Analysis Of In Defense Of Food

As Americans influenced so much by pop culture, convenience, and the latest trends in society, we either pay too little attention to the foods we consume or obsess too much about every little thing that goes into our bodies. This often leads to our detriment as we drift farther and farther away from our cultural identities and lose pleasure in eating. In the novel, In Defense of Food, Michal Pollan criticizes this aspect of American culture, revealing fallacy after fallacy of the dietary ideas consumers, journalists, the government, and even scientists believe in and promote. The main idea is that Americans have been focusing too much energy nitpicking at an activity that is designed to come to humans as common sense, resulting in the opposite of what we desire: a growing epidemic where Americans have become “fatter, sicker, and more poorly nourished.”
Every popular belief of food and nutrition is carefully analyzed and debunked by Pollan using various examples from cultural habits, basic scientific processes and relevant studies and experiments. The vast amount of information from numerous, and likely fraudulent, sources reflect the message he is trying to convey: that food is naturally too complicated to study and perfect in science. Each chapter flows smoothly into the next topic as explanations become clearer and more in-depth. His knowledge in the topic and history is strongly demonstrated as well, building his credibility with his audience.
To emphasize his point as well as help readers understand his arguments, analogies are often used to compare diets to an activity or a way of thinking. This use of language guides readers to understand the complex names nutritionism has given the nutrients inside of food. Readers therefor...

... middle of paper ...

... the idea that one single nutrient or source can fix everything and Pollan criticizes this as well. Although the French and Greek eat very badly according to the guidelines made, they are one of the healthiest people because they retain their traditional diets and relationship with their culture. In addition to culture, family time and relationships built over spending time eating meals has largely been lost, replaced by eating in the car or snaking in between meals.
All in all, this book is a great read for those seeking to learn more about food and how it relates to all aspects of life and history as well as find that extra push in taking the initiative in improving one’s eating habits and lifestyle. It serves as an easy to follow introduction into a healthy relationship with food including with simple guidelines that are not too forceful or complex to understand.