16 Sep
Giveaway: In Defense of Food
That Husband and I have been eating localganic for several months now, and I must say that we are in love. Less meat, more vegetables, the knowledge that we’re eating in a way that’s better for our bodies, better for those producing our food, and better for the earth.
Turns out, I’m not the only one looking toward real food to make a change for the better! The excerpt below comes from Jessica of One Shiny Star. This is just an excerpt, I hope you’ll visit her blog to read the rest!
Growing up with a lot of emphasis put on foods, I have a very unhealthy relationship with it. Strange? Maybe. My Mama tells me there was a definite point in time, when my family moved to England, that I gained a lot of weight. I was also hitting puberty, but I gained more weight than what was considered normal. I was under a lot of stress, and experiencing a ton of anxiety. I had left my home country, I was a very out spoken American in a British school, I was getting bullied a lot (some of which I probably deserved) and I was building my relationship with food. I remember stopping by the little store next to my elementary school after dance class and buying a bag of salt and vinegar crisps and a lemonade soda. I still crave these things. Still. There was something about British soda that is unmatched in the US… less sure maybe? I don’t know, but my mouth longs for the taste that I have not had in 10 years. This was my relief. I looked forward to pulling out my 50 pence coin, the cool shaped one, and getting everything I wanted. Some times the lady let me pick a sweet too. It was heaven. At the same time, I was going through the dreaded pea-war. You know what I’m talking about. I sat at the dinner table for hours, refusing to eat my peas. Nasty little buggers.
So, what’s my point? I have developed these relationships with my foods. I viewed my crisps as a treat, something to make up for a bad day. I viewed my veggies as something of a punishment. A great start to a healthy life. lol. But seriously - I am very affected by these memories. It wasn’t until I got to college and started trying things on my own that I realized… hmm… veggies aren’t so bad.
Based on this post, Jessica decided to purchase a copy of In Defense of Food. If you haven’t already, get thyself a copy and read/listen to this book! That Husband listened to the audio version on our drive from Dallas to Chicago and he’s a convert as well. They even have a Polish translation we’re going to get his family to read!
I’ve already shared my thoughts on In Defense of Food, and here is Jessica’s take:
If you’re interested in some self reflection, about the way you eat, and the way you think about nutrition, this is the perfect book to get your started.
Jessica contacted me to find out if I would be interested in hosting a giveaway of In Defense, but I told her that I would rather link to her blog and have her host it (she is the one giving away the copy after all, she deserves to get the traffic). I hope you’ll head over to visit One Shiny Star, read the rest of her post, and enter to win a copy of your own.
If you’ve read In Defense of Food (or any of the other real/whole food books I linked to) after reading my post, I would love to hear what you thought!
P.S.-I’m announcing the books we will be reading for October, November, and December later this afternoon. Check back in to see what they’ll be (and I’ve also decided to alter the format of the book club a bit, I think you’re really going to like the change!)
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
My husband and I also eat local and organic food. It’s so nice to support the farmers that live around us, we’ve become regulars at a country store that sells only local goods (most of which they produce on site), and we take pride in what we feed ourselves.
I read this book two years ago in undergrad and enjoyed it as much as any college kid could but now that I’m out of school with my own child and striving for a better life, I appreciate the book more.
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1I read this book after you posted about it and it is amazing! My husband is reading it now, has been so for the last 5 weeks. He’s procastinating because he fears he’ll only get food he doesn’t know and doesn’t like and that he’ll never be able to go to a fastfood restaurant ever again. In the meantime I’ve already made some changes to our diet and he doesn’t even notice
I don’t live in the US though and we don’t have any farmer markets in our area. So while I will be buying more and more organic foods, local foods will be a problem. Anyway, thank you so much for introducing this book to us! It really changed the way I look at food and eating.
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2This book was the start of my descent into food madness. LOL! We are even looking at a $60 organic, local turkey for Thanksgiving. I’ve switched to organic, local raw milk and hardly ever go to the grocery store anymore. I love knowing my CSA farmers and all of the great people at the farmers’ market from whom we purchase pork, beef, fruits, veggies, bread… I’ve become an evangelist! Love this book!
I’m super-anxious to see the book selection. Can’t wait!
