In Defense of Food

[This is from 2009. I'm reading a book about fish, so I thought I'd make sure this one goes up.] I have enjoyed all of Michael Pollan's book, though this one was the best one that I've read. The one point I get out of it is that we are a long way from fully understanding our nutrition needs, making the "western" diet horribly incomplete. The western diet attempts to break everything down in to simple nutrients that are required, along with tastes and textures that make food 'pleasant'. The mix is then given to us by marketeers, often resulting in poor health. The health problems caused by the diet are then 'resolved' by the new wonder drugs and medical treatments (some of which don't yet exist.) A simple diet can actually make things much less complicated.

The book is a quick read, and basically comes down to the conclusion that we should eat "food" rather than chemical processed goop. Simple enough.