I have to take books like this with a grain of salt. On the one hand, I don’t necessarily believe that everything that “experts” say, particularly those who work hand in hand with governments and corporations, is the gospel truth. But by that same token, just because some non-expert or person outside the industry and/or government says that there are problems with the current system, doesn’t mean that they have all the answers either. For example, in In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan sometimes looks like he’s using science that he’s tried to discredit in earlier chapters. Not exactly filling me with confidence. But that being said, it was an eye-opening read, one that made me re-examine my current beliefs about the food industry, nutrition, and health.

While I’m not 100% on board Pollan’s train – I do think that nutritionists and nutrition science have the right idea sometimes – I agree with his three rules. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Even if I don’t necessarily follow them all the time, I can definitely see where someone who’s currently dissatisfied with their current health or their place in the food system can break through their patterns of eating and shopping, and try to work outside the system for everyone’s benefit. In Defense of Food is an eye-opener, I just wouldn’t necessarily swallow all of it. (Oh, the puns.)

Okay. I’m torn. I started off reading the book and nodding and enjoying myself. Pollan’s easy conversational style appeals to me – I like reading what he writes, and probably would almost no matter what he was writing.

And the tagline – Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants. – it’s maybe not Save the cheerleader. Save the world., but it’s pretty darn good. It makes sense.

Complaints: while being down on nutritionism, Pollan uses its methods to support his position. He even points this out (kinda late, as I was already annoyed by it) and notes that even though the tools are flawed, they’re the best we have. That may be, but it still rankles.

Also, the book is short. And repetitive – not a great combination, but better than long and repetitive.

So, it’s no The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but still entertaining and more than a little thought-provoking – I found myself counting the number of ingredients in my breakfast cereal this morning (more than 5, but I knew what they all were).

What more is there to be said about this? Still, it’s a common-sense set of rules you can use to guide your food journey. It is, of course, a little flippant about access issues, both in terms of money required and living in a region where an adequate variety of food can be raised and stored and sold. It’s definitely worth the (quick) read.