What I've Read: In Defense of Food

While I do allow myself the occasional dabble into the fiction realm, everyone by now knows my love for reading nonfiction, especially stuff that relates to food and to specific moments throughout history and their impact on the greater world or society as a whole. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma last year, I knew I would have to commit some time to reading Michael Pollan's follow-up, In Defense of Food.

After the first book, he openly admits in the introduction that one could have been left rather depressed and confused about where to go with the food situation. Organic is good but how to trust it? Whole Foods is great but their owner is kooky and they are still a chain, so their demand and mercy is not always on the up-and-up. I still felt comfortable with where I was in my food decisions, but the book did indeed give me a little planted seeds of doubt.

Whatever small amounts of doubt remained were dashed by the time I finished In Defense. It just reaffirmed all the other information I have acquired. Pretty much kept me believing that shopping more at my farmer's market is the right direction for me to go; that I should continue to figure out how to grow as much stuff as I can in my backyard garden; that I will continue to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, just as long as I avoid things that come in a packaged container. It's nothing shocking, I know; but when you reinforce those notions enough and reinforce good behaviors, soon enough it becomes the norm and you don't even think about going to the crappy Safeways and Giants of the world.

But besides that, the real key is just making sure I eat better and have a greater understanding of why eating these plants and unpackaged foods is the the way to go. Because I want to be around this mortal coil for awhile; and thankfully other people seem to want me to stick around as well. So eat well. Not too much. Mostly plants.