Michael Pollan’s "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" is a compelling and eye-opening book that has significantly transformed the way I perceive food and nutrition. Pollan masterfully navigates the complex world of dietary science and cultural food habits, simplifying it into an enlightening and engaging narrative.
The book’s central thesis, encapsulated in the mantra “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” is both straightforward and profound. Pollan dissects the modern Western diet, challenging the efficacy of processed foods and the pitfalls of relying heavily on dietary supplements. His argument for returning to more traditional diets, rich in natural and whole foods, is backed by thorough research and presented in a manner that is both accessible and thought-provoking.
What I particularly appreciate about this book is its balanced approach. Pollan does not push for radical diet changes but instead advocates for a more mindful and informed approach to eating. His writing is not just informative but also encouraging, guiding readers to make better food choices without feeling overwhelmed.
The historical and cultural context provided throughout the book adds depth to his arguments, making it not just a dietary guide but a sociocultural exploration into our relationship with food. It’s a reminder of how our food choices impact not only our health but also the environment and society at large.
"In Defense of Food" is more than just a book; it’s a movement towards understanding and appreciating the joy and significance of eating. Pollan’s compelling narrative is sure to inspire anyone who wishes to rethink their eating habits and forge a healthier, more sustainable relationship with food.
Other Sellers on Amazon
Added
Not added
S$25.21
& FREE Delivery
& FREE Delivery
Sold by: ~9:9~
Sold by: ~9:9~
(75 ratings)
44% positive over last 12 months
44% positive over last 12 months
Usually dispatched within 4 to 5 days
Delivery rates and Return policy Added
Not added
S$30.25
& FREE Delivery
& FREE Delivery
Sold by: TheProductsHub
Sold by: TheProductsHub
(299 ratings)
51% positive over last 12 months
51% positive over last 12 months
Usually dispatched within 4 to 5 days
Delivery rates and Return policy Added
Not added
S$30.28
& FREE Delivery
& FREE Delivery
Sold by: Experal Bookstore Singapore
Sold by: Experal Bookstore Singapore
(5 ratings)
0% positive over last 12 months
0% positive over last 12 months
Only 1 left in stock.
Delivery rates and Return policy In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto Paperback – 28 April 2009
by
Michael Pollan
(Author)
Get S$5 Off with Mastercard W/WE Cards. Enter code MCAMZ5 at checkout. Discount Provided by Amazon.
1 applicable promotion
-
Get S$5 Off with Mastercard W/WE Cards. Enter code MCAMZ5 at checkout. Discount Provided by Amazon. Terms
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"S$25.18","priceAmount":25.18,"currencySymbol":"S$","integerValue":"25","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"18","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"j044cBat0Adc2amudlBQN13Ndtu4Y2%2Bd9uOrRlkbT6vRyXqjWpTZW7FZf5x%2BmScUO5DC9wLKzF4Q3oPz%2FSgu4p2EM3LxJbiDMoJYjA6FtJsPRcvMX0FCKMJEPa6juy8W4nM7XRAla6yGb7DC1sYK0W5kXmSK%2BtBR","locale":"en-SG","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}
Purchase options and add-ons
#1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of How to Change Your Mind, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Food Rules
Food. There's plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it?
Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion--most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. With In Defense of Food, Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.
Food. There's plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it?
Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion--most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. With In Defense of Food, Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date28 April 2009
- Reading age18 years and up
- ISBN-100143114964
- ISBN-13978-0143114963
- Lexile measure1390L
Frequently bought together
This item: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
S$25.18S$25.18
Only 1 left in stock (more on the way).
Total Price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Try again.
Added to Cart
One of these items is shipped sooner than the other.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Product description
Review
"Michael Pollan [is the] designated repository for the nation's food conscience." —Frank Bruni, The New York Times
"In this slim, remarkable volume, Pollan builds a convincing case not only against that steak dinner but against the entire Western diet." —The Washington Post
"A tough, witty, cogent rebuttal to the proposition that food can be reduced to its nutritional components without the loss of something essential . . . [a] lively, invaluable book." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"What should I eat for dinner tonight? Here is Pollan's brilliant, succinct and nuanced answer to this question: 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.'" —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In Defense of Food is written with Pollan's customary bite, ringing clarity and brilliance at connecting the dots." —The Seattle Times
"This is an important book, short but pithy, and, like the word 'food,' not simple at all." —New York Post
"With his lucid style and innovative research, Pollan deserves his reputation as one of the most respectable voices in the modern debate about food." —The Financial Times
"In this slim, remarkable volume, Pollan builds a convincing case not only against that steak dinner but against the entire Western diet." —The Washington Post
"A tough, witty, cogent rebuttal to the proposition that food can be reduced to its nutritional components without the loss of something essential . . . [a] lively, invaluable book." —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"What should I eat for dinner tonight? Here is Pollan's brilliant, succinct and nuanced answer to this question: 'Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.'" —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In Defense of Food is written with Pollan's customary bite, ringing clarity and brilliance at connecting the dots." —The Seattle Times
"This is an important book, short but pithy, and, like the word 'food,' not simple at all." —New York Post
"With his lucid style and innovative research, Pollan deserves his reputation as one of the most respectable voices in the modern debate about food." —The Financial Times
About the Author
Michael Pollan is the author of eight books, including How to Change Your Mind, Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and The Botany of Desire, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. He is also the author of the audiobook Caffeine: How Coffee and Tea Made the Modern World. A longtime contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Pollan teaches writing at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world.
