What I'm Reading

A new feature here on the MSU Bookstore Blog will be "What I'm Reading: Employee Book Recommendations". This addition of What I'm Reading comes from myself, Mary Uravich, your fearless blog author and Marketing Supervisor at the MSU Bookstore.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

About a month ago, my roommate mentioned to me that he was reading a book that was going to make him question the way he eats. This surprised me because my roommate is a conscientious consumer who buys locally when possible and eats organic foods almost exclusively. Shortly after that conversation, I read the article An Animal's Place by Michael Pollan in New York Times Magazine. That article alone made me switch to cage free eggs and explore more information about the topic. That's when I found this book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, and realized it is what my roommate told me about weeks before.

I am about halfway through this book and finding myself more intrigued by it as time goes. I read Fast Food Nation a few years ago, and find this one to be written in a different tone. It is investigative, like Fast Food Nation, but explores similar topics from the root of the problem: corn. The first few chapters outline the United States' dependence on corn and the extent to which it is ingrained (no pun intended) into our society. Over 80% of processed foods contain corn, and over 70% contain soy. We are feeding corn to animals not meant to digest it, like cows and salmon.

So far, the book is causing me to relentlessly check food labels for corn products such as high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, citric acid and corn oil. I am also now purchasing cage free eggs, as mentioned before, and switched to a brand of milk that is local and from cows that are not treated with antibiotics (I know this because my roommate called the farmer to check).

Pick up this book if you are looking for an enlightening glance into the source of food in America. If you love processed food, however, I would not recommend it.