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3I read all Pollan’s books a couple years ago (when I lived in Chicago, actually) and admittedly should read them again. I love the ideas but struggle with the execution sometimes. I would love to see a post about what you do over the winter when local is not an option in Chicago (except for some root vegetables I guess) - factoring in the small budget you mentioned too - how do you stick to mostly plants? I know part of it is just a mindset - I am going to spend more on food - but when our grocery budget is running low it’s hard for me to spend the money on organic when I know it may still have been flown in from who knows where. I’m just rambling, bottom line would love to see some insight and ideas from people who are thoughtful about it and living it especially over the next wintry months.
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Andrea Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 10:48 am
Our CSA offers winter shares of winter crops and canned goods from earlier in the year. I imagine if you could find a CSA in the Chicago-area. Go to localharvest.org and you can search for CSAs. I found one delivering to the “northwest suburbs of Chicago”.
We do eat lentils and beans that are not local but I try to buy organic where I can. We do eat local meats all year.
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I’ve read it! I went on to read Food Rules by Nina Plank. I left it at a friends house when I went to visit and now her and her entire family have read it. I’m about to mail them In Defense of Food so they can check that one out as well!
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5My first “food” book was Real Food based on your suggestion. Now I think we’re the only two bloggers who drink whole milk. Hahaha… seriously.
It was music to my ears though and fit perfectly with things I had always “known.”
Next I tried reading Omnivore’s Dilemma but it was a little thick for me to finish in the 2 week library checkout. Third, I picked up Defense and found it a much quicker read and very sensible.
Now I’m warily digesting Eating Animals, no pun intended. I already have reduced my consumption of conventional meat by a lot, but I fear becoming grossed out by it as well… which would go against many other things I find more important than “ethical eating.”
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Jenna Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I think that I got through Eating Animals without feeling like I need to give up meat for two reasons:
1. I raised pigs. I got in their cage with them at fair and rested on their bellies and scratched behind their ears. The winning pigs would get rounded up and sent off to the butcher (industrial style). That makes me sad. What doesn’t make me sad is to think about the pigs that we sold to our workers, who then held a party and slaughtered it themselves. I inherently believe that animals are here as a supplement to our diet.
2. I think I do more good by supporting the producers who strive to provide ethical meat than I would by giving it up entirely. If I, one person, give it up, and if the others like me choose to do so as well, only the industrial model survives because the small scale producers end up selling out to them. If you, like me, believe that animals are for eating, than I think we have to keep the good portion of the system afloat!
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Sarah for Real Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Yes I totally agree with you. Maybe I should have been more clear, I’m worried that reading too much about conventional meat production will make me too grossed out to eat it under any circumstance. I will always believe that animals were put here for us to eat, and support those who treat them with respect.
However, I don’t ever want to be invited into someone’s home who has prepared a lovely meal for me and feel disgusted because it’s made with conventional meat. If you don’t think Eating Animals would do that to a person, I’ll continue reading
I think you said you read my “Why I’m NOT a Vegetarian” thing, and that probably explains it better. People first, animals second.
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Jenna Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I’ve decided that not offending my host is more important to me than abstaining from conventional meal entirely.
So far I:
-Don’t ever buy conventional meat if I am the one footing the bill and have control over my meal. I eat vegetarian in restaurants, and if we have meat (which we rarely do now) at home it’s purchased locally from the farmer’s market.
-Will eat whatever is served if we are invited over to dinner. Case in point, our first Sunday in Chicago we were invited over for pizza by a sweet family in our ward. I ate what they served and was fine.
-I will also eat conventional meat if I’m at an event where the food was paid for in advance. The wedding I shot in Maine had shrimp, pork sliders, hamburgers, all of which I ate. It goes back to my “it’s already dead so I can either enjoy it or let the death be a waste” rules. We’re going out dancing at Navy Pier for a Booth event tonight and they’re going to have heavy apps, a lot of which I assume will have meat. I’ll be eating whatever I please because I know that catered events prepare their food ahead of time, so the damage is already done.
I think I’ve kind of said all of this before, but maybe hearing how I do it will help you figure out how you want to? Pollan taught me the term “flexitarian” which I love, and is how I will label myself from now on.
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Sarah for Real Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
I don’t think you’ve said it quite that succinctly so thanks
It does help. I suppose my choices are very similar except that my husband is still a conventional eater, which is fine with me. He has noticed my vegetarian choices when we dine out and has helped me find some new good ones too, so I think he’ll slowly come around. His choices are mostly stomach driven and he loves the taste of good local meat so we’ll keep doing that!
