New Releases by Michael Pollan

The Instant New York Times Bestseller "Pollan’s real genius—the word is not too strong—remains intact. That is his uncanny ability to scent the direction in which the culture is headed. He did it with food and psychedelics, and now, though A World Appears focuses on AI only intermittently, he has done it again." —Charles Finch, The Atlantic From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Your Mind, a panoptic exploration of consciousness—what it is, who has it, and why—and a meditation on the essence of our humanity When it comes to the phenomenon that is consciousness, there is one point on which scientists, philosophers, and artists all agree: it feels like something to be us. Yet the fact that we have subjective experience of the world remains one of nature’s greatest mysteries. How is it that our mental operations are accompanied by feelings, thoughts, and a sense of self? What would a scientific investigation of our inner life look like, when we have as little distance and perspective on it as fish do of the sea? In A World Appears, Michael Pollan traces the unmapped continent that is consciousness, bringing radically different perspectives—scientific, philosophical, literary, spiritual and psychedelic—to see what each can teach us about this central fact of life. When neuroscientists began studying consciousness in the early 1990s, they sought to explain how and why three pounds of spongy gray matter could generate a subjective point of view—assuming that the brain is the source of our perceived reality. Pollan takes us to the cutting edge of the field, where scientists are entertaining more radical (and less materialist) theories of consciousness. He introduces us to “plant neurobiologists” searching for the first flicker of consciousness in plants, scientists striving to engineer feelings into AI, and psychologists and novelists seeking to capture the felt experience of our slippery stream of consciousness. In Pollan’s dazzling exploration of consciousness, he discovers a world far deeper and stranger than our everyday reality. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, A World Appears takes us into the laboratories of our own minds, ultimately showing us how we might make better use of the gift of awareness to more meaningfully connect with the world and our deepest selves.

By the bestselling author of The Omnivore''s Dilemma, this is Michael Pollan''s ingenious companion book about the surprising and close relationship between people and plants. In this entertaining young readers edition of the environmental studies classic, Michael Pollan demonstrates how people and domesticated plants have formed a reciprocal relationship. He links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, energy, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, coffee, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also helped them to thrive. The Botany of Desire is perfect for STEM-focused young readers who want to learn more about: human history, biology, and environmentalism climate change and its impact on our relationship with plants gardening and the human-plant relationship

Un libro provocador que cambiará la percepción que tenemos de las drogas, las plantas psicoactivas y todo los tabúes que las rodean. «Maravilloso. Derrumba las diferencias entre legal e ilegal, médico y recreativo, exótico y cotidiano, apelando al principio que une a todo ello: las afinidades entre la bioquímica vegetal y la mente humana». The New York Review of Books Usamos las plantas a diario para alterar nuestra conciencia. Nos relajamos con lavanda o valeriana y nos activamos con cafeína, sin jamás pensar en ello como una adicción. Entonces ¿por qué otras sustancias de origen vegetal, como la psilocibina o la mescalina, son ilegales? ¿Según qué el criterio se ensalzan los beneficios del café y en cambio plantar amapolas es delito en algunos lugares? Michael Pollan investiga tres drogas de origen vegetal, el opio, la cafeína y la mescalina, para mostrar la arbitrariedad de nuestro juicio respecto a estas sustancias, profundamente condicionado por el estigma social. El autor revisa el papel de las plantas psicoactivas en distintas épocas y culturas, a la vez que experimenta con sus efectos. El objetivo es comprender por qué el ser humano hace todo lo posible para alterar su conciencia y, al tiempo, limita este deseo universal con leyes y condena social. Esta obra, combinación de historia, divulgación científica, memorias e incluso periodismo gonzo, ofrece una mirada desprejuiciada y atenta a las distintas variables que han determinado la condena o la legalización. Y da cuenta de la genuina curiosidad del ser humano a la hora de relacionarse con la naturaleza y alcanzar niveles distintos de percepción de nuestro entorno. La crítica ha dicho: «Un estudio concienzudo. A medida que las políticas antidrogas se vuelvan menos punitivas, deberíamos reflexionar en mayor profundidad sobre las sustancias de las que hemos llegado a depender». The New Yorker «Una lectura maravillosa y cautivadora que te dejará pensando mucho después de acabarla. Leerlo es como tomar un psicodélico». The Washington Post «Una narración soberbia. Plantea magistralmente una serie de grandes preguntas sobre drogas, plantas y personas que cambiarán nuestra manera de pensar». The New York Times Book Review «Fascinante. Con profundidad histórica, impacto político y exuberancia narrativa, es un llamamiento a repensar la relación de la sociedad con las plantas psicoactivas». The Boston Globe «La curiosidad insaciable de Pollan sus temas es un don que le ha valido un best seller tras otro. Una combinación fascinante de historia, crónica contemporánea y potente autorreflexión con las plantas como hilo conductor». San Francisco Chronicle «Pollan es un maestro en desarmar la ciencia más compleja para crear una historia atractiva y desafiar las creencias sociales más arraigadas. Aquí descifra nuestras ideas sobre lo que son las drogas y por qué las buscamos». Time