Product details
- Language : English
- Paperback : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0143114964
- ISBN-13 : 978-0143114963
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Best Sellers Rank: 23,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 83 in Public Health Administration
- 89 in Food Reference & Gastronomy
- 114 in Nutrition
- Customer reviews:
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,759 global ratings
How are ratings calculated?
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we do not use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Top reviews from other countries
Tyler
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pollan does an excellent job in 'In Defense of Food
Reviewed in Canada on 4 February 2018Verified Purchase
Mr. Pollan did a masterful job outlining the folly of nutritionism's ridgid, soulless, and often pseudo-scientific approach to diet. As an eater in the 21st-century Michael's sage advice definitely resonates with me as an individual. With the multitude of voices crying in the internet wilderness, it can be hard to navigate oneself through the tangled mess of what should be a relatively simple thing, deciding what you're going to eat. Mr. Pollan does an excellent job in 'In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto' of grounding the eater in a strikingly insightful and expositional journey through the rise of the MAD diet, eating, nutritionism, and the culture of our food.
Michael's sage advice definitely resonates with me as an individual. With the multitude of voices crying in the internet wilderness, it can be hard to navigate oneself through the tangled mess of what should be a relatively simple thing, deciding what you're going to eat. Mr. Pollan does an excellent job in 'In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto' of grounding the eater in a strikingly insightful and expositional journey through eating, nutritionism, and the culture of our food.
I think, for me personally, one of the most profound insights I took away from the book was the way Michael articulated the importance of our food not just from a nutritional, biological perspective, but from a cultural and human perspective; Michael's musings on the importance of food in how it brings us together as humans in a sort of sacred and unique way that transcends any one of its constituent elements resonated with me strongly.
Perhaps one of the most devastating things we as eaters are in danger of is not just physiological harm and chronic disease through poor dietary habits caused by the MAD diet, but the loss of something profoundly human that surrounds the experience of traditional eating; Nutritionism and the industrialization of our food, coupled with the hectic lifestyle of 21st century man poses just as great a threat to our humanity as it does our health. The MAD lifestyle threatens to undermine a foundation that has supported and brought together families, communities, and people for thousands of years around the experience of eating itself.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to sort out their relationship with the food they eat.
Michael's sage advice definitely resonates with me as an individual. With the multitude of voices crying in the internet wilderness, it can be hard to navigate oneself through the tangled mess of what should be a relatively simple thing, deciding what you're going to eat. Mr. Pollan does an excellent job in 'In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto' of grounding the eater in a strikingly insightful and expositional journey through eating, nutritionism, and the culture of our food.
I think, for me personally, one of the most profound insights I took away from the book was the way Michael articulated the importance of our food not just from a nutritional, biological perspective, but from a cultural and human perspective; Michael's musings on the importance of food in how it brings us together as humans in a sort of sacred and unique way that transcends any one of its constituent elements resonated with me strongly.
Perhaps one of the most devastating things we as eaters are in danger of is not just physiological harm and chronic disease through poor dietary habits caused by the MAD diet, but the loss of something profoundly human that surrounds the experience of traditional eating; Nutritionism and the industrialization of our food, coupled with the hectic lifestyle of 21st century man poses just as great a threat to our humanity as it does our health. The MAD lifestyle threatens to undermine a foundation that has supported and brought together families, communities, and people for thousands of years around the experience of eating itself.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to sort out their relationship with the food they eat.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bello
Reviewed in Italy on 1 May 2019Verified Purchase
Con quest'opera di Pollan si va sul sicuro, scritto benissimo, utile ed interessante.
William Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very persuasive account of the ills of the Western diet and what to do about it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 August 2015Verified Purchase
A very persuasive treatise on food. Pollan explains why nutritional advice has not worked out well over the years - individual foodstuffs contain so many different substances that it's hard to know what are the active ingredients, as it were, and when it comes to experimenting and leaving something out of a diet or putting something in, there's the whole field of what else we eat or don't eat (to compensate) to consider too. So this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But then we find that actually there's a lot of skin in this game for food manufacturers who'd like to be able to market processed foods (rather than the simple and pure foodstuffs they are made from) because this is where there's value add in this market and they'd like to market health claims for their processed foods - which also seems generally to be possible…And while humans have evolved to live off a very wide variety of diets in a healthy way, the Western diet hasn't historically been one of them, as we've moved towards chemical treatment of agriculture (impoverishing our basic foodstuffs) and have moved from leaves to grains and then onto refined grains - partly simply for their keeping qualities (if the nutrients aren't there, they'll be easier to preserve from decay)...
The final part says what we can do about all this when we eat. Simple messages: avoid the processed stuff; spend more on food and more time preparing (and you will eat less); eat less meat; go for farm shops not supermarkets; and grow your own….Perhaps a little disappointing, but no doubt true. I will also personally be tucking into cheese and olive oil as recommend in Tim Spector's book The Diet Myth. But that book is rather less of a strong reading experience than this!...
The final part says what we can do about all this when we eat. Simple messages: avoid the processed stuff; spend more on food and more time preparing (and you will eat less); eat less meat; go for farm shops not supermarkets; and grow your own….Perhaps a little disappointing, but no doubt true. I will also personally be tucking into cheese and olive oil as recommend in Tim Spector's book The Diet Myth. But that book is rather less of a strong reading experience than this!...
21 people found this helpful
Report
Marian Fernandez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesante
Reviewed in Spain on 12 May 2015Verified Purchase
Nueva cultura sobre la forma de alimentarnos. Sentido común!!
Comer en la forma que lo harían nuestros abuelos; sólo lo que entendamos leyendo las etiquetas...
Comer en la forma que lo harían nuestros abuelos; sólo lo que entendamos leyendo las etiquetas...