BLOG POST 4

In the book “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto”, Michael Pollan’s aims at preaching that the modern diet consists mainly of processed foods which need to be rejected and a much more healthy diet must be adopted through practices similar to those of one’s ancestors. He puts forth claims with reasonable evidence that what we are eating today is not food, but ‘edible food like substances’. Also the eating habits of today’s generation such as eating in front of the television sets, in the car are not really the right way to eat. People need to get back to their roots and the food that their great-grandparents ate, which he refers to as the ‘real’ food. This following quote from the book supports the above argument, which is, “Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food”. In his book, Michael Pollan describes the upsurge of chronic “Western” diseases resulting from diet and the technological abyss in the direction of which mankind with its tacit consent is being driven by the industrialized American diet.

While reading this book, several interesting arguments and facts about food are presented by Pollan. But the main focus of Pollan is to get his readers to understand the truth behind the food they gulp in, for which he states examples to unmask the myths about food. One of the examples, which he cites, is about the unclear and illusory labels that the marketers put on foods as part of their marketing plan. Though these labels get the marketers a huge business, most people don’t think about what its harmful effects are. Pollan goes ahead to reveal it all; he forcefully expresses his opinions to make people aware about the discrepancies. Knowing that people like to take the easy way to get things done, one way to attract them is through the medium of food. He also discusses how a person gets tricked by these false labels, saying “more proteins, fat free product, free from carbohydrates” and the list is endless. Pollan brings out these real incidents, which directly relates to everyone’s life and this writing style of his grips the attention of the reader.

As discussed in the previous paragraph, the marketers gain profit over the customers by tricking them. These foods, which are sold, are not only deceiving but also harming to those who consume it. The main emphasis of Pollan has always been towards fresh and organic eating. "There are literally scores of studies demonstrating that a diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of dying from all the Western diseases. In countries where people eat a pound or more of fruits and vegetables a day, the rate of cancer is half what is in the United States." [pg. 164] . Pollan is strictly against the dietary consumption of Americans, as they are one of the unhealthiest people in the world who routinely suffer from western diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and hypertension. As explained above that Pollan truly has a convincing writing technique as his each statement has an explanation to it. In his book, Pollan quotes several studies, which show a direct relationship between diseases and western diet. “The human animal is adapted to, and apparently can thrive on, an extraordinary range of different diets, but the Western diet… does not seem to be one of them.” In defense of food puts forth in front of its reader the poor food habit of people in The States. The people consume processed “food like products” mistaking it for healthy foods. This leads to a nation full of people who are overfed as well as undernourished.

In conclusion it would be right to say that Pollan has really kept up his name by keeping up his writing standard up to the mark. Being a fan of Pollan I have read his book called “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” in which too, he talks about food. Having read both the books, it can be said that Pollan is a man of perfection. He is a person who adds a right blend of examples, facts and figures in order to support his argument. Also what is amazing about his writing style is the elaborate explanation of each argument, which leaves the reader convinced. In order to support his argument he has referenced several sources in the last few pages of the book. One more key point, which plays a very important role in writing a book, is use of transitions as to have a flow without any breaks as to grab the attention of the reader. In the end, not only does Pollan leave the reader with something to ponder upon what is written in the book, but also provides insight on solutions and recommendations for further improvement.