Drei psychoaktive Pflanzen – Kaffee, Schlafmohn und Peyote-Kaktus –, die uns beleben, beruhigen oder unser Bewusstsein verändern, erkundet Michael Pollan in diesem spannenden Buch: ihre Kultur, ihre Wirkung und die Tabus, mit denen sie behaftet sind. Von allem, was Pflanzen den Menschen zur Verfügung stellen – Nahrung, Medizin, Duft, Geschmack, Schönheit –, ist sicher das Kurioseste, dass wir sie nutzen, um unser Bewusstsein zu verändern: es anzuregen, zu beruhigen oder den Zustand unserer mentalen Erfahrung komplett zu verändern. Pollan erkundet drei sehr verschiedene psychoaktive Pflanzen – Kaffee/Koffein, Schlafmohn/Opium und den Peyote-Kaktus/Meskalin – und macht dabei klar, wie überaus seltsam ihre jeweilige Wirkung wahrgenommen, eingeschätzt und beurteilt wird. Die besondere Kultur, die sich um jede dieser Pflanzen gebildet hat, erforscht er unter anderem, indem er sie konsumiert (oder, im Fall von Kaffee, versucht, nicht zu konsumieren). Er erzählt von der enormen Anziehungskraft, die psychoaktive Pflanzen in allen Kulturen auf Menschen hatten und haben, und von den mächtigen Tabus, die mit ihnen verbunden sind. Grandios verbindet Pollan Geschichte, Naturwissenschaft, Memoir und Reportage und stellt den Diskurs über Drogen damit in ein völlig neues Licht. Über diese Pflanzen gibt es sehr viel mehr zu sagen, als nur ihre Regulierung zu debattieren. Denn wenn wir sie in unseren Körper aufnehmen und sie unser Bewusstsein verändern lassen, sind wir zutiefst mit der Natur verbunden.

The instant New York Times bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book | One of NPR''s Best Books of the Year “Expert storytelling . . . [Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways.” —New York Times Book Review From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan, a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants—and the equally powerful taboos. Of all the things humans rely on plants for—sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber—surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. So, then, what is a “drug”? And why, for example, is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable, but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime? In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs—opium, caffeine, and mescaline—and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings? In this unique blend of history, science, and memoir, as well as participatory journalism, Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts, and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively—as a drug, whether licit or illicit. But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants, Pollan shows, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago, this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants, and our attraction to them through time, holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world.

