In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan (nonfiction)
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Such a simple beginning, but Pollan explores some ideas I had never really given much thought to. He spends the first third of the book explaining what "food" is. He maintains (and it does make sense) that if your grandmother or great-grandmother did not use an ingredient you find listed on a product you buy in the grocery story, then the product is probably not "food." If an ingredient is listed and you cannot pronounce it or you do not have it in your pantry (and never ever would), then the product is probably not "food." Pollan further maintains that politics and advertising influence what we eat more than any other force. The federal government is careful not to identify a specific food as detrimental to our bodies--it would cause a political backlash by the people who make a living off that particular food. (think how the poultry industry responded to the egg/cholesterol connection or how efficiently the hog industry created the other "white" meat) Further, Pollan suggests that Americans differ from other cultures because we use visual clues to determine when we finish eating. Ask an American how he knows he is full after a meal and the answer is something like "when my plate is cleaned." Ask a French person and the answer is likely to be "when I am full." Pollan's point, of course, is that we do not listen to our bodies.
Here are a few of Pollan's points: Don't eat anyting incapable of rotting. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are 1) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c) more than 5 in number or that include d) high fructose corn syrup. Avoid food products that make health claims. Buy from local farmers whenever possible.
He also suggests we remember: 1. We are what we eat eats too. He doesn't advocate a strictly organic diet, but he does suggest that we consider where our food was grown or raised and what the farmer fed the food. 2. Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism. He suggests that cultures that have been eating certain types of food for centuries probably have figured out what is balanced and good for them or their culture would be extinct by now. Pollard uses soy as an example--Americans do not think of (nor eat) soy the same way that Asians do. (think: "soy protein isolate" and "soy isoflavones" probably don't exist in Asia) 3. Pay more for good quality food and eat less of it. 4.) Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. That one makes perfect sense.
I don't know if the book has changed the way I eat, but it has given me reason to pause and think about it.
Here are a few of Pollan's points: Don't eat anyting incapable of rotting. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are 1) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c) more than 5 in number or that include d) high fructose corn syrup. Avoid food products that make health claims. Buy from local farmers whenever possible.
He also suggests we remember: 1. We are what we eat eats too. He doesn't advocate a strictly organic diet, but he does suggest that we consider where our food was grown or raised and what the farmer fed the food. 2. Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism. He suggests that cultures that have been eating certain types of food for centuries probably have figured out what is balanced and good for them or their culture would be extinct by now. Pollard uses soy as an example--Americans do not think of (nor eat) soy the same way that Asians do. (think: "soy protein isolate" and "soy isoflavones" probably don't exist in Asia) 3. Pay more for good quality food and eat less of it. 4.) Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does. That one makes perfect sense.
I don't know if the book has changed the way I eat, but it has given me reason to pause and think about it.
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