FOOD NEWS: Michael Pollan: In Defense Of Food
February 6th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Michael Pollan’s new book, In Defense of Food, provides the backdrop for his talk at the Bagdad Theater in Portland, Oregon, and this prior interview with Deborah Kane of the environmental nonprofit organization, Ecotrust. Remarkably, Mr. Pollan is talking about a defense of food in a literal sense: it’s increasingly difficult to escape from eating foods that are food-like substances (processed foods), but are not whole (real) foods. We have come to look upon “nutritionism” as a valid means of determining (healthy) value in our diet; food has been reduced to its composition of good and bad nutrients, but are we really eating healthier? In part one, we see how simple changes in food labeling requirements can influence consumer behavior, and how food manufacturer’s apply overwhelming pressure to effect laws that ultimately protect their own interests.
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Duration : 0:9:56
Posted in food | 
Tags: announcements, bittman, cooking, cooking up a story, environment, federal, food, Government, grassroots, green, kirschenmann, local, michael, nonprofit, outreach, politics, pollan, public, regional, service, stories, sustainable, yt:quality=high
Margarine has since …
Margarine has since improved, and it of course still has the benefit of not containing cholestorol. Ultimately though my judgment on the matter is that a person should not be consuming very much of either butter or margarine, but if you have to margarine is probably better.
As to butter v. …
As to butter v. margarine, the point is not whether or not a person can live to a old age and still be healthy consuming one over the other, but rather whether or not people consuming one over the other tend to be healthier as a whole. This remains to be seen as margarine has for most of its existence been of a different nature than what is the norm today. It was hydrogenated which added trans fat which has been shown to be in fact worse than saturated fat.
The problem with …
The problem with this approach is that all the species plant and animal that have been domesticated have been significantly altered to better meet the wants of humans through artficial selection. Therefore while the chemicals found in a banana, a tomato, or the milk of a cow are the probably the same as those that were present in their non-domesticated ancestors the proportions are quite likely different.
I would not argue …
I would not argue that all chemicals be allowed into the body. My issue is that people will point at a food additive and say that it is bad simply on the basis of being a chemical rather than stating the pertinent deleterious health effects. I also thing there are many things (margarine among them) that get a bad rap simply because they are relatively speaking new (compared to something like wheat or rice).
@ArthurDentopolis: …
@ArthurDentopolis: While this is true, there are some (many) chemicals that do NOT belong in the human body. They might be toxic, or simply not able to be processed by our digestive systems. The argument here is for eating actual food, not processed chemicals disguised as food. I’m 65, have eaten ONLY butter rather than margarine my entire adult life, and my cholesterol counts, etc. are extremely good for my age. I do believe in eating ‘whole’ foods always.
@2hotinaz
Eating …
@2hotinaz
Eating foods versus eating chemicals is a false dichotomy. The fact of the matter is that foods “organic” or not are chemical in composition. That is to say that things like glucose, starch, and fat are all chemicals in addition to things which most critics of processed foods call chemicals.
my husband is a …
my husband is a huge fan of this man. He wants us to start to follow his books. Are you finding with your condition (I looked at your profile) that eating the chemically manufactured food makes you feel worse? And did you see Dr Oz two days ago and Oprah yesterday with Michel Pollan?
And I to love youtube
This guy is AMAZING …
This guy is AMAZING!!! lol.. im serious
Make yourself aware …
Make yourself aware of these industry sponsored advocates on YouTube who are lying about the safety of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Robyn Flipse – watch?v=D1pGsaaDrrI
Neva Cochran – watch?v=BHaV_B4ZRgY
Brooke Douglas – watch?v=etE3BKWklzg
Stephanie Green – watch?v=YNgCH3__8pE
Chere Bork – watch?v=Mhh32gLkVXM
Kristine Clark – watch?v=vplp1ofzqBc
James M. Rippe – watch?v=QimveYJcJWo
Pesticides , …
Pesticides , flouride in water , and antibiotic saturated meats are killing us all slowly . The butter that our granparents ate is different than our butter made from Growth Hormone injected grain fed cattle . It was much healthier 50 years ago . Margarine is more similar to tuperware than food .
See Locavore …
See Locavore Commercial Take on You Tube; it’s the real deal!
It may be a problem …
It may be a problem, that people promote acai and goji as some miracle food, but come on. It’s hardly some oppressive industry that’s got society in a choke hold, killing us slowly. You got to pick your battles, so having the book try and cover every issue that can possibly exist in the food industry is just silly. I think he did a fantastic job with In Defense Of Food. You want a book about the overpriced super-foods, then buy that book (u can write it), don’t complain about this one though.
This was addressed …
This was addressed to russttu, who is promoting margarines.
So, you prefer …
So, you prefer eating chemicals rather than real foods? That’s the mindset that is causing so many problems in our food system.
BE totally sure …
BE totally sure that you buy COLD PRESSED organic coconut oil because the “expelier pressed” coconut oil has been destroyed of it’s enzimes and other good healing qualities because the process causes a destructive amount of HEAT in the making. You want to have z-best which costs about $10. for 16 ounces (and if you aren’t into frying y foods but use a spoon of it every day as you should it should last you 30 days (just a dumb guess)
Anyway, get healthy everyone!
Respect
I am a total freak …
I am a total freak for COCONUT OIL. I lived in the West Indies in the ’80’s and 90’s and the Rastas made it. We used it for everything, cleaning our skin as well as eating. It stays liquid at 78degrees so it never hardens in your arteries. BE
yes like VIRGIN …
yes like VIRGIN COCONUT OIL, just make sure it is unrefined and smells faintly like coconut. Absolutely delish and it is a good sat fat, great for frying and better than butter on toast. try it. Plus it helps the people in the tropical countries earn a living, and is vegan. WIN WIN WIN
Good video. We …
Good video. We should eat food, not edible chemistry sets. But don’t you think that the whole mess really begins in the early 1930’s with the Swift and Hunt insanity replacing lard with hydrogenated Crisco and Spry that they capitalized off the backs of promoting it to Jews who were open game because of their resistance to lard (from the pig). Anyway do your study regarding Crisco and Spry or whatever it is called today….. Eat less oil of any kind. Get your fat from eating a WHOLE food.
RECENT HFCS UPDATE: …
RECENT HFCS UPDATE:
Some US food producers have dropped the term High-Fructose Corn Syrup and replaced it with:
- Glucose-Fructose Syrup
- Glucose Syrup.
These are alternate terms for High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Make yourself aware of these new names when purchasing packaged foods.
you don’t know what …
you don’t know what you are talking about
Liked his book. I …
Liked his book. I wish he would have covered the other side though: The idiots who keep promoting ’super foods’ Like acai and goji at 30 bucks a bottle,,,,
The rats are …
The rats are jumping ship.
CHEMRISK – a research company hired by the Corn Refiners has recently taken down it’s YouTube page.
The removal was in response to negative public perception resulting from the high-fructose corn syrup ad campaign. Apparently it has become a liability to defend the sweetener.
See the last remaining ChemRisk video at CornRefinersAssoc on YouTube.
you need to read …
you need to read the book that started in defense of food, thats where his research is. Ominvores Delimma
All the research in …
All the research in the world is no good if you can’t tell the story so that people are willing to listen.
How much research …
How much research has Michael Pollan done to become an expert on this subject? He is a writer who makes his living selling stories.