Nella consistente letteratura generata dalla sua scoperta a oggi, l'LSD è sempre stato presentato come una via d'accesso privilegiata - e niente affatto spiacevole - a dimensioni della coscienza che generalmente ci sono precluse. Negli ultimi anni, tuttavia, la ricerca scientifica più avanzata lavora su virtù molto diverse degli «acidi», a cominciare dalla loro efficacia contro patologie infide quali le dipendenze, l'emicrania, le fasi acute della depressione. È una materia densa e al tempo stesso scivolosa, nella quale solo Michael poteva addentrarsi, affidandosi alla leggerezza, alla precisione e all'ironia della sua scrittura. Ne è venuto fuori questo personalissimo incrocio fra un diario di viaggio e la cronaca di un lungo esperimento, dove Pollan incontra una serie di uomini e donne straordinari - guru veri o presunti, scienziati serissimi, medici di frontiera -, e poi decide di provare in prima persona che cosa intendessero i profeti del lisergico per «toccare dio». Scoprendo la luce strana, violenta e terribilmente fascinosa che la sostanza più stupefacente di tutte sembra gettare sul mistero definitivo, quello che tuttora resiste nelle nostre, spesso affannose, ricerche: la mente.

“Pollan keeps you turning the pages . . . cleareyed and assured.” —New York Times A #1 New York Times Bestseller • New York Times Book Review • 10 Best Books of 2018 New York Times Notable Book • Author of the highly anticipated forthcoming book, A World Appears A brilliant and brave investigation into the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research. A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan''s "mental travelogue" is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

EET NOOIT IETS WAT JE OVERGROOTMOEDER NIET ALS VOEDSEL ZOU HERKENNEN! Vroeger wisten mensen hoe ze moesten eten, maar de dieetregels die van generatie op generatie zijn doorgegeven, zijn verwrongen en vervormd door de marketeers van de voedingsmiddelenindustrie, door zogenaamde voedingsdeskundigen en door de media. Het gevolg is dat we dolen door een landschap van voedselachtige substanties die om het hardst gillen dat ze goed voor ons zijn. Echt eten verdwijnt uit beeld om te worden vervangen door `voedingsstoffen . En deze producten zijn juist slecht voor de gezondheid. We zouden minder eten moeten kopen en er meer voor moeten betalen. Daar worden we zelf beter van, maar ook het milieu, ons ecosysteem en onze samenleving. Door wereldwijd te kijken naar traditionele diëten kunnen we zelf een evenwichtig en gezond eetgedrag terugvinden. Een pleidooi voor echt eten wordt wereldwijd vertaald. In Amerika staat het boek sinds verschijning op nummer 1 van de bestsellerlijsten.

Ook zonder te weten wat een antioxidant is, heeft de mensheid de afgelopen duizenden jaren prima gegeten. Mensen zijn er over het algemeen ook zonder de hulp van voedingsdeskundigen in geslaagd om goed gezond te blijven. Dus welke van al die honderden regels die tegenwoordig zo in zwang zijn hebben we nu echt nodig? Eet echt eten. Niet te veel. Vooral planten. Acht woorden die het uitgangspunt vormen voor deze handzame, kleine gids. Of je je nu in de supermarkt bevindt of voor een zelfbedieningsbuffet staat, Echt eten van Michael Pollan kan je ter plekke helpen bewuster om te gaan met voeding en betere keuzes te maken. Gezond eten hoeft niet ingewikkeld te zijn!

Più ore passiamo a seguire in tv i presunti virtuosismi di aspiranti cuochi, meno sappiamo mettere in tavola qualcosa di decente. Michael Pollan, si sa, ama i paradossi, e nel tentativo di sciogliere quello alla base del suo nuovo libro è partito per un viaggio sulle piste dei quattro elementi con cui da tempo immemorabile cuciniamo (acqua, aria, ferro, fuoco), e a caccia dei piccoli ma affascinanti misteri che i cuochi veri rivelano a chi sa ascoltarli. Un'avventu­ra che lo ha portato molto lontano – nelle immense fornaci dove si prepara un barbecue leggendario in tutti gli Stati Uniti, ad esempio – e molto vicino, sui tavoli delle nostre cucine: che dopo aver letto questo libro non riusciremo più a guardare (né a usare) nello stesso modo.

