In Defense of Pollan (Revised)

In Defense of Pollan
As a New York Times Bestseller, In Defense of Food, written by Michael Pollen, successfully grabs the public's attention by stating unique perspectives and referencing an abundance of sources about the type of food that people should eat. However, readers also complain about the judgmental tone of his writing, as well as the numerous facts which require more clear explanations. This is especially true for its main argument: people should eat unprocessed food; plants in particular. In spite of the fact that I do not side with some of his opinions, I still consider his statement as a well-organized and convincing one .

He first approaches the statement by attacking harshly on the western diet which contains “lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of everything except fruits, vegetables and whole grains.” With the citation of several famous people like Denis Burkitt and Walter Willett, Michael clearly makes his point that western diet is not only lack of nutrition but also has the potential to cause a variety of diseases such as high blood pressure and excessive cholesterol. This is true to some point. Nonetheless, food is more than nutrients and health. It is also about pleasure, experience and the identity if the nation. People gain much pleasure through dining experience. People distinguish their identity by what they choose to eat. If that is the case, what food are people supposed to eat on daily basis? He then goes on to give some fundamental guidelines which define the “real food”. For instance, “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” This sentence basically conveys the idea that those unprocessed food, as the favorites of the grandparents in the past, is the healthiest food that the people in the contemporary society should eat. In other words, the best food culture and wisdom comes from the past. Interestingly, he uses a simple but precise expression about grandmother to describe the features of the real food vividly. This clear definition is followed by the method of eating healthy diets. In the bullet point form, he lists all the rules distinctively and gives each rule a thoughtful explanation to convince the readers. To be honest, this is my favorite part of this book. Unlike any other nutrition books which talk on and on in big paragraphs and complex sentences about how we should eat, the book uses concise arguments and understandable vocabularies to give out the guidelines which are quite easy to follow. Moreover, the reasonable explanations given under every healthy eating rule also establishes his authority as an author. In particular, the effective use of both examples and data strengthen Pollen’s argument.

It is not hard to infer from the above that Pollen’s statement about eating unprocessed food is structured pretty well. Furthermore, the content is also quite convincing and persuasive. Though the definition about western diet is a little bit general and controversial, it’s undeniable that some of the diets in the west do appeal the problems mentioned in his argument. For example, McDonald’s, which is considered to be world’s largest chain of fast food restaurants as well as a significant American food cultural phenomenon, is producing food which makes millions of people get obese. He is also right about the fact that unprocessed food contains some nutrients that supplements cannot provide. The more the food was processed, the less nutritious it became. To avoid the popularity of some diet-related diseases and shortage of vital nutrients, consuming unprocessed food which comes without a package is absolutely natural and wise. In his argument, Pollen analyzes this fact to the readers and transfers the professional phrases into very explicit expressions which can help the readers comprehend. Besides, he even enumerates ways of putting the words into actions to convince the readers that the guidelines he offers are applicable.

To sum up, although scientists appear to pay much attention on health in food and process the food such that it will be more nutritious, yet this may not be the case. The more we process, the less nutritious it becomes. Also, the food culture is more than health and nutrition, other aspects like culture, pleasure and identity should be considered. However, his argument and definition are subject to dispute. In terms of the quality and organization of Pollen’s argument about “people should eat unprocessed food”, Pollen does a terrific job in convincing the readers.