Thursday, January 16, 2014

Maddie Gumerman's Review

In Defense of Food

There’s so much of it, so many decisions, and so many factors. I’m talking about food. The little things you need to know and the big things as well. What the difference is from what you need and what you want. Michael Pollon wrote In Defense of Food, a wonderful book, he does a great job describing what it means to eat healthy. He set the stage right by writing this book and not using it as a guide on how to eat, it’s simply a book defending what food has become.
Pollon wrote Omnivores Dilemma prior to writing In Defense of Food. Omnivores Dilemma captured the attention of many. After reading it people became curious to what they should eat. As the world questions what we “should” eat Pollon can only say it in a few simple words, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Well that seems easy, but still there is wonder to what are we are supposed to eat. Ok mostly plants, what about everything else in this world.  You need nutrients as Pollan describes, you need the food that is full fat rather than low fat. The labels on the products are tricking the world and we need to understand what’s right to eat. As the book continues on Pollon describes with great detail how a lot of the food we eat today has changed more than ever over that past hundreds of years and what we need to do about it. He is very persuasive and uses good examples and information to support his arguments to show the reader to believe in what he is saying.
Food has changed, yes that is very true. Food is becoming more processed and full of chemicals. The world isn’t recognizing what is good and bad for you. Pollon explains what America is mainly eating today is not essentially “real” food. Then we question what is “real” food. He describes that the food our country should eat is the food our ancestors would recognize as “real” food. That is so true. The food most people eat today is full of chemicals, colors and all this weird stuff, words we cant even pronounce. Our ancestors would have been shocked seeing some of the food we eat today. To eat good and healthy, eat what our ancestors would have eaten. Eat what is essential, Pollon explains.
As the book goes into detail about food, there was one thing that stuck out to me. Pollon did a great job showing me what is important when it comes to food. We need to find what is good for us, and escape the food that isn’t “real”. There is “real” food out there for us, in fact it’s good food, there just needs to be patient and dedication to finding that “real” food, as Pollon explains. You may in the end have to spend more time and money on food, making a decision to eat better, but truly it is better in the long run, for your health as Pollon describes it is better for everyone to eat healthier. Pollon truly believes the best way to be healthy is to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That’s it.
His book is not a book advising people to what to eat. It’s a book advising us to “eat food” and “to see it in a more positive light and count ourselves fortunate indeed that there is once again real food for us to eat.” Pollon doesn’t want us to give up, we have the opportunity to eat right and it’s worth it!


No comments:

Post a Comment