Nos dias de hoje, diante de uma vida atribulada, as pessoas pensam cada vez mais em comida, embora dediquem cada vez menos tempo ao preparo de suas refeições. Preocupam-se com a quantidade de calorias ingeridas e com a qualidade dos ingredientes, mas reservam mais horas para assistir aos programas de culinária na TV do que efetivamente passam dentro da cozinha. E enchem a despensa com produtos industrializados supostamente “saudáveis”. Nesse cenário tão contraditório, o escritor Michael Pollan convida o leitor a redescobrir a experiência fascinante de transformar os alimentos. A partir dos quatro elementos da natureza — fogo, água, ar e terra —, ele nos mostra o calor ancestral do churrasco, o caldo perfumado dos assados de panela, a leveza dos pães integrais e a magia da fermentação de um chucrute. Ao relatar suas experiências pessoais com os processos de preparação da comida, Pollan mergulha numa história tão antiga quanto a da própria humanidade e propõe uma redescoberta de sabores e valores esquecidos. Cozinhar é, ao mesmo tempo, investigação científica e narrativa pessoal, guia pragmático sobre o preparo de alimentos e reflexão filosófica sobre a transformação da natureza. Partindo do trabalho de filósofos e antropólogos, Pollan ressalta que o ato de cozinhar é um dos fatores que definem a espécie humana. Ao aprender a usar o fogo para preparar alimentos, nossos ancestrais abriram caminho para o desenvolvimento da civilização. E ele alerta: precisamos reconquistar o território da cozinha. Com isso, reforçamos vínculos comunitários e familiares e, ao mesmo tempo, damos um passo importante para tornar nosso sistema alimentar mais saudável e sustentável. O autor foi um dos principais convidados na 12a edição da Flip, em 2014. Famoso ativista na área da alimentação, Michael Pollan foi apontado pela revista Time como uma das cem pessoas mais influentes do mundo em 2010. O livro inclui quatro receitas básicas, cada uma baseada numa das quatro transformações analisadas por Pollan no livro. “As oito palavras mais famosas do movimento pela boa alimentação são: ‘Coma comida. Não muito. Principalmente de origem vegetal.’ Elas foram escritas, claro, por Michael Pollan. Agora, ele acrescenta mais duas a seu lema: ‘Vá cozinhar.’” The New York Times “Pollan não é apenas um historiador e um profeta da comida; é também um cozinheiro de mão cheia.” Financial Times “Cozinhar é um livro de revelações para o animal humano faminto de hoje. Deixe-se transformar por ele.” The Telegraph “Um dia, este livro inovador vai entrar para a bibliografia básica de disciplinas universitárias como economia, história, filosofia, antropologia e diversos outros campos das ciências humanas e da saúde.” The Guardian “Michael Pollan é incomparável ao reunir incontáveis movimentos, filosofias e pesquisas sobre alimentação e tecer uma narrativa envolvente com uma mensagem esclarecedora.” The Washington Post

Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Omnivore''s Dilemma, Food Rules, How to Change Your Mind, and This is Your Mind on Plants explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen in Cooked. "Having described what''s wrong with American food in his best-selling The Omnivore''s Dilemma (2006), New York Times contributor Pollan delivers a more optimistic but equally fascinating account of how to do it right. . . . A delightful chronicle of the education of a cook who steps back frequently to extol the scientific and philosophical basis of this deeply satisfying human activity." —Kirkus (starred review) Cooked is now a Netflix docuseries based on the book that focuses on the four kinds of "transformations" that occur in cooking. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and starring Michael Pollan, Cooked teases out the links between science, culture and the flavors we love. In Cooked, Pollan discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements—fire, water, air, and earth—to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. Each section of Cooked tracks Pollan’s effort to master a single classic recipe using one of the four elements. A North Carolina barbecue pit master tutors him in the primal magic of fire; a Chez Panisse–trained cook schools him in the art of braising; a celebrated baker teaches him how air transforms grain and water into a fragrant loaf of bread; and finally, several mad-genius “fermentos” (a tribe that includes brewers, cheese makers, and all kinds of picklers) reveal how fungi and bacteria can perform the most amazing alchemies of all. The reader learns alongside Pollan, but the lessons move beyond the practical to become an investigation of how cooking involves us in a web of social and ecological relationships. Cooking, above all, connects us. The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume large quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends. In fact, Cooked argues, taking back control of cooking may be the single most important step anyone can take to help make the American food system healthier and more sustainable. Reclaiming cooking as an act of enjoyment and self-reliance, learning to perform the magic of these everyday transformations, opens the door to a more nourishing life.

