I was 20 when I stopped eating mammals.

Since that time, I have become only more aware of industrial food production in the United States, and the problems it causes, for those who eat it, for those who produce it, and for the land.

At this point, nearly twenty years later, most people have heard passing complaints of the food industry, but it’s often hard to listen to those who are evangelical vegans and PETA supporters. Which is why I’d like to talk about some books that are not written by extremists or with an agenda. The following books are extremely well-researched, and present the results of that research in an even-handed manner.

Of course, since some areas of the food industry are be litigious, they need to be.

The first author is the one I read most recently, Michael Pollan. He’s written The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. The first, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, details Michael Pollan’s experiences as he tries to follow food from the fields to the table. He even bought a single calf, and spent time with that calf over various parts of its life’s journey. He was not, however, allowed into the slaughterhouse to see the conditions there.

He details the life of a calf raised for commercial slaughter, as well as the conditions of the animals on a strict organic farm. He looks at the fertilization of commercial fields as well as the field conditions on the same organic farm. And he even spends some time as a hunter gatherer, creating a meal with ingredients he had gathered himself.

In Defense of Food looks the Western Diet and its affect upon our health. As with The Omnivore’s Dilemma, this book did not hold any surprises for me, but did contain a comprehensive review of the current research on health and diet.

Both of these books are well-written, and present his discoveries through personal experience, which makes the information far more relevant (and interesting) than you would read in a medical or agricultural journal.

Another book is Andrew Weil’s Eating Well for Optimum Health. This book is not quite as accessible as Michael Pollan’s books, but takes a deeper look at the research regarding diet and health, including talking about some of the studies that were quite surprising. (Including, IIRC, a study that was halted when it discovered that beta carotene supplements actually increased the incidence of cancer, when dietary research saw a link between a diet high in beta carotene and a reduction in cancer.

All of which points to the fact that whole foods are almost always going to be better for you than processed foods and supplements–a theme of Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.

One of the best books I’ve read about the American Food Industry is Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation. He looks specifically at the fast food industry, and follows a meal from the field to the paper bag, and looks not just at the treatment of animals, but also the safety of the food and the treatment of food workers along the way.

One of the most disturbing chapters was on slaughterhouses. Although the treatment of the animals is of concern to me, far more disturbing was the treatment of the humans who work in these slaughterhouses. In order to keep costs down, these individuals work under horrific conditions and are frequently injured–often severely–in the line of work.

This book is why I refuse to eat at any fast food restaurant unless that restaurant is specifically known to treat its employees well. And is also why I will never eat commercial beef, even if I one day decide to start eating mammals again.

Food is a necessity for us, but it is also something that should be enjoyed. And for me, that enjoyment is greater if I believe that the food I am eating is not just good for me, but good for the world as well.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006), In Defense of Food: An Easter’s Manifesto (2008), Fast Food Nation The Dark Underside of the All-American Meal (2002)