Skip to content

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto Hardcover - 2008

by Michael Pollan

What to eat, what not to eat, and how to think about health

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." These simple words go to the heart of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, the well-considered answers he provides to the questions posed in the bestselling The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Humans used to know how to eat well, Pollan argues. But the balanced dietary lessons that were once passed down through generations have been confused, complicated, and distorted by food industry marketers, nutritional scientists, and journalists-all of whom have much to gain from our dietary confusion. As a result, we face today a complex culinary landscape dense with bad advice and foods that are not "real." These "edible foodlike substances" are often packaged with labels bearing health claims that are typically false or misleading. Indeed, real food is fast disappearing from the marketplace, to be replaced by "nutrients," and plain old eating by an obsession with nutrition that is, paradoxically, ruining our health, not to mention our meals. Michael Pollan's sensible and decidedly counterintuitive advice is: "Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food."

Writing In Defense of Food, and affirming the joy of eating, Pollan suggests that if we would pay more for better, well-grown food, but buy less of it, we'll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the environment at large. Taking a clear-eyed look at what science does and does not know about the links between diet and health, he proposes a new way to think about the question of what to eat that is informed by ecology and tradition rather than by the prevailing nutrient-by-nutrient approach.

In Defense of Food reminds us that, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, the solutions to the current omnivore's dilemma can be found all around us.

In looking toward traditional diets the world over, as well as the foods our families-and regions-historically enjoyed, we can recover a more balanced, reasonable, and pleasurable approach to food. Michael Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we might start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives and enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy.


Summary




What to eat, what not to eat, and how to think about health: a manifesto for our times

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." These simple words go to the heart of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, the well-considered answers he provides to the questions posed in the bestselling The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Humans used to know how to eat well, Pollan argues. But the balanced dietary lessons that were once passed down through generations have been confused, complicated, and distorted by food industry marketers, nutritional scientists, and journalists-all of whom have much to gain from our dietary confusion. As a result, we face today a complex culinary landscape dense with bad advice and foods that are not "real." These "edible foodlike substances" are often packaged with labels bearing health claims that are typically false or misleading. Indeed, real food is fast disappearing from the marketplace, to be replaced by "nutrients," and plain old eating by an obsession with nutrition that is, paradoxically, ruining our health, not to mention our meals. Michael Pollan's sensible and decidedly counterintuitive advice is: "Don't eat anything that your great-great grandmother would not recognize as food."

Writing In Defense of Food, and affirming the joy of eating, Pollan suggests that if we would pay more for better, well-grown food, but buy less of it, we'll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the environment at large. Taking a clear-eyed look at what science does and does not know about the links between diet and health, he proposes a new way to think about the question of what to eat that is informed by ecology and tradition rather than by the prevailing nutrient-by-nutrient approach.

In Defense of Food reminds us that, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, the solutions to the current omnivore's dilemma can be found all around us.

In looking toward traditional diets the world over, as well as the foods our families-and regions-historically enjoyed, we can recover a more balanced, reasonable, and pleasurable approach to food. Michael Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we might start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives and enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy.

From the publisher

#1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of How to Change Your Mind, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Food Rules Food. There's plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it? Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion--most of what we're consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. With In Defense of Food, Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Pollan's bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.

First line

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Details

  • Title In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
  • Author Michael Pollan
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition 1st/1st
  • Pages 256
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Press, New York
  • Date 2008-01-01
  • ISBN 9781594201455 / 1594201455
  • Weight 0.82 lbs (0.37 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.86 in (21.59 x 14.48 x 2.18 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Reading level 1390
  • Library of Congress subjects Food, Nutrition
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2007037552
  • Dewey Decimal Code 613

Media reviews

"In his hugely influential treatise The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan traced a direct line between the industrialization of our food supply and the degradation of the environment. His new book takes up where the previous work left off. Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." But as Pollan explains, "food" in a country that is driven by "a thirty-two billion-dollar marketing machine" is both a loaded term and, in its purest sense, a holy grail. The first section of his three-part essay refutes the authority of the diet bullies, pointing up the confluence of interests among manufacturers of processed foods, marketers and nutritional scientists-a cabal whose nutritional advice has given rise to "a notably unhealthy preoccupation with nutrition and diet and the idea of eating healthily." The second portion vivisects the Western diet, questioning, among other sacred cows, the idea that dietary fat leads to chronic illness. A writer of great subtlety, Pollan doesn't preach to the choir; in fact, rarely does he preach at all, preferring to lets the facts speak for themselves. (Jan.)" -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the author

Michael Pollan is the author of five books: Second Nature, A Place of My Own, The Botany of Desire, which received the Borders Original Voices Award for the best nonfiction work of 2001 and was recognized as a best book of the year by the American Booksellers Association and Amazon, and the national bestellers, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and In Defense of Food.

A longtime contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, Pollan is also the Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley. His writing on food and agriculture has won numerous awards, including the Reuters/World Conservation Union Global Award in Environmental Journalism, the James Beard Award, and the Genesis Award from the American Humane Association.

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Waltham, Massachusetts, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$1.91
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press. Used - Very Good.
Item Price
$1.91
$3.00 shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Michael Pollan

  • Used
  • poor
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - POOR
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Toledo, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.02
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press. Hardcover. POOR. Noticeably used book. Heavy wear to cover. Pages contain marginal notes, underlining, and or highlighting. Possible ex library copy, with all the markings/stickers of that library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, and dust jackets may not be included.
Item Price
$2.02
$3.00 shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Michael Pollan

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - GOOD
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
24
Seller
Toledo, Ohio, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$2.02
$3.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press. Hardcover. GOOD. Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
Item Price
$2.02
$3.00 shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Imperial, Missouri, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$4.74
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
$4.74
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food : An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
12
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Publishing Group. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$5.00
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.11
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press, 2008-01-01. Hardcover. Good. 8x5x1.
Item Price
$5.11
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.11
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press, 2008-01-01. Hardcover. Acceptable. 91x13x136.
Item Price
$5.11
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Kingwood, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press, 2008-01-01. Hardcover. Acceptable. 5x0x8.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

by Pollan, Michael

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9781594201455
ISBN 10
1594201455
Quantity Available
5
Seller
Kingwood, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Penguin Press, 2008-01-01. Hardcover. Good. 8x5x1.
Item Price
$5.15
FREE shipping to USA