Che cosa mangiamo e perché? Sono domande che ci poniamo ogni giorno, convinti che per rispondere basti sfogliare la rubrica di un giornale, o ascoltare per qualche minuto l’ultimo imbonitore nutrizionista ospitato in tv. Ma se quelle domande le si guarda un po’ più da vicino, come fa Michael Pollan in questo documentato e brillantissimo saggio, forse il primo sull’argomento a non prendere nessun partito, se non quello dell’ironia e del buon senso, le risposte appaiono meno scontate. Che legga insieme a noi le strepitose biografie del pollo «biologico» riportate sulla confezione di petti del medesimo, o attraversi le lande grigie e fangose del Midwest, dove milioni di bovini nutriti a mais e antibiotici vivono la loro breve esistenza fra immense pozze di liquame, egli arriva immancabilmente a conclusioni di volta in volta raccapriccianti o paradossali. Il problema, che Pollan descrive con rigore ed e- strema chiarezza, è che trovarsi al vertice della catena alimentare – cioè poter mangiare, a differenza delle altre specie, pressoché tutto – offre all’homo sapiens numerosi vantaggi, ma lo espone anche a quasi infinite possibilità di manipolazione. Per condurre una vita meno insana, dunque, l’onnivoro ha bisogno di sapere, sui propri appetiti e sui propri meccanismi adattivi, almeno quanto ne sanno gli strateghi dell’industria alimentare. In altre parole, ha bisogno di un libro come questo.

Zelf koken plaatst de mens tussen natuur en cultuur dat is de plek waar we mens het gelukkigst zijn. Pollan laat ons zien hoe de mens tot de meest vernuftige methoden kwam om rauw voedsel om te zetten in verrukkelijke spijzen en dat zelf koken dé manier is om gezonder en gelukkiger te worden. Met verhalen over zijn zoektocht aan de hand van vuur, water, lucht en aarde laat hij ons thuiskomen in de keuken. Met zijn krachtige proza en sterk betoog zou Pleidooi voor zelf koken wel eens net zo invloedrijk kunnen worden als Pollans eerste boek The Omnivore s Dilemma. emThe Washington Post `Een mooie passage over de relatie tussen barbecue en offeren aan de goden wisselt hij af met het verhaal van ontploffend zelfbrouwbier in de kelder van huize Pollan, een levendig portret van de zuurkoolbacterie of een meditatie over de relatie tussen kaas, seks en dood. emNRC Handelsblad

Originally published in English: New York: Penguin Books, c2009.

Essen Sie nichts, was Ihre Großmutter nicht als Essen erkannt hätte Vernünftige Ernährung ist an sich nicht kompliziert. Mühsam ist höchstens, all das wieder zu verlernen, was uns die Nahrungsmittelindustrie an gestörtem Essverhalten angewöhnt hat. 64 einfache und intelligente Leitsätze (jeweils mit Begründung und Erläuterung) bringen Licht in den modernen Ernährungsdschungel. Faustregeln wie: „Vermeide Nahrungsmittel, die mehr als fünf Zutaten haben“ oder „Vermeide Lebensmittel, die du aus der Fernsehwerbung kennst“ bringen die Sache auf den Punkt. Dieses kleine „Handbuch“ ist witzig, praktisch und tief durchdacht.

