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Liked It “A compelling update on the Westernized diet and the cultural shifts our food has taken over the last 150 years. A swift kick in the pants about eliminating processed "food like products" out of ones diet and therefore living a much more balanced and healthy lifestyle over all. Loved it!” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “This is just basically a history of all the different "nutritional" things that have come up but it wasn't really written in a way that it was easy to have some good take-aways. What I did come out of thsi with is that as Americans, we are obsessed with "eating right" and don't enjoy our food and...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This is just basically a history of all the different "nutritional" things that have come up but it wasn't really written in a way that it was easy to have some good take-aways. What I did come out of thsi with is that as Americans, we are obsessed with "eating right" and don't enjoy our food and have some of the worst health issues in the world. If you look at the French who "enjoy" their food and don't worry about what they eat at all, they have a much lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and other stress related illnesses. Basically, the book is saying that our obsession with trying to be healthy has made us unhealthy. We are also eating too much processed food. To really get back to basics, we should be eating more natural foods (duh).”
Dawn and KiKi wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A compelling update on the Westernized diet and the cultural shifts our food has taken over the last 150 years. A swift kick in the pants about eliminating processed "food like products" out of ones diet and therefore living a much more balanced and healthy lifestyle over all. Loved it!”
Erin wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“must read”
jcb4th wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I will most definitely be reading this again; it is so very well written. This book just makes SO much sense. It is not complicated at all. It really opens your eyes to the "foodlike product" system that America has adopted just recently since the World Wars. There are definitely some compounding hard arguments for what people should be eating vs. what they are actually eating. The statistics and facts are here and everything is analyzed in a very simple to follow format. This book is not a "diet" book on how to loose weight or even about what foods we should be eating. It is about 3 simple things that we need to do: 1) Eat food. (I.e. real food, not foodlike products) 2) Not too much 3) Mostly plants. Ta da. That's it. The book is about why that is important, and if you are not convinced, you will be afterwards. Pollan does an excellent job backing up all of his arguments, even addressing the little voice in your head that says, oh but I can't do that. In the end it seems that really, you can't Not do that. For more on this subject read Fast Food Nation, which is equally fascinating and very similar. And then go eat some real food (at a table, with people) and try to adopt at least some of the principles found in this book.”
Andrea wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Love Michael Pollan. Love this book. (Love his other one, Omnivore's Dilemma, better though.)”
Jenny B wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I read The Omnivoire's Dilemma earlier in the year and was interested enough to go on and read In Defense of Food. Pollan is an easy read, and what he says makes sense to me.
sthurner wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book has three main sections: The Age of Nutritionism, The Western DIet and Diseases of Civilization and Getting Over Nutritionism. There is also a good list of sources and resources for further reading. In the first section he defines nutritionism and casts doubt on much scientific research since World War II, especially Western society's low-fat craze. It had me remembering various "food pyramids" I studied in 4-H and high school classes, and wondering how much was at least wrong, or at worst harmful. He suggests that science does not completely understand what nutrients and micronutrients are necessary for health, and certainly does not understand the symbiotic relationships among nutrients. If it did, Americans would not be suffering from disease and obesity as much as they are. In the last section he makes some general suggestions for more healthful eating. Eat food, preferably something your great grandmother would recognize as food. Avoid foods with unfamiliar or unpronounceable ingredients - including high fructose corn syrup. Avoid products that make health claims. Shop the outside of the market and avoid the center where the highly processed foods lurk. If possible shop at farmers markets, or garden and grow some of your own food. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. Popeye was right. eat wild foods when you can. Eat more slowly. Have a glass of wine”“Really made me think about the way I eat.”
Jan K wrote this review Wednesday, December 2 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“So far the author makes a powerful case against the current craze of trying to pinpoint certain nutrients in food and get them through capsule form. His arguments about the deficiencies in the scientific experiments are basic. All scientists know that it is almost impossible to control for all variables and that there is rarely a one direct causal connection to explain any phenomenon. The complex interaction of food with the human body is no exception. As far as the solution, it is a difficult one for busy caretakers who work inside and outside the home. It is difficult to break patterns that have been instilled in people since their birth. But the information is there for all of us who want to change our eating habits for better health.”
Jen H wrote this review Tuesday, December 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
