Michael Pollan’s “In defence of Food” illustrates a method of gaining true health in the modern market. Defining food and the reasons behind mass consumption, his work lays out a roadmap for a healthy diet (539). This essay will determine if the ideas presented in this book are realistic. In the end, this study will have examined the positive and the negative with the aim of determining if Pollan’s “In defence of Food” is a real instrument with which to achieve progress.
“Eat food”, Pollan’s method begins with statement: “Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it’s not really food” (540). This is so true in the modern society that values appearances and shelf life over that of nutrition. The second pillar of this method calls for a restrained pattern of eating rather than the constant American diet (539). By taking the time to not eat anything that one of your grandmothers would not eat will instil a habit of healthy food based diet. Further, avoiding food that has unfamiliar ingredients will ensure that the base diet available will be both healthy and appropriate. By making a point to shop outside the supermarket Pollan (546) illustrates the importance of improving the available selection.
Pollan’s method holds that good food requires a substantial investment “exceptional food is worth what it costs” (548). This makes the diet difficult for many people. Alongside the hard to find foods cited by this method, there is a real sense of difficulty in attaining the goals envisioned.
Packaged foods that fill the shelves of our supermarkets is full of preservatives and chemicals, all it takes is a brief look at the long list of chemicals in the average snack to illustrate how far away from basic nutrition current food packaging has become. This is very surprising given the fact that products including Mt. Dew include poisonous additives that do not do anything constructive. Common fast food is often very questionable as well, with studies illustrating the way in which some fast food fails to deteriorate or mould over time. This is a truly concerning development as this has the capacity to impact long term health.
In the end, Pollan’s “In Defence of Food” is a good, yet, expensive method to live by. With a fundamental grounding in solid diet, the idea behind the balanced and good food diet is sound. The largest drawback is the expense and difficulty of attaining many of the foods that are deemed the best. Finally, it will be the better availability of good food, alongside ethical mass food production that serves to propel the entire world into the next generation of responsible diet health.
Works cited
Pollan, Michael. In defence of food. New York: Penguin Press, 2008. Print.