Cosa ci fa bene e cosa ci fa male, quando siamo seduti a tavola? Decenni di nutrizionismo, dibattiti, diete e consigli degli esperti non sembrano aver risolto la questione. anzi, mentre i nostri scaffali si riempiono di cibi pratici, economici, studiati apposta per rispondere alle più avanzate esigenze salutistiche, la nostra salute risente sempre più di problemi legati all'alimentazione. Già autore di best seller ironici e autorevoli sulle meraviglie della dieta umana e sui danni della scienza alimentare, come Il dilemma dell'onnivoro e In difesa del cibo, Michael Pollan racchiude in sessantaquattro regole d'oro alcune perle di saggezza, detti popolari e trucchi per mangiare bene, dettati da secoli di esperienza e dal buon senso e che la scienza ha poi confermato.

Manger ne devrait pas être aussi compliqué. A notre époque où foisonnent les régimes élaborés et les conseils conflictuels sur la santé, Les règles d'une saine alimentation apporte une simplicité bienvenue aux décisions quotidiennes entourant notre alimentation. Rédigé avec la clarté, la concision et l'esprit qui sont devenus la marque de commerce de Michael Pollan, ce manuel indispensable propose à qui veut manger sainement des règles simples et faciles à retenir, à raison d'une par page. Ce guide qui repose sur une variété de traditions démontre comment différentes cultures, au fil des époques, en sont arrivées à une même sagesse alimentaire. Au supermarché ou au restaurant, c'est le guide parfait pour quiconque s'est déjà posé la question : " Que devrais-je manger ? "

#1 New York Times Bestseller "A useful and funny purse-sized manual that could easily replace all the diet books on your bookshelf." —Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times A definitive compendium of food wisdom Eating doesn’t have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with clarity, concision, and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan’s trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page, accompanied by a concise explanation. It’s an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, “What should I eat?” "In the more than four decades that I have been reading and writing about the findings of nutritional science, I have come across nothing more intelligent, sensible and simple to follow than the 64 principles outlined in a slender, easy-to-digest new book called Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, by Michael Pollan." —Jane Brody, The New York Times "It doesn''t get much easier than this. Each page has a simple rule, sometimes with a short explanation, sometimes without, that promotes Pollan''s back-to-the-basics-of-food (and-food-enjoyment) philosophy." —The Los Angeles Times

#1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of This is Your Mind on Plants, How to Change Your Mind, The Omnivore''s Dilemma, and Food Rules Food. There''s plenty of it around, and we all love to eat it. So why should anyone need to defend it? Because in the so-called Western diet, food has been replaced by nutrients, and common sense by confusion--most of what we’re consuming today is longer the product of nature but of food science. The result is what Michael Pollan calls the American Paradox: The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we see to become. With In Defense of Food, Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat that comes down to seven simple but liberating words: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.

Mucho de lo que consumimos hoy en día no es comida y la forma en la cual la consumimos —en el coche, delante de la televisión, y cada vez más a menudo sin compañía— no es realmente comer. En vez de comida, consumimos «sustancias comestibles parecidas a comida», no provenientes de la naturaleza sino de la ciencia. En la denominada Dieta Occidental, la comida ha sido reemplazada por los nutrientes, y el sentido común por la confusión. El resultado es lo que Michael Pollan llama la «paradoja americana»: cuando más nos preocupamos por la nutrición, menos saludables parecemos. Tanto la industria alimenticia como la ciencia de la nutrición pretenden sacar partido de la confusión general sobre qué es comer. Y la prueba palpable es que treinta años de consejos nutricionistas oficiales nos han hecho más enfermizos y obesos. Pollan propone un camino alternativo de comer que está inspirado en la tradición y la ecología; nuestra salud personal, argumenta, no puede estar separada de la salud de la cadena alimenticia de la que formamos parte. Siguiendo este camino podemos escapar de la Dieta Occidental y, como consecuencia, de la mayoría de las enfermedades crónicas que esa dieta causa. Consejos como «no comas nada que tu bisabuela no reconocería como comida», «evite los productos alimenticios que exhiban afirmaciones de propiedades saludables» o «salga del supermercado lo antes posible» son algunos de los que componen el fresco y elocuente manifiesto de Pollan.

