In Defense of Food

An Eater's Manifesto

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of This is Your Mind on Plants, 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Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion—most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science.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.

©2008 Michael Pollan (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Michael Pollan [is the] designated repository for the nation's food conscience."—Frank Bruni, The New York Times

"In this slim, remarkable volume, Pollan builds a convincing case not only against that steak dinner but against the entire Western diet."—The Washington Post

"A tough, witty, cogent rebuttal to the proposition that food can be reduced to its nutritional components without the loss of something essential . . . [a] lively, invaluable book."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

reality of food

as a cook I really see what this book is about. no one should be fooled to think the chicken from one establishment doesn't come out of the same truck as any other. as a restaurant it is hard to get food unless the purchaser or owner finds it themselves and then is able to crunch the numbers and put it on the menu which means a lot of logistics. but if the customer doesn't want it then a lot of loss. would be great to cook amazing things, but I also want to pay my powerbill and allow my children not live in poverty either.

Get educated and learn to cook! great book and great ideas. if you care about your health this book is the reality you need

Modern culinary classic, well-narrated

Michael Pollan's work is already widely-known and well-regarded, and this book lives up to the reputation. It is informative, well-researched, and passionately argued. I was particularly please with the narration, which perfectly captured the wit and flow of Pollan's language. In another narrator's hands, the book could have fallen flat, but it was pleasant and engaging from start to finish.

Phenomenal!

Such a great book, I recommend to anyone and everyone interested in learning about food for what it really is.

Great book, meh narrating

I LOVED the content of this book, but the narrator sounded strangely cocky. It was hard to get over at first, but you learn to ignore it and just focus on the content. Can't wait to read Pollan's other works!

Must read if you care about your health

If you suspect that you should be changing the way you eat in order to lead a healthier and happier life, read this book, and you will find the inspiration to do it.

So good

Admittedly, the narration is dramatic. But it is good and not overdone. The book itself is fantastic.

Great information; however, slightly over dramatic

Great information from Michael Pollan, as usual, but the narration can be a bit too dramatic for the subject matter. Overall, great book!

Food Simplified

Very good book! I had trouble getting used to the narrator's voice, but it got better.
The "rules" suggested are things that, as a farmer, I forget not everybody realizes. They remind you to slow down, enjoy your food, and the work put into it.
Definitely recommend this book!

A Manifesto Indeed

For anyone interested in, or familiar with cooking, growing, or the cultural relevance of food it's no doubt that you're aware of the many shortcomings our modern agricultural world has....let alone the nutrition-ism and commercial food space that exists in (mostly) America. It's all a mess (though improving) and leaves the average person more or less confused as to what to eat for optimal health and enjoyment. Pollan provides useful information that's not overly technical or yawn-inducing for the casually interested, and puts forth a practical "manifesto" for eating that simplifies and de-stresses what we experience on our plates and in our glasses. Like his other works, his prose is fluid and at times poetic making this easy to read or listen to.

A Good Food Read

I have read a few other food books but this one is very good at keeping it at a high level and not getting caught up in all of the details that goes into our food today. Worth a listen