Page 71 - Summer2008

All Thumbs Book Reviews

be “on average ten times higher in vitamins A the modern food world by ignoring nutritionism as part of the landscape.
and D than modern diets.” Pollan implies that You need to understand what it is and be able to know it when you see it
the discrepancy had to do with the stripping of or you will soon  nd yourself on the road to nowhere. This is what is so
nutrients from grains in modern processing, but valuable about Pollan’s work: It  lls in the map with all the new sideroads
in so doing ignores the essential point that these and subdivisions. But your journey to the land of optimal health and hap-
vitamins are only found in animal fats. However, piness will be impeded by an uncrossable desert if you ignore guidance
later on he does observe that organ meats with from earlier explorers who actually got there.
their high levels of fat-soluble vitamins were Price did. And he was unambiguous about the need for animal fats.
particularly prized. He notes as well the degree We cannot transform the relationship of humans to the soil, as Pollan
to which the health of pastoral populations was a advocates, without adding back the missing link, that most miraculous of

reection of the quality of the pasture on which food processors, the grazing animal—a creature who takes leaves from the
their animals grazed, and the resulting levels of soil, disassembles and recon gures them, producing foods that contain the
A and D in their butter. optimal balance of an unimaginable variety of nutrients, many of which
But it is only the connection between the science hasn’t even identi ed, all packaged in their own appetizing and
soil and the health of the eaters—the ecological satisfying nutrient delivery systems: meat, milk, and fat.
aspects of Price’s work—that Pollan focuses on This is a food system based on plants. And that is exactly what Pol-
when making his recommendations. He is con- lan says we need in order to redress the harm that has been done in the
tent to leave behind all of Price’s conclusions on shift from leaves to seeds. But he is in the land of wishful thinking if he
the value of animal fats, and take away only the believes we can do this by eating more plants, only a tiny bit of meat, and
partial truth that “the human animal is adapted ignoring animal fats. If we follow his directions we will  nd ourselves still
to, and apparently can thrive on, an extraordinary in the grips of nutritionism, but this time with the Nutritional Industrial
range of different diets, but the Western diet, Complex busily providing us with things like high omega-3 asparagus.
however you dene it, does not seem to be one We may not be fat, but you can bet we will be very hungry.

of them.” We should be grateful that, even though he misses the major import
He did not see that animal fats are the key of Dr. Price’s work, he does introduce it to a wider audience; and he does
to reversing the damage done by industrializing show that the lipid hypothesis was a  im- am.
our food supply—and indeed, many of the worst We should also be grateful that his next book will be about orchids.
aspects of nutritionism. Animal fats are what is Reviewed by Ellen Ussery. ©Copyright Ellen Ussery May 20, 2008
missing in Pollan’s attempt to restore us to our
proper relationship to food. In this endeavor POLLANISMS

he notes ve different changes that have taken As a challenge to Pollan’s 2-3-2 word sequence “Eat food. Not
place since we have industrialized our food sup- too much. Mostly plants.” a New York Times blog asked participants to
ply. We have gone from whole foods to rened, come up with their own “Pollanisms.” Among the ingenious entries:

from complexity to simplicity, from quality to
quantity, from leaves to seeds, and from food Eat pie. Very good pie. Not often.
culture to food science. Spend time. On useful things. Not this.
In explaining these transformations Pollan Read Pollan. Take his advice. With salt.

nds that he must borrow from nutritionism’s re- Make promises. Don’t break them. Find loopholes.
ductive vocabulary to delve into the implications Seek wisdom. Think for yourself. Avoid maxims.
of a change that he feels is the most egregious of The winner manages to challenge Pollan’s original edicts and elicit
all—that from leaves to seeds. He almost apolo- a laugh: Ate plants. A big heap. Still hungry.
gizes for doing so. But he needn’t. The fact is, you And this one from your editor: Eat plants. Always with butter. Or
can’t unopen Pandora’s box. You can’t navigate cream.

SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 69