In Defense of Food

An Eater's Manifesto

By: Michael Pollan

Narrated by: Scott Brick

#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Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion—most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science.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

Life and Death

After years of surging insulin resistance and the accompanying host of metabolic disorder symptoms (high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar) I now follow the simple rules in this book. I still eat meat but a tiny fraction of what I ate for my first 50 years. I eat mostly plants, not too much. I avoid packaged, processed food. I've lost 100 pounds, LDL went from 285 to 83 and my insulin resistance has vanished. This book has saved my life, seriously.

Excellent, both text and performance

This book, "In Defense of Food," is galvanizing, offering a holistic re-orientation to the whole realm of food and all that's involved in it.

Pollan gives us a useful new villain, "nutritionalism" (a term previously coined by another author), which is our (and more so, "the pro's" - researchers, dieticians, etc)tendency to want to think of foods in terms of individual nutrients - carbs, protein, fat, micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, co-factors, enzymes, etc), and the omnipresent calorie. This is inculcated through our whole culture, and Pollan suggests it is a BARRIER. He suggests that ESCAPING that fragmented, malfunctioning mindset is our salvation, and offers holistic means of achieving the health and dietary peace that evades us.

(One very little hitch in all this gitalong: Though at each point along the way, Pollan guides the reader such that his various recommendations seem feasible at each step, with the reader nodding in agreement that yes, this is something I could do - at the very end (the VERY end) he picks up a huge amount of speed and arrives at the finish line a bit breathless - with the reader - well, THIS reader - thinking um, I'm not sure about this, you left me in the dust a little ways back there! But... I guess that's another book.)

Otherwise, excellent: brilliantly conceived, creatively researched, beautifully written. And the reading is simply top-notch, the pairing of book & reader is a marriage made in heaven. Scott Brick's delivery is as articulate, as accurate, as brisk, and as bitingly accusatory as David Hyde Pierce, while being as soothing, helpful, hopeful and compassionate as the movement of the text demands.

It is a big topic Pollan has taken on, in terms of the technical scope of the material as well as the social reach of his analysis, and I think he's done a marvelous job, really hit the nail on the head, or very nearly so. I have his other book, "Omnivore's Dilemma" in my library and can't wait to get to it next.

Engrossing and Informative

I knew I would learn from this book, but I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it. I found myself really engrossed in this book - so much so I wanted to do the dishes so I'd have an excise to put in headphones. I have really changed my perspective on food and loved the way it debunked so many myths of "nutritionism" in favor of sense.

can't improve on what God supplies

Would you consider the audio edition of In Defense of Food to be better than the print version?

yes

What other book might you compare In Defense of Food to and why?

food inc

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

yes

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

nutrition in its natural state

Any additional comments?

narration was somewhat monotoned, hard to keep focused on story line

Great information

Would you consider the audio edition of In Defense of Food to be better than the print version?

Yes. Although the intonation tends to be a little strong, it is easy to listen.

What other book might you compare In Defense of Food to and why?

Omnivore Dilemma. They are related in some ways. I read

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Yes

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it's a little too heavy.

Any additional comments?

Any one who is concerned about his health should read this book. There are simply too much mis-information in the food and medical industries.

Great book.

Michael Pollan is great. He does his research and he writes well.

I'd recommend reading/listening to this book AFTER The Omnivore's Dilemma, if you're considering reading/listening to both.

The reader is overly dramatic, but you sort of get used to it. I do wish Pollan would pick a new reader for his next book, though.

great book, blah narrator

michael pollan was brilliant as usual; i expected as much and was even intrigued as the book went on!! however the narrator was awful for this book. he was strangely dramatic for a non-fiction book, not a good fit.

Great advice entertainingly delivered.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

It's a pleasure to listen to. I laughed out loud several times. The advice is simple, and I think, right on. It is a fresh informative take on a culturely fraught subject. I recommend listening over reading because the narrator does an excellent job.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He's got a good voice. He's enthusiastic, his timing is good and he seems to be genuinely interested in the contents.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK AGAIN

I "Thank you" for writing this book.
I have been living too fast and this book has helped me get a plan to return to a better quality of life.

Mind blowing

This book completely changed my thinking about food, industrialization, and the relationship between the farmer and rancher and the consumer. It’s simple, understandable, and not preachy. It is exactly what I needed after reading the obesity code. The narrator is excellent as well, and I cannot wait to read the other Michael Pollan books.