CRITIQUE OF MICHAEL POLLAN'S IN DEFENSE OF FOOD DIET BOOK

3027 WORDS

It has long since been recognized that the Western diet has caused a dramatic increase in obesity rates in the United States. With processed and fast foods becoming the standard in this country, Michael Pollan argues in his documentary, In Defense of Food, that getting to the bottom of eating in a more healthful way is actually more simple than people realize. His guidelines for eating comes in three parts: eat food, not too much, mostly plants. Pollan goes in depth in each part of his claim and provides examples from society as to how each part of his claim has helped people to lower their risk of non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity. This in depth explanation of each claim largely mirrors the United States Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Pollan also defines what he considers to be food, and what he calls “food-like products”. In this literature review, the validity of Pollan’s three-part claim will be investigated using scientific evidence. In doing so, this review will support Pollan’s claim that eating by his guidelines will help to lower these risk of non-communicable diseases