In Defense of Food
by Michael Pollan
★ Top 25 book of 2008 · #13 on Best Books of 2008
Michael Pollan tackles what to eat, what to avoid, and how to think about health. His core advice is compact: eat food, not too much of it, and mostly plants.
Best for: Readers wanting simple guidance on what to eat and how to think about health
In Defense of Food is #13 on BookWard's Best Books of 2008, out of 46 2008 books that cleared our data bar.
What In Defense of Food is about
Michael Pollan wrote this book because readers of The Omnivore's Dilemma kept asking him what they should actually eat. His answer: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The rest of the book explains why that advice is harder to follow than it sounds.
Pollan argues that nutritionism, the habit of judging food by its individual nutrients, has overcomplicated and damaged American eating. He separates real food from what he calls edible foodlike substances, and says much of the Western diet is made up of imitations of food. His alternative is to eat what your ancestors would recognize, spend more time and money on food, and buy locally. Conversational and skeptical, it will help anyone confused by shifting diet advice and looking for a simpler way to think about what goes on the plate.
In Defense of Food on the Best Books of 2008
In Defense of Food came out in 2008. Of the 46 books first published in 2008 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #13 on our Best Books of 2008 list.
Why it made the list: 385 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2008 list
- Just After Sunset Stephen King, #11
- What Every BODY Is Saying Joe Navarro, #12
- Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely, #14
- The Knife of Never Letting Go Patrick Ness, #15
See all Best Books of 2008 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2007 Best Books of 2009.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 323 want to read it, 15 are reading it now and 47 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4 out of 5 from 37 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 70 | 55% |
| Reader love | 48 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 65 | 20% |
Questions about In Defense of Food
When was In Defense of Food published?
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan was first published in 2008.
Was In Defense of Food one of the best books of 2008?
In Defense of Food is #13 on BookWard's Best Books of 2008, out of 46 2008 books that cleared our data bar. 385 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings).
Why is In Defense of Food on the Best Books of 2008 list?
385 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4 out of 5 (37 ratings).
More of the best books of 2008
- The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, #1
- End of Days Sylvia Browne, #2
- The Last Straw Jeff Kinney, #3
- Amulet Kazu Kibuishi, #4
- Outliers Malcolm Gladwell, #5
- Michelle Obama in Her Own Words Michelle Obama, #6
See the full Best Books of 2008, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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