This is an illuminating read. Pollan's mantra, printed right on the cover, is simple: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Well of course you should eat food! Duh. How hard can that be? Turns out the evolution of the American food industry has pushed a lot of things that are anything but food into our grocery stores. Fed up with not being sure what, exactly, was in the food I was buying (and after Susan Dennard recommended it to me), I eagerly picked up Pollan's book. He outlines the history of food science/engineering, the constantly changing diet fads in America, and how it has impacted our food and agriculture; then goes on to provide some common sense suggestions to eating thoughtfully and responsibly. (In short, don't eat anything with long ingredient lists, especially if you can't pronounce any of those ingredients. Don't obsess over calories. Ignore products that make health claims. Just eat real, whole foods, and avoid the processed.) 
 I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but unfortunately, I have a feeling most people seeking out this info are like me-pretty darn healthy, concerned about what they eat, and eager to make additional lifestyle changes. Meaning those who could perhaps benefit most from the information in In Defense of Food, likely will never come across it. Quite the conundrum. 
 Originally posted here.