In Defense of Food

Michael Schwarz Verenigde Staten, Frankrijk, Tanzania 117 min.

Nowadays everyone wishes to lead a healthier life. But which food is best and healthiest? The answers to this question are very diverse and could make you sick to the stomach, even thinking about it. In Defense of Food is a documentary based on the eponymous book by award-winning journalist Michael Pollan, in which he examines what is best for us to eat in order to stay healthy. So put aside all nutrition gurus and join in on the very down-to-earth arguments of Pollan.

DOCVILLE 2017
Food for thought

In In Defense of Food Michael Pollan refutes the often faulty information on nutrition, provided by all kinds of media. He travels around the world to show that many Western diets have mucked up our eating habits. 60 percent of Western food supplies consists of processed foods. The food is no longer a product of nature, but a result of science. The more we think about our food, the less healthy we seem to become. Pollan's rules for a healthy diet are extremely simple, for example: 'Don't eat anything your grandparents would not recognize as food'. 
 
Shooting this documentary, director Michael Schwarz and award-winning journalist Michael Pollan worked closely together. Unsurprisingly In Defense of Food is based on one of Pollan's bestsellers, carrying the same title. The documentary is grounded on the book, following it step by step, chapter by chapter, forming the perfect illustration of the strong arguments Pollan presented. In 2010 Pollan was listed as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world, according to Time Magazine. The documentary In Defense of Food was nominated for two Emmy awards.