Photo courtesy of Michael Pollan
When his 2006 book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, made him a household name, Michael Pollan quickly found his opinions on the subject of healthful eating to be highly sought.
It’s no surprise, then, that one of the organizations seeking his input is right here in New Albany.
Pollan will speak Jan. 29 as part of the Jefferson Series, organized by the New Albany Community Foundation.
The 59-year-old food journalist, author and activist has written seven books, including In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual and, most recently, 2013’s Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. In his work, he explores the way we eat, as well as the state of modern food production and the effects it has on our health. He criticizes aspects of factory farming, food additives, refined sugar and more.
Pollan took the time to answer some of our questions prior to his visit to New Albany.
Q: In 2009, Newsweek named you one of the top 10 “New Thought Leaders.” What do you think was the basis for the honor?
A: You should probably ask them, but I would guess the response to Food, Inc., released the year before, had elevated my public profile to the point where Newsweek realized there was a change in public opinion around food, which they connected to my work.
Q: You have degrees in English and are a professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. What motivated you to focus your writing on food?
A: Ever since I began writing for publication in the late 1980s, I’ve been interested in our engagement with the natural world – first in the garden, then in the built environment and the farm. This remains the focus of my interest, and if this is what inspires you, you will eventually gravitate toward food, since it is our eating that affects the natural world – and the nature of our own bodies – more than anything else we do. We might not think we’re engaging with nature on our plates, but we are. We’re changing the land, the relative population of different species, the atmosphere, the water, etc. It’s where the rubber meets the road.
Q: You travel throughout the country giving talks about food. How do you find restaurants that fulfill your dining requirements when on the road?
A: I’m amazed to find that in almost every city, even small ones, there is now a farm-to-table restaurant – or often, several. I often hear about them from my hosts, who by definition are interested in these issues, but sometimes I consult Chowhound.
Q: Among the most popular ethnic foods consumed are Chinese, Italian and Mexican. What’s one healthful entrée you would choose when dining at a restaurant serving each of the aforementioned foods? Why?
A: Rice and beans for the Mexican restaurant, or maybe fish tacos; sauteed greens for the Chinese restaurant, though often, there’s a lot of vegetable oils in these dishes; and for the Italian restaurant, a minestrone is a good bet, though I do love pasta.
Q: In our community, as well as in many others, boys and girls, especially those of middle school age, flock to their local Starbucks after school and order Frappuccino blended drinks. What words of wisdom would you recommend for parents to tell their children – words that might discourage them from buying these calorie-packed drinks?
A: A Frappuccino is a meal’s worth of calories and, to my mind, not worth it. Is it any better than a soda? I doubt it. I would much prefer a cup of coffee or tea and an actual piece of food. Go for the croissant, which has fewer calories by far.
Q: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that when children reach age 2, they be switched from whole milk to 1 percent milk. Yet there is research indicating there are benefits to drinking whole milk. What is your position on this question? Would you give your child whole milk?
A: I drink whole milk. First, fat is filling, so you won’t drink as much of it, and second, when you remove the fat, what are you left with? Lots more sugar, which is what lactose is. So I think we kid ourselves with low-fat products. I would much rather eat a smaller portion of the full-fat real deal.
Q: When walking down the aisle of a grocery store, one is inundated with a plethora of cereal choices. Assuming steel cut oatmeal is probably one of the most nutritious choices, what would you recommend as the next best choice for an adult to consume before starting the day?
A: Any of the unsweetened, or very lightly sweetened, cereals with whole grain are pretty good if you don’t have time to make oatmeal.
