In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Essay Example

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan counters the scientifically based arguments for following healthy nutrition should not be the basis of our decisions as to how we eat because scientific descriptions of these aspects tend to complicate our understanding of nutrition. While I agree that Pollan helps simplify many aspects of nutrition, including avoiding products that are heavily processed and I agree that society as a whole has doubts as to whether its food is healthy, I do not believe that worrying about consuming adequate amounts of nutrition and the right types of nutrients is “unhealthy”. In fact, I believe that it is healthier to be concerned about nutrition because it is related to many other factors of health.

Ultimately, Pollan uses his book to describe basic aspects of nutrition, which I believe is extremely helpful for those who do not currently have an advanced understanding of science. It is ideal to have some knowledge regarding the food that people eat, but it is better to have a complete understanding of the scientific principles that underlie good nutrition. Rather than educating people about these basic principles, it is more advantageous to provide a detailed understanding of these concepts to ensure that people make healthy eating decisions across the board.

The primary statement I disagree with that serves as somewhat of a basis for this discourse is that “We are people with an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating”. I don’t think this is true. It is extremely important to be concerned with how we are eating in light of the major issues that the population is currently experience as a consequence of obesity. If anything, it is important for us to become more obsessed so that we can emphasize the important of eating healthy and exercising. In fact, it angers me that the author believes that our attitudes towards healthy eating is incorrect. It is our responsibility to perpetuate the feeling that healthy eating is necessary, and through this emphasis, we can convince others to make major lifestyle decisions that will benefit them in the long run.

Although I disagree with the approach that Pollan has generally taken towards nutrition, I agree that it is important to recognize the importance of the consumption of local and basic food. Locally grown food tends to be fresher and support small farms, while the consumption of basic food helps fight against companies that produce processed food. Ultimately, it is our jobs as consumers to indicate to major companies that the way our food is currently produced is not acceptable. If we show them that we will refuse to purchase products that are unhealthy in nature, they will be produced less frequently and healthier products will become less expensive and more widely available.