In Defense of FoodAn Eater's Manifesto

A sensible argument for sensible eating.
If science journalist Pollan’s bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma detailed the industrialized food systems eroding our environment, this follow-up serves as a companion guide through the morass of the supermarket back to the eating patterns that will truly nourish us. First, though, Pollan takes aim at “nutritionism,” the Western belief system that focuses on the trees of individual nutrients as opposed to the forest of our overall diets. Take, for example, the omega-3 fatty acids that Americans tend not to eat in their natural form (fish), but instead inject into orange juice in a misguided attempt to Eat Right. The food industry, of course, has happily indulged this way of thinking, pumping out overly processed pseudo-foods that tout improbable health claims. Not exactly better living through chemistry.

Despite our interest in nutrition, Westerners are fatter and more prone to diabetes, heart disease and cancer than ever before. Pollan’s proposition is that we rethink our habits — the microwaved Hot Pockets scarfed in the car, the bingeing on low-fat/low-sugar/low-satisfaction cookies, the obsession with the antioxidant of the week — and instead return to the traditional diets of our ancestors. (Here Pollan asserts that it doesn’t matter if they were Italian or Aborigine as just about every native culture had a healthier approach to food than we do today.) Narrated evenly by Scott Brick, it’s a well-reasoned argument, as plain and sensible as a plate of broccoli.