In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food is the slim, polemical companion to The Omnivore's Dilemma, distilling Pollan's larger journalism into seven pithy words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. From that thesis Pollan unfolds a brisk history of how industrial nutritionism replaced cuisine in the American diet over the twentieth century. Government recommendations, food industry lobbying, and a narrow obsession with isolated nutrients have produced a population that eats more processed product and less actual food than any in human history, with measurable consequences for waistlines, gut health, and the planet. He argues that any food product whose ingredients your great grandmother would not recognize, that contains more than five ingredients, that is unpronounceable, or that cannot eventually rot, should be approached with suspicion. The book closes with practical heuristics for shopping the perimeter of the supermarket, cooking at home, and reclaiming the social pleasures of an unhurried meal.
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What you might want to know about In Defense of Food
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Pollan argues that the modern Western diet is making people sick, and that nutrition science has badly misled the public. His prescription, in seven words: eat food, not too much, mostly plants.
Pollan's broad argument against ultra-processed food aligns with mainstream nutrition science. Some specific claims have been debated, particularly around fats and supplements, but the core advice remains widely endorsed by registered dietitians.
In Defense of Food was written by Michael Pollan, published in 2008 by Penguin Books.
In Defense of Food is 244 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, In Defense of Food takes most readers 4 to 5 hours to finish.
In Defense of Food is a standalone novel by Michael Pollan, not part of a series.
In Defense of Food is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.