In Defense of Food

Have you heard of this book? I just finished listening to it on CD, and it is a great book. Author Michael Pollan explores the world of food, and how much of what we call "food" isn't really food at all, in that most of our great- or great-great-grandmothers wouldn't even recognize what we are consuming these days. His simple slogan is this -- eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

I have always loved food and cooking, and the more in tune I have become with my body through running, the more interested I have become in food. David and I have made a conscientious effort over the last couple of years to focus on eating more fruits, veggies and "fresh," rather than processed, food. This book details why this is such an important goal. Pollan provides a detailed description of the rise of "nutritionism" and provides support for the idea that any food that is labeled with a health claim probably isn't something you should be eating (if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is). Much of what Pollan describes is the failure of our Western diet - processed foods and the fact that the science behind what we are eating, and why, is very weak. He gives the example of taking your grandmother (or in my case, probably my great-great grandmother) into a grocery store and showing her a tube of yogurt. You would tell her it is yogurt, but she wouldn't recognize it by reading the label or looking at it. In other words, it is not really food, and it is not really "yogurt."

A lot of what Pollan suggests isn't quick, cheap or easy. However, he suggests that the availability of quick, cheap and easy food is the reason Americans (and others who eat a Western diet) are unhealthy in the first place. I know I can never implement many of his suggestions, which include avoiding the supermarket altogether and shopping at farmer's markets, but I have taken many of his suggestions to heart. Pollan admits that eating fresh foods, including organic produce, is expensive, and that many people cannot afford to eat this way. I can tell you that this is definitely not a cheap way to eat. David and I recently made a trip to Central Market here in Fort Worth, where we purchased our food (mostly fresh) for the week. Let me tell you, it wasn't cheap. However, Pollan has a counter for this argument, too. Americans seem to have made room in their budgets for cell phones, home internet, and cable TV, all things that weren't available to us that long ago. Therefore, most of us could probably make room in our budget for healthy food if we made it a priority in our lives.

Although I definitely won't be adopting all of his suggestions, In Defense of Food is definitely worth a read for anyone who is interested in making healthy food choices and monitoring what she is putting into her body.