Someone recently asked me if I’m vegetarian and it took me so off guard! NO way! Wait… I just asked about a vegetarian dish they offered…
I don’t like having to label myself all of a sudden. I’m just… me
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This was a fantastic book! Everyone who eats should read it!
Also, can’t wait for the book club announcement! I have one of the books already on it’s way to the library to pick up. Looking forward to getting the other two on my waiting list!
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7I would love, love, love a copy of this! I have been making various changes in mt own life slowly but surely, but would love to learn more through Michael Pollan.
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Jenna Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Terri,
Visit Jessica’s blog to enter!
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I read “In Defense of Food” about two years ago and really, really liked it. I’ve enjoyed all of Pollan’s articles and books.
I have to say though that I also read “Real Food” a while back and was turned off by Planck’s stance on vegetarianism and veganism. I have watched interviews of her story- how she was unhealthy on a low-fat vegan diet- and I feel she is extrapolating her one, single, personal experience and painting with a very broad- and at times insulting- brush. Personally, I can fully admit that different people thrive on different diets- I’ve never felt better, more energetic, and had less acne/menstrual pain since going vegetarian/vegan. But Planck doesn’t seem to take that tack. In one article she called vegan pregnant women “irresponsible” and said that raising vegan toddlers/babies is “dangerous”- both of these statements are pretty inflammatory to me, because while I agree it is harder to plan a healthy vegan diet, being vegetarian is pretty much a cakewalk- it’s pretty easy to get all your nutrients and protein if you’re still eating eggs and dairy.
Bottom line, while both books were interesting I much prefer Pollan’s tone and tactics over Planck’s. I would never tell someone “because I felt like trash and had acne and terrible menstrual problems when I was eating meat and animal products then that means such a diet is irresponsible and dangerous” you know? She kind of tones it down in her book “Real Food”, but in subsequent articles and in videos she’s pretty vehement. I know she’s just really passionate about her beliefs, but I just happen to disagree with her hardline stance. It’s the same reason I dislike PETA- they are hardline, “being a vegetarian/vegan is the only way to go and eating meat will kill you”. I dislike those kinds of black and white stances.
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Jenna Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
TH doesn’t like Nina. It’s the reason why he thought the Real Food/Whole Food movement was bunk for almost a year. Then I introduced him to Pollan and he realized that not everyone is as… crazy.. as she is. I still like her though, but I do agree with you, you can be vegan and not be nutrient deficient.
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Sophia Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
I appreciate her passion, but yes, it definitely is a bit off putting.
As a sidenote it’s awesome that TH liked Pollan and you guys are on the same page with your eating philosophies now!
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Michael Pollan has a B.A. and and M.A. in journalism. He has no formal education in science. I don’t know how I feel about him. I want to read some of the book though to see what he says.
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Sophia Reply:
September 16th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
You’re right, lots of the people writing about nutrition- Pollan and also Planck- are not trained in it. If you want someone with more specific nutritional training, you should check out Marion Nestle if you haven’t heard of her already. She has written several books, and I’ve read one of hers- “What to Eat”- and it was very readable and entertaining.
Here is her website-
http://www.foodpolitics.com/
Of course, the “experts” also disagree wildly- you have many doctors supporting the paleo diet, and then you have Dr. McDougall and Dr. Esselstyn supporting a strict vegan diet. In the end you still have to sift through a *ton* of conflicting info, and it gets pretty confusing whether doctors or journalists or food activists are writing about it!
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Kristin ~ Bien Living Design Reply:
September 17th, 2010 at 11:29 am
He addresses this in the very first part of the book, which is nice. He doesn’t claim to be a nutritionist
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Shaylene Reply:
September 17th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
That makes me feel better about him- the fact that he states that up front.
I am sorry I seem stingy, I am majoring in Dietetics, so I am very skeptical of a lot of stuff out there.
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I downloaded this on my Kindle last night. I think it will be better for me than his other book because I don’t like to read about the treatment of animals, it makes me WAY TOO SAD & I already know what goes on. SO, I think this is a great choice for me. Ted will be reading it next, as I need to get him on this bandwagon.
First impressions is that he is a bit, no a lot, wordy…so I am trying to get used to his writing style. Part of me wants to yell “alright already, just come out and say it!”
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