In Defense Of Food

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

I normally jot down a few paragraphs after I finish reading a book but, admittedly, I forgot to do so with this one. I read a lot of nutrition articles so much of the information I read here wasn’t exactly new. However, some of the social commentary was really well-said and also (in terms of the USA’s eating habits) pretty embarrassing. Pollan points out that we’re probably the most nutrition-obsessed country that is actually the least nutritious. Most of us eat processed foods and obesity/diabetes/heart disease rates are steadily rising. He centers his ideas on the basic premise “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” which I think more people should take into consideration. Even in the vegan community, there is a fixation on weird niche products that are marketed as necessary. A few minutes on websites like Mind Body Green or Well+Good leave me feeling like I’m literally doomed to die sooner rather than later because I’m not eating moringa or 10 mushroom adaptogens or spirulina or some other strange expensive thing that will bankrupt me at Whole Foods. Although Pollan himself isn’t vegan, I think his focus on bringing simplicity back to food and increasing our intake of the basics – fruits, vegetables, grains, etc – is something anyone (whether herbivore or omnivore) can and should incorporate.