Book Find: In Defense of Food

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
- Michael Pollan

I wish I could take credit for this brilliant opening statement, but alas, I must credit it to Michael Pollan, author of my latest read: In Defense of Food – An Eater’s Manifesto.

A little more technical and scientific than Pollan's previous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (see my thoughts on that one here), I found In Defense of Food a bit of a daunting read – at least in the beginning. The book is divided into three parts, each one interpreted and summarized by yours truly below:

PART I: THE AGE OF NUTRITIONISM
Part I introduces us to the term nutritionism – an ideology that, in a nutshell, reduces food to its nutritional and chemical components – and how in the past few decades, food has disappeared from our supermarkets and kitchen tables to be replaced by a myriad of macro and micronutrients: we don’t eat steak, we eat protein and iron (and no doubt many other things!); we don't eat carrots, we eat beta-carotenes; we don’t eat margarine, we eat ... whatever.

Pollan suggests that reducing food to its invisible nutrients has made us, the consumers, dependent on experts to tell us what’s good and what’s bad. Authority on what consists of a healthy diet has shifted from Moms and elders everywhere to a group of scientists, politicians and food industry moguls, each one with their own agenda, most of them conflicting.

Where does this leave us as consumers? Anxious, confused and according to the author, “fatter, sicker and more poorly nourished” than before.

PART II: THE WESTERN DIET AND THE DISEASES OF CIVILIZATION
Part II explores the link between typical eating patterns and lifestyles of the Western world and typically Western diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Citing studies of isolated populations around the world not yet exposed to modern foods in comparison to adopters of the Western diet, the author leads us to the conclusion that a) soon after adopting a Western diet Western diseases will follow, and b) the industrialization of food has sacrificed much in quality in what we eat to produce longer shelf lives and higher yields.

Pollan walks us through five major changes resulting from this industrialization and some of their effects, ranging from the decline of nutrients in crops (according to a USDA study of 43 crops tracked since the 1950s, vitamin C comes in at -20%, iron at -15% and calcium at -16%) to the undermining of traditional food cultures.

Although somewhat depressing, Part II offers one ray of hope: ill effects of the Western diet can be reversed without going back to the primitive lifestyle of our ancestors, we just need to follow a few rules. Segue to Part III...

PART III: GETTING OVER NUTRITIONISM
This was by far my favourite part of the book. Here, Pollan comes full circle and through 24 practical tips, demystifies his brilliant opening statement, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Expanding on down-to-earth advice such as Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food (his description of great-grandma's apprehension faced with a tube of Go-Gurt Portable Yogurt cracked me up - "Is it a food or a toothpaste?"), Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism, and Eat meals, the author offers us a relatively easy out to typical Western eating patterns and their negative effects.

Part III left me feeling hopeful and desperately craving a plentiful, boisterous meal shared with friends and family.

Once again I was pleased with Pollan’s writing style and delivery. Although I found this a more difficult read than The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I recommend it if only for the practical advice offered in Part III. That part alone just might convince me to make In Defense of Food a permanent part of my personal library.