In Defense Of Food By Michael Pollan

In the modern world, making healthy food choices isn’t always easy. We’re constantly told different things about how to eat, when to eat, what to eat, and more. Today, I’ll be looking at a few food rules set by Michael Pollan. His rules are: eat food, mostly plants, and not too much. On the whole, these rules are okay, but they require closer inspection. First, Pollan says to eat food- which seems quite simple, until we learn his view on what exactly food is. He has a very negative view of processed foods, like canned food, foods with many preservatives, or sugary foods you commonly see advertised on television- he doesn’t define these things as food- Pollan calls them “edible food-like substances.” At its core, that’s solid advice- do your

In the video “In Defense of Food,” he speaks often about how those who live a vegetarian lifestyle often live longer and healthier lives than those who consume large quantities of meat on a regular basis. Pollan says to treat meat as a flavoring or special treat- I particularly like this statement because he’s not saying to cut meat out of your diet completely but to decrease the amount you eat- specifically of red meat. Red meat has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer. While meat is currently the largest source of protein for most people, many of them aren’t aware of the versatility of fresh fruits and vegetables- which is why it’s so important to eat a wide variety of food. Pollan says to ‘eat your colors’ as a way of telling people to branch out with their fruit and vegetable choices. Natural foods have many different tastes, shapes, colors, and plenty of nutrients. Many people don’t know this because it’s not advertised at all- while people hear all sorts of things about the new burger Wendy’s has to offer, they rarely hear anything about fresh food, so when they try to think of something to eat, the first thing that they think of isn’t going to be particularly healthy. This is an issue with large corporations and marketing- big businesses use natural human cravings to steer people away from fresh food, and towards meat-filled and processed foods, so we have to be mindful

Eating too much food is a large issue for many people in Westernized culture, because food is so readily available, all the time, which makes it easy for people to ignore their bodies cues. Pollan suggests many ways to ensure you don’t eat too much, like eating with others and taking time to enjoy your food. These are wonderful options because they allow you more time and space to listen to your body. Your body will tell you what it needs, and it’s incredibly important that you listen to it. Another suggestion is to serve and eat vegetables first. This is also a pretty good option, as people are likely to get the most of what they see first, so when you serve non-fresh food first, people are likely to fill their plate with that, rather than vegetables. Pollan suggests that we use smaller plates and cups, in order to serve ourselves less food in the first place. I think that this is a valid suggestion, but if what you get isn’t enough, get more. The last suggestion for this rule is to stop eating before you’re full. I don’t like this suggestion- you should eat what makes you feel comfortable- I think that eating slowly to ensure that you’re listening to your body’s cues is a far better option than this. If you’re listening to your body, you’ll be able to know when you’re comfortably full. Most importantly, you should break the rules sometimes. Food and nutrition are highly personal, so nobody’s diet will look exactly the