Published in 2006, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan stands at the forefront of a large-scale critique of food systems, the diet industry, and America’s relationship to food.
While this book won’t tell you exactly what to eat to be healthy, Michael Pollan’s research, experience, and perspective will definitely bring into question everything you think you know about food, including what you’re eating and where it came from.
The Premise of The Omnivore’s Dilemma
In writing The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan set out to find an answer to a seemingly simple question: “What should we eat for dinner?”
As it turns out, the answer to that question is not so simple. The answer requires not only looking at the health value of food, but examining the entire food chain and agricultural system from which our food comes.
Within the pages of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan documents his experience exploring the agricultural and factory farming industry, investigating the local and organic food market, and personally hunting, gathering, and preparing his own food.
The book reveals multiple issues with the way that Americans relate to their food and its production.
While Michael Pollan does not ever find a simple answer to his ultimately complex question, the book does present some ideas about how to take the author’s findings and integrate them into your own life.