In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

(review by Julie)
For some reason that I can't quite remember, I got started on a kick reading about food stuff.  I reserved several books at the library (the closest thing to a drive-thru as the library gets) and started reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food; An Eater's Manifesto first.  It was engaging and not so intellectual that I couldn't read it in snippets, waiting in lines and such.

He tells you right at the beginning that after writing The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, his publisher suggested he write a book telling the world how he thought we ought to eat.  After much research he decided it was very simple: "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants."  Knowing that he could sell a book that was only 7 words long, he devoted most of the book to explaining how he arrived at that conclusion.

I found his explanation of how things work in the health and diet industry to be INCREDIBLY interesting!!! Being a veteran of several swing diets, I know first hand how crazy they are, so his moderate, common sense approach, backed up with science is very convincing.

The last part of the book is very similar to his booklet Food Rules. He explains what he means by "food" as opposed to "processed food like substances" and gives a lot of good rules of thumb and tips for avoiding processed foods.  I'd love to own a copy of the book since the library wouldn't let me keep theirs, but it'll have to get in line.