Science Library

If your answer to the above is yes; and if you also religiously read food labels, try to drink eight glasses of water a day and wonder why butter seems to be in fashion again, then these two books are for you. If you only have time to read one, then go for The Omnivore’s Dilemma. It is a very compelling read. The gist of In Defense of Food is well encapsulated in the mantra ‘Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.’

The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Penguin Press, 2006 Call number : GT2850.P771 Business Library

Humans were clearly designed to eat all manner of meats, vegetables, fruits, and grains. But, as Pollan points out, America’s farmers have succeeded so wildly that today’s fundamental agricultural issue has become how to deal sensibly with overproduction. The result of this surfeit of grain is behemoth corn processors, who have commoditized the Aztecs’ sacred grain and developed ways to separate corn into products wholly removed from its original kernels. This excess food and Americans’ wealth and rapid-paced lifestyles now yield supersized portions of less-than-nutritious eatables. Pollan contrasts the technologically driven life on an Iowa corn farm’s feedlots with the thriving organic farm movement supplying retailers such as Whole Foods. Throughout, he takes care to consider all sides of issues, and he avoids jingoistic answers. Pollan’s easy writing style and unique approach freshen this contemporary debate. Cover image & summary from: Syndetics Solutions, Inc.

In defense of food

Penguin Press, 2008
Call number : RA784.P771 Lee Wee Nam Library, Popular Science Collection

Expanding on a theme from his popular The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2007), Pollan mounts an assault on a reigning theory of the relationship between food and health. For Pollan, “nutritionism” offers too narrow a view of the role of eating, confining its benefits solely to food’s chemical constituents. This has resulted in an unnatural anxiety about the things we humans eat. To counteract this, Pollan appeals to tradition and common sense. Although Pollan doesn’t advocate eliminating meat or any other whole food, he wants to place vegetables and fruits in the center of things, reassigning meat to the status of a side dish. Cover image & summary from: Syndetics Solutions, Inc.