Amy's bookshelves

read (9)

currently-reading (0)

to-read (0)

cloud shelves | see all bookshelves »

Amy's recent updates (rss)

March 21

Amy gave

to:
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Paperback)
by Carson McCullers

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
One Man's Meat (Paperback)
by E.B. White

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
The Bluest Eye (Vintage International)
by Toni Morrison

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Hardcover)
by Gabriel García Márquez

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Paperback)
by Anne Fadiman

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
The Feast of Love (Paperback)
by Charles Baxter

my rating:

read in January, 2001

add a comment

March 06

Amy gave

to:
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (Hardcover)
by Jeanne Birdsall

my rating:

add a comment

Amy gave

to:
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy (Paperback)
by Jeanne Birdsall

my rating:

add a comment

March 04

Amy made a comment in the group GoodReviews: The Official Book Review Contest—New Non-Fiction: Post IN DEFENSE OF FOOD submissions here topic:

Amy wrote: "Here is my review
http://www.goodreads.com/book/...

In th...more Here is my review
http://www.goodreads.com/book/...

In the Buddhist tradition there is a level of hell whereby the dead, known as hungry ghosts, are trapped with enormous stomachs and tiny throats unable to swallow anything but the smallest bites of food. Their particular brand of torture is that they are always eating and yet their hunger is never satisfied. These hungry ghosts sound an awful lot like the modern American eater trapped in the unhealthy western diet demonized in Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

You may be surprised that anyone felt they needed to defend food, since we all rely on it to survive. But Pollan makes a clear distinction between the processed food-like substances that fill our grocery aisles in glistening packages and real foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and unprocessed, natural foods. Pollan argues that we eat way too much of the fake stuff, ignoring the foods that our bodies actually need. Like the hungry ghosts, we just never feel satisfied. At a clipping pace, Pollan examines both the field of nutritional science and the industrialization of food to show the reader just how we got to our particular brand of hell. Then, thankfully, he offers us a way out.

Instead of being hungry ghosts, Pollan tells us we can practice thoughtful consumption. He argues that the onslaught of nutritional science has taken the expertise out of the kitchen and into the laboratory, and too often isolates nutritional elements from the whole food that bore it. Any of us who keep up on nutritional trends will be shaking our heads when he discusses the familiar irritation of being told this week to eat one thing and avoid another, only to be told later that we had it right the first time. Instead of offering us a new trend in dieting, his solutions are both revolutionary and literally as old as time. “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Pollan argues we should eat like our ancestors, before diabetes and heart disease reigned supreme and before high fructose corn syrup became more popular to the American consumer than television. Despite the dire evidence he presents in the book, his voice remains jocular and never dips into pessimism, though I did as a reader once or twice.

Even if you are not a health nut, Pollan makes a good argument for adopting his method of eating. The benefit of this thoughtful consumption is more than nutritional. The eater will be practicing a lifestyle of environmental stewardship, optimal health, and respect for the time required to grow and prepare the food necessary for life.

The book, addictive as those processed foods Pollan does such a powerful job of damning, is difficult to put down, in part because you don’t want to stop to eat anything until you know what you are supposed to eat after all. The only caveat is that In Defense of Food offers so little compromise between the western lifestyle and the lifestyle Pollan requires the eater to adopt, which just may be the reality of the current food paradigm. Maybe eating well is a revolutionary act in these times of microwavable meals and fast food paragons. When you buy food it is no longer a given that it is real food, and you may have to be willing to make some major changes in your lifestyle to get the real food back onto your table and into your stomach.
...less "

see all 9 of Amy's books »

Amy's groups (recent posts)

GoodReviews: The Official Book Review Contest — 193 members — last activity 19 days ago, 11:24AM
Help us find the best reviews on Goodreads! Nominate reviews here for our monthly review-writing contest! Winners will be announced each month in our ...more

Amy's friend comments

showing 1-0 of 0. (add a comment | view all)

No friend comments yet...

	Qwo-Li 408 books 57 friends
	Kathleen 23 books 2 friends
	Robyn 11 books 12 friends
	Erin 1 books 4 friends

Amy's profile

Amy's bookshelves

Amy's recent updates (rss)

Amy's groups (recent posts)

Amy's friend comments

Amy's friends (4)