Review: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, once again tackles the subject of food in his new book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. The U.S. book cover has the words "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants." wrapped around a head of romaine lettuce, which summarizes the whole of the manifesto; instead of tracing food from the source to his meals as he did in The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan instead takes a look at the food-like products which fill our daily lives, and how nutritional science has altered our views on food.

The book is split up into three sections: The Age of Nutritionism, the history behind modern thought about food and the way we look at food at a nutrient-level (Vitamins C, B12, protein) rather than at the ingredient level (fruits, meat, vegetables). The Western Diet and the Diseases of Civilization, in which Pollan explores the different diseases that plague those who switch from a more traditional diet to a Western diet. And finally, Getting Over Nutritionism, in which Pollan describes how to change our diet, back to one which uses real food vs. processed food.