In Defense of Food

by Michael Pollen

  • Penguin
  • 2009
  • ISBN: 978-0143114963
  • 256 pages
  • WorldCat
In Defense of Food book cover
About the Book

Most of what we’re consuming today in Western society is no longer the product of nature but of food science, argues Michael Pollan. The result is what he calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become. With the book, In Defense of Food, Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating. ebook icon Audio book icon

#1 New York Times Bestseller
Michael Pollen
About the Author

Michael Pollan is an acclaimed author and journalist, contributing to the New York Times Magazine since 1987. Pollan grew up on Long Island and was educated at Bennington College, Oxford University, and Columbia University, from which he received a Master’s in English. ​He is currently the Lewis K. Chan Arts Lecturer and Professor of the Practice of NonFiction at Harvard University. In addition to teaching, he lectures widely on food, agriculture, health, and the environment. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, the painter Judith Belzer, and their son, Isaac.

Official Website of Michael Pollan

Host a Book Discussion

  • In Defense of Food social media

    Do you want to share this book with your reading group? The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) has made it easy to promote and discuss.

    • Discussion Guide PDF
    • Social Media JPG
    • Poster PDF* [8.5 x 11]
    • Reading Club Bookmark PDF


    * How to edit PDF files

Terms of use: Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) staff offer these health discussion resources for educational use. The materials included do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author, publisher, or the sponsoring agencies of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).