in defense of food

i just read this for my book club and for the most part, really liked it. while i would not consider myself a health nut, it confirmed my general feelings about food and gave me some encouragement for what i am already doing and what i can continue to do to improve my family's eating habits.

pollan attacks the way that the food industry has taught us to think and feel about food and argues for a return to a simpler way of eating. his mantra, printed on the front of the book, says it all: eat food. not too much. mostly plants.

here's my beef with the book: he is not a scientist, but kind of professes to be one. he attacks "nutritionalism" for breaking our food down into it's nutrient parts instead of considering it as a whole, but then proceeds to do the same thing to support his argument. he actually acknowledges this later in the book, but it takes a long time for him to do so.

what i love about the book: in the third section of the book, he offers several simple and practical suggestions for how to improve your food situation. like i said, i'm not a health nut, and i actually don't think that he is extreme either, but what he says really rings true with what i've always thought about food.

a good, easy read, and if you are kind of interested at all, i suggest at least reading the third section of the book.

have i mentioned how excited i am for my garden?