Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food
May 7th, 2008
Michael Pollan has written several books, but is perhaps best known for his two most recent: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and his latest, In Defense Of Food.
In the former book, Pollan discusses problems with the food supply and food industry in the US, and the challenges faced by consumers who actually care about what they eat. In the latter book, he addresses the same issues, but from the perspective of answering the question: “What can we do about it?”
Central to his perspective is that food isn’t very profitable to companies as a commodity. A bunch of celery or a simple piece of beef doesn’t sell for very much (unless we’re talking organic, then all bets are off), relative to the prices and profit margins companies can get from making products out of the celery or beef. Pollan calls these products “edible, food-like substances” in contrast to real food.
In this video of a lecture he gave at Google, he gives the example that while cut oats are pennies to the pound, if General Mills, Post or Kellog add high-fructose corn syrup, salt and additives and process the oats so as to remove some of the fiber, they end up with a product costing tens or hundreds of times the cost of the oats themselves.
He also talks about what he calls “Nutritionism,” or a belief that nutrients are important and sources of nutrients are not. Food companies use this to encourage people who want to be healthy eaters to buy premium healthier versions of their products that have vitamins, minerals and/or fiber artificially added back in. This can make them almost as healthy as the original food item was when it came out of the ground and before it was converted into frankenfood!
Highlights:
- Eat locally
- Eat organic
- Eat grass-fed
- Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, not the middle.
- Don’t eat it if:
- You can’t pronounce the ingredients
- Your great grandmother (or someone else’s) wouldn’t recognize it as food.
The whole philosophy boils down to seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Links:
“Michael Pollan” on YouTube
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto
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Entry Filed under: Diet, General Health
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12 Comments Add your own
1. Buy » Michael Polla&hellip | May 7th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
[...] Health-Hack.com | Building a Better Geek. wrote an interesting post today on Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of FoodHere’s a quick excerpt Michael Pollan has written several books, but is perhaps best known for his two most recent: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and his latest, In Defense Of Food. In the former book, Pollan discusses problems with the food supply and food industry in the US, and the challenges faced by consumers who actually care about what they eat. In the latter book, he addresses the same issues, but from the perspective of answering the question: “What can we do about it?” Central to his perspective is that food isn [...]
2. Youtube » Michael P&hellip | May 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
[...] Health-Hack.com | Building a Better Geek. wrote an interesting post today on Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of FoodHere’s a quick excerpt Michael Pollan has written several books, but is perhaps best known for his two most recent: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and his latest, In Defense Of Food. In the former book, Pollan discusses problems with the food supply and food industry in the US, and the challenges faced by consumers who actually care about what they eat. In the latter book, he addresses the same issues, but from the perspective of answering the question: “What can we do about it?” Central to his perspective is that food isn [...]
3. B On The Move - Tech News&hellip | May 11th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
[...] much. Mostly plants.”)—or download the hour-long clip it to your iPod to watch later. Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food [Building a Better [...]
4. Michael Pollan Speaks In &hellip | May 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
[...] much. Mostly plants.”)—or download the hour-long clip it to your iPod to watch later. Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food [Building a Better [...]
5. News » Michael Poll&hellip | May 12th, 2008 at 1:12 am
[...] Starked DC wrote an interesting post today on Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food | Health News and Tips For…Here’s a quick excerptPollan explains his "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" advice. [...]
6. TinkerStream » Mich&hellip | May 12th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
[...] Not too much. Mostly plants.")—or download the hour-long clip to your iPod to watch later. Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food [Building a Better [...]
7. Nutritionist | May 13th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I respectfully disagree with Pollan’s lecture and his thesis. His thesis is that ‘nutritionism’ is evil and not the foods, trust the guts and not the brain.
Though distrust of experts is powerful narrative for change, in this case, Pollack vilifies science and high priests of science (the scientists) while he happily wears the crown of expert and using science to augment his thesis when needed. Never in the lecture, he mentions the role of science in finding that Folic Acid prevents Neural tube defects or that VItamin C prevents scurvy. Instead he says that nutrition is a science in middle ages equating nutrition to quackery. That is far from truth and especially unfortunate since as a professor, writer and thoughtful man , he should know better.
Pollack is correct that scientists made mistakes but he ignores the fact that is not the scientists but the industry that exploited science as a marketing tool to persuade people to buy and consume products. Unfortunately, condemning science and the scientists without understanding the societal factors at play is not naive world view and can not be used a narrative of progress.
8. Kevin | May 13th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Hi Nutritionist,
Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts here!
I would like to counter your observations on a few points, though.
First, I disagree that saying the science of nutrition is “in the middle ages” means that it is mere quackery, Pollan seems to me to rather be stressing that there is still a long way to go before our understanding of nutrition is on a par with our understanding of many other health-related fields.
I would agree with that sentiment, and direct you to two recent podcasts featuring Dr. Richard D. Feinman, a leader in the field of metabolic and nutritional research and a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York as well as the editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Nutrition & Metabolism.
Listen to part one here:
A Talk With Professor Richard Feinman: Part 1 (Episode 135)
and part two here:
A Talk With Professor Richard Feinman: Part 2 (Episode 136)
People like Dr. Dean Ornish claim to have nutritional science all figured out, yet Ornish has publicly stated he very proud of the fact that he convinced Tropicana to enhance it’s orange juice by adding in artificial fiber to make up for the refining they have done to make a fattening but very commercially viable product.
Michael Pollan would say to Dr, Ornish: “Gee Doc, what’s wrong with, I dunno, eating an ACTUAL ORANGE?”
Pollan’s beef is taking nutritious food items like oats or oranges that are cheap and having companies take these things, refine them (by removing fiber, for example) and dilute them (by adding High Fructose Corn Syrup for example) to the point of nutritional uselessness, THEN playing the saviour by marketing a NEW IMPROVED version (at a premium price) with chemically derived supplements to make them “not quite so bad”.
Why is Malitol supposed to be better than just plain old orange pulp?
That is “Nutritionalism” as opposed to nutrition, and when food scientists working for corporations assist in this process, they cast a shadow over the entire field of food science.
Pollan is not a luddite, and does not claim that knowing that vitamin c cures scurvy is worthless knowledge. That is a straw man argument, and while straw may be high in fiber, it lacks substance is unpalatable.
9. Michael Pollan Speaks In &hellip | May 13th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
[...] too much. Mostly plants.”)—or download the hour-long clip to your iPod to watch later. Michael Pollan Speaks In Defense Of Food [Building a Better [...]
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11. kent sin | May 15th, 2008 at 12:02 am
It is really good to hear that.
But I am afraid people getting from one end into another end:
Organic Food.
That people got to make it wrong again.
When every people thinking in the same way, I am very afraid.
12. Caterina | June 17th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Now this is plain, simple and no frill advice. I think I can keep up with this. I love to eat, but this one makes me think twice of eating healthy. Thank you.
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