes that throughout history where there is a nutrient or lack there of, there is an alternate. Protein comes from animals, and plants. Refined carbohydrates and fiber, as well as fats versus polyunsaturated fats. There is always this hunt for the best food and the worst food. People just want to hear to be healthy and fit you need to eat more this and that. We have been on a search for a easy fix-it-all answer to the biggest question regarding health. “What should I eat?”. Well it was protein in the nineteenth century, fat in the twentieth, and, it stands to reason, carbohydrates will occupy our attention in the twenty-first. It seems like there is a healthier way to obtain all the of the common nutrients a person needs to live, but some ways of getting these are more desirable, for example, eating a juicy steak over a lean cut of fish.
Throughout the history of the planet, humans have somehow collectively sought out the same nutrients. Pollan then says that although we have been changing our eating trajectory, the consumption of fat has stayed the same. Some biological molecules were more important, and seemingly more nutritious, but that is not the case. The main point of this book is stated in the beginning and stays true to the end " Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. " p.1
It seems that although we have discovered so much medically and nutritional research america continues to become more and more unhealthy. Decades of nutritional advice have left us fatter, sicker, and more poorly nourished than ever. Which is why we find ourselves in the predicament we do: in need of a whole new way to think about eating.
Michel Pollen does an excellent job of simplifying this over complicated question. It seems there are a million quick solutions to a not so complex question. We seek the easiest solution. The solution is simple but it does take effort. This is not an issue of simply adding extra ingredients to a unhealthy diet, that is the easy solution people often want to hear. It is simple to eat healthy, it just takes some initial willpower and little extra effort. You don't need a list or instructions how to eat. You just need to " Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. "
Although this is simple it does need some explaining. The rest of this book is exploring what this simple phrase means in the context of your health, body, diet, and life. My favorite and often underestimated part of this rule is “Eat food” although this might seem like the easiest and most obvious part of this tip, not eating food is much more common than you might have thought. In Fact many people diets consist of “food-like substances”. These imposters are highly processed foods that hold no nutritional value and have lost all food qualities from them. Pollan Gives us these rules to follow to avoid “food-like substances”
“Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'" Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.”
I have seen many documentaries and have read quite a few books and articles about food. In Defence of Food is my favorite take on diet so far. I would recommend this book if you are curious about your health and diet. This book explain everything you need to know and helps to disclaim some of the confusing rules that are constantly being thrown at us by the media. This novel ties into the Whole Meal Project very well. It really helped me while trying to create a balanced nutritious vegetarian meal to present at exhibition however it helped me most while explaining general diet and health to our guest during the meal.
If you are looking for a book that you can personally benefit from and can help you with The Whole Meal Project this is definitely the book for you. It is a easy read and I didn't face any challenges reading it. It’s straightforward, informative, and writing in a style that is witty and exciting. I would rate In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan 5 out of 5 stars.