In Defense of Food Audiobook By Michael Pollan cover art

In Defense of Food

An Eater's Manifesto

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In Defense of Food

By: Michael Pollan
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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About this listen

#1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of This is Your Mind on Plants, How to Change Your Mind, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Food Rules

Food. There's plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it?

Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion—most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. With 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.

©2008 Michael Pollan (P)2008 Penguin Audiobooks
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Editorial reviews

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." These are the first words of Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. Scott Brick narrates these opening sentences with slowly paced emphasis and a nicely modulated deftness, with a hint of coyness. The coyness is Pollan's. For what else can one eat but food? And why does eating need a manifesto? Pollan answers that we increasing do not eat food (whole food) but rather consume processed "food products". We are in "The Age of Nutritionism". Pollan's In Defense of Food is a richly developed polemic against the unhealthful food culture that the ideology of nurtitionism represents. The book is as well a de facto manual for growing and eating our way out of it.

Brick is a compelling spokesman for Pollan's argument. He brings to In Defense of Food a voice in the baritone-to-tenor range, with an always on-the-mark sonic focus matched with a point of expressive emphasis that constantly shifts, as Brick makes his flawless and fluent runs up and down and within his octave ranges. Brick's doing all of this can only be achieved by natural talent, disciplined training, and smart reading - joined by a mastery of a quite large array of narrative and expressive skills.

It is very likely that somewhere in some academic haven there are specific concepts and a precise language that could quantify and describe what goes on with Brick's narrative voice. In the end, though, it all comes down to art. Using, with apologies, an extended metaphor, that of jazz: Brick picks up his axe (saxophone), fingering the notes and changing the octaves with the keys; with his fine set of chops (lips) applies the pressure onto the sax's mouth piece and reed, and, modulating the breath and applying nuances of feeling and expression, blows - that is, in jazz-speak - plays. The well-argued and passionate polemic that is In Defense of Food is, in this audio production, a show piece showcasing Scott Brick's narrative range and dexterity. (David Chasey)

Critic reviews

"Michael Pollan [is the] designated repository for the nation's food conscience."—Frank Bruni, The New York Times

"In this slim, remarkable volume, Pollan builds a convincing case not only against that steak dinner but against the entire Western diet."The Washington Post

"A tough, witty, cogent rebuttal to the proposition that food can be reduced to its nutritional components without the loss of something essential . . . [a] lively, invaluable book."—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Featured Article: The 20 Best Fitness Audiobooks for Becoming Your Healthiest Self


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What listeners say about In Defense of Food

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Prepare to change your habits

The best books affect you, make you think and sometimes they even make you change your day to day habits. This is one of those books, a short read of ground shifting potential. And like all great books I’ve read, it starts with a simple premise and a simple question: Western culture is, by and large, health obsessed and has been for a while. We count calories, we examine fat content, we examine with finite prevision the nutritional makeup of our foods. So why, in a culture of nutritional obsession are we getting sicker and sicker every year?

What the author poses as an answer is, to use his words, that we have removed culture from our eating habits (culture being a word that means your mother). So he examines the food industry for all its faults and suggests an alternative: eat food, not too much, mostly plants. It’s strange that someone would need to spend a whole book defending food but most of what we eat is not, strictly speaking, food. You should read this book, it has made an impact in my life. So go on, get cooking.

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A manifesto for the foodie

If you had to choose between celery and hot dogs for the rest of your life, which would be the "healthy" choice? The answer may surprise you...
Pollan sets out to establish a guideline for what people should eat, and he's quite successful. This isn't and anti-dieting book, but it's not a guide to "nutrition" either; instead, the book sets out cases and examples that willl make you think twice about the assumptions you have about food (and "food products"), and hopefully will help you figure out how to eat more food and less garbage.

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Eye Opening book!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this is a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone that wants to know about food and all the "diets" that have contributed to our health today.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Eat Real Food!

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Interesting book

The content of the book is very interesting! But some of the fact does not sound scientifically correct, read it with skepticism.

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Delicious

Although most of this material was not new to me, I thought that Pollan did an excellent job of covering the major issues in the food industry and offering practical advice for people wanting to take control of their food. I recommend this to anyone who's starting to wonder about the western diet health epidemic. Don't expect a president to regulate the very industries that support him. The system is broken, and it's up to us to take back our health. Pollan's humour & writing skills as a journalist were put to good use here.

The narrator was perfect.

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Good Read

I always enjoy Michael Pollan's books. Scott Brick is a good narrator. In Defense of Food focuses more on the health benefits of a whole food diet rather than the ecological benefits. Although I learned a lot from this book I still prefer The Omnivore's Dilemma and Cooked in terms of writing style. Pollan is an excellent storyteller and that doesn't come out as much is this book.

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Great book

But the narrator with the chip on his shoulder isn’t my favorite. Content good, delivery was annoying.

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Best food book ever

I relistened to this book and was convinced that it is the number one book I recommend for people wanting know about what to eat for health. I love that he breaks it into such simple actionable rules to follow. It’s very understandable. I feel re inspired! Thanks

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Take your life back into your hands

Much is gained from this book on the knowledge of the food industry mostly over the last 60 years. Many common beliefs that most share are expanded upon, like why whole grain wheat wheat is better than white flour. I was concerned that this book would not pack a punch only being 6 hrs long, but I was pleasantly mistaken.

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awesome

I wish I had the hard copy to take notes and look at study references. This book is just what I need to help me figure out how to eat!

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