In Defense Of Food Summary

Summer Reading Book The book I chose to read for my summer homework was In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Pollan has written many books regarding what to eat and how the foods we consume affect us. In this book, he opens with simple advice, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants” (Pollan 1). As straightforward as it sounds, Pollan quickly demonstrates how complicated this can be. Food is all around us. However, there are whole foods, stuff you’d find at a farmer’s market, and then there are the foods that line up the walls of our supermarkets, highly processed snacks and “foods” that contain a mirade of unpronounceable ingredients. Many of these foods processed foods, especially those that make health claims such as “low-fat”, “lowers …show more content…
How these processed foods manage to creep into our diet can be traced back to the industrialization. Industrialization moved fruits and vegetables to the side in favor of processed meats, more sugar and more fat. Along with the industrialization came Nutrionism, or essentially reducing foods into objects with nutrients. Looking at foods for their quantity of nutrients causes the distinction between whole foods and processed foods to disappear: leading the way for when “ ‘even processed foods may be considered to be ‘healthier’ for you than whole foods if they contain the appropriate quantities of some nutrients’ “(Pollan 32). Rather than focusing on nutrients, we should be focusing on eating whole foods, and a diverse selection of whole foods at that. That doesn't mean avoid the supermarket, it's possible to find good options there; “just avoid food products containing ingredients that are A) unfamiliar, B) unpronounceable, C) more than five in number, or that include D) high-fructose corn syrup” (Pollan 150). What to eat is greatly important, but how to eat may be just as crucial. It is recommended that you do much of your eating at tables. Eating at a table, away from a TV, provides a deeper connection to the food and people you choose to …show more content…
I reexamined the foods i've been consuming and became astounded. Looking at something as classic as bread, a food that used to contain only a few ingredients, now contains dozens. The effects of the industrialization are all around us, especially in our food. I was unaware that products that make health claims aren't exactly healthy and was surprised to find all of the tricks and loopholes the FDA allows. The rules regarding wording are ambiguous, thus making the health claims on foods almost frivolous. This book examined the diet fads of the past in America such as when margarine was considered to be healthier than butter. I’ve learned that we come up with a new diet plan and find “stunning” data that will better our health all the time, but our health has yet to make a drastic improvement. While we continue to consume the Western Diet, we look for ways to outsmart it rather than do the obvious thing and move away from it. Ultimately, I came away from the book with far more knowledge then when I entered. The book offered great incite into the food industry and how it all works. I am glad I read this book and will definitely implement some lessons into my life. In Defense of Food deals with many scientific concepts as the book offers advice on health and diets. This book gives information on nutrients and how it affects our body. It also happens to show the effects of diets whether it be the harmful Western