In Defense of Food

An informative and quick read by Michael Pollan, yes another one of his books, called In Defense of Food.  In the book Pollan discusses how food has changed over the centuries, based on much of the socialization of people in society.  He goes into depth with the change of diet and its implications for healthy living and disease.  By all accounts, Pollan is the standing “czar” on all things food.  After a brief “manifesto” on the importance of eating, the book is separated into three sections, the age of nutritionism, the western diet and diseases of civilization, and getting over nutritionism.  I thoroughly enjoy hearing Pollan’s own stories about growing up with margarine in the 1960s (when it was all the craze) to him walking through his garden to pick out the evening’s meal.  Pollan’s expertise and knowledge of the food industry legends (on nutrition, dietary consumption and food science) is second to none.  Add in his ability to investigate and provide primary sources to his points and you have the quintessential author of our time on a topic he has learned so much about.  Pollan’s helpful hints are the icing on the “cake” – ok bad joke, but…  here goes some closing suggestions that he provides to his readers on how to eat:  pay more money and eat less food (it’s what the French do); eat meals (like the Italians) by sitting together and make it a social event; sit at a table when you eat; don’t get your fuel from the same place as your car does (those drop-in gas stations); try not to eat alone (so true!) - more of the social piece; consult your gut (as soon as your stomach is fed – stop eating!); eat slowly (good advice for my son Christian) - taste what it is you are eating!; cook; and if you can, plant a garden (‘nuff said on this one).  Our food supply has been replaced by fake ingredients made by man and we need to go back to the by scratch ingredients that made our great grandparents enjoy the taste of food.  Thanks Michael Pollan for your in depth and thorough, rather stark, view on our current food supply.  Very informational read which will make you think twice before biting into that Big Mac (which I can say I have never had, truly!).