In Defense of Food
ENGWR 301
13 February 2014
In Defense of Pollan When Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma was published, many readers began questioning him for advice on what they should eat in order to stay healthy. In his more recent book, In Defense of Food, he responds with three rules, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"(Pollan 1). This seven word response seems too simple for a relatively complicated question, but as he further elaborates these rules into specific guidelines, this summary turns out to be surprisingly complete. Using inductive and deductive reasoning, he debunks the ideas behind nutritionism and food science, and proves that the western diet is the cause for food related diseases. Inductive reasoning is when a general conclusion is drawn based off observations, and deductive reasoning is when specific conclusion is drawn based on general concepts (Griffith 269-270). In Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, his reasoning is sound because he makes strong inductive and deductive arguments which are supported by studies and research from credible sources. In the first section of Pollan's book, he explains what nutritionism is and how it has led to bad food science. Nutritionism is the "widely shared but unexamined assumption that the key to understanding food is indeed the nutrient. To put in another way: Foods are essentially the sum of their nutrients"(Pollan 28). According to nutritionism, since nutrients are invisible and a mystery to us, we rely on scientists to explain the unseen reality of food for us, and look toward them for expert help. But Pollan asks, why do we need help? Throughout human history, Pollan explains that before nutritionism was invented, "to guide us we had, instead, Culture, which, at least when it comes to food, is really just a fancy word for mother"(Pollan 3). As he further elaborates on this, he explains how nutritionism has successfully replaced culture as a guideline for what to eat. "Over the last
13 February 2014
In Defense of Pollan When Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma was published, many readers began questioning him for advice on what they should eat in order to stay healthy. In his more recent book, In Defense of Food, he responds with three rules, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants"(Pollan 1). This seven word response seems too simple for a relatively complicated question, but as he further elaborates these rules into specific guidelines, this summary turns out to be surprisingly complete. Using inductive and deductive reasoning, he debunks the ideas behind nutritionism and food science, and proves that the western diet is the cause for food related diseases. Inductive reasoning is when a general conclusion is drawn based off observations, and deductive reasoning is when specific conclusion is drawn based on general concepts (Griffith 269-270). In Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food, his reasoning is sound because he makes strong inductive and deductive arguments which are supported by studies and research from credible sources. In the first section of Pollan's book, he explains what nutritionism is and how it has led to bad food science. Nutritionism is the "widely shared but unexamined assumption that the key to understanding food is indeed the nutrient. To put in another way: Foods are essentially the sum of their nutrients"(Pollan 28). According to nutritionism, since nutrients are invisible and a mystery to us, we rely on scientists to explain the unseen reality of food for us, and look toward them for expert help. But Pollan asks, why do we need help? Throughout human history, Pollan explains that before nutritionism was invented, "to guide us we had, instead, Culture, which, at least when it comes to food, is really just a fancy word for mother"(Pollan 3). As he further elaborates on this, he explains how nutritionism has successfully replaced culture as a guideline for what to eat. "Over the last
Cited: Griffith, Kelley. Writing Essays about Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 2014. 269-270 Print. Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater 's Manifesto. New York: Penguin, 2008. Print.