“A glorious piece of prose . . . Pollan leads readers on his adventure with humor and grace.” —Chicago Tribune A captivating personal inquiry into the art of architecture, the craft of building, and the meaning of modern work “A room of one’s own: Is there anybody who hasn’t at one time or another wished for such a place, hasn’t turned those soft words over until they’d assumed a habitable shape?” When Michael Pollan decided to plant a garden, the result was the acclaimed bestseller Second Nature. In A Place of My Own, he turns his sharp insight to the craft of building, as he recounts the process of designing and constructing a small one-room structure on his rural Connecticut property—a place in which he hoped to read, write, and daydream, built with his own two unhandy hands. Michael Pollan''s unmatched ability to draw lines of connection between our everyday experiences—whether eating, gardening, or building—and the natural world has been the basis for the popular success of his many works of nonfiction, including the genre-defining bestsellers The Omnivore''s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. With this updated edition of his earlier book A Place of My Own, readers can revisit the inspired, intelligent, and often hilarious story of Pollan''s realization of a room of his own—a small, wooden hut, his "shelter for daydreams"—built with his admittedly unhandy hands. Inspired by both Thoreau and Mr. Blandings, A Place of My Own not only works to convey the history and meaning of all human building, it also marks the connections between our bodies, our minds, and the natural world.

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." These simple words go to the heart of Michael Pollan''s In Defence of Food. Humans used to know how to eat well, Pollan argues. But the balanced dietary lessons that were once passed down through generations have been confused, complicated, and distorted by food industry marketers, nutritional scientists, and journalists - all of whom have much to gain from our dietary confusion. As a result we face today a complex culinary landscape dense with bad advice and foods that are not ''real''. These ''edible food-like substances'' are often packaged with labels bearing health claims that are typically false and misleading. Indeed, real food is fast disappearing from the marketplace, to be replaced by ''nutrients'', and plain old eating has been replaced by an obsession with nutrition that is, paradoxically, ruining our health, not to mention our meals. It seems that we have forgotten about the sheer peasure that can come from eating simple, healthy and, most importantly, real food. Michael Pollan''s last book, The Omnivore''s Dilemma, is currently an extraordinary American bestseller, which for hundreds of thousands of people has shown just how badly wrong the food industry has gone. In Defence of Foodis his practical call to action - a bracing and eloquent manifesto that will enrich our lives and our palates, and enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy and happy.

"One of the distinguished gardening books of our time," from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Omnivore''s Dilemma ( USA Today). Chosen by the American Horticultural Society as one of the 75 greatest books ever written about gardening After Michael Pollan bought an old Connecticut dairy farm, he planted a garden and attempted to follow Thoreau''s example: do not impose your will upon the wilderness, the woodchucks, or the weeds. That ethic did not, of course, work. But neither did pesticides or firebombing the woodchuck burrow. So Michael Pollan began to think about the troubled borders between nature and contemporary life. The result is a funny, profound, and beautifully written book in the finest tradition of American nature writing. It inspires thoughts on the war of the roses; sex and class conflict in the garden; virtuous composting; the American lawn; seed catalogs, and the politics of planting a tree. A blend of meditation, autobiography, and social history, Second Nature, from the renowned author of The Botany of Desire, In Defense of Food, and other bestsellers, is "as delicious a meditation on one man''s relationship with the Earth as any you are likely to come upon" ( The New York Times Book Review). "Usually when Americans have wanted to explore their relationship to nature they''ve gone to the wilderness, or the woods. Michael Pollan went to the garden instead . . . and he''s returned with a quirky and pleasing book." —Annie Dillard "A joy to read." — Los Angeles Times

"Outstanding . . . a wide-ranging invitation to think through the moral ramifications of our eating habits." —The New Yorker One of the New York Times Book Review''s Ten Best Books of the Year and Winner of the James Beard Award Author of This is Your Mind on Plants, How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestseller In Defense of Food and Food Rules What should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species. In the years since, Pollan’s revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later, The Omnivore’s Dilemma continues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.