Michael Pollan is a well-known author who focuses on the
relationship between humans and the food they consume. His books, which
regularly appear on best-seller lists, help people all over the world rethink
their relationship with food and how they choose what to eat. Discover more
about Michael's life and work.
Michael Pollan was born and raised on Long Island, New York.
He studied English at Bennington College and Columbia University before working
as a contributing writer for Harper's Magazine, The New Yorker, The New York
Times Magazine, and The Washington Post. In 1991, he released his first book,
Second Nature: A Gardener's Education, a collection of nature writing.
Michael has written extensively since then about the
importance of understanding humanity's relationship to food, as well as the
importance of eating a healthy and balanced diet. He's written best-sellers
like The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World, Cooked: A Natural
History of Transformation, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, and The
Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals about his research.
5 Facts about Michael Pollan
Michael Pollan is a writer with a passion for healthy eating
habits and an insatiable curiosity about the world. Here are a few facts about
him to help you get to know him better:
1. He has written about architecture as well. While
Michael's primary focus is food, he has dabbled in other areas as well. His
second book, A Place of My Own, chronicled his journey to build a small house
where he could write in peace. Along the way, he addresses broader issues
concerning architecture's role in the natural world.
2. He is opposed to Western diets. Fast food chains, grocery
stores, and factory farming food systems in the West, in Michael's opinion,
fail to provide people with the elements necessary for a healthy diet. His
books, such as Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, encourage people to eat healthier
foods.
3. He's curious about psychedelic therapies. In the book How
to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About
Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence, Michael began
his exploration of psychedelic drugs. He researched the effects of psychoactive
plants (such as psilocybin mushrooms) and synthetic psychedelics (such as LSD)
on human well-being while working on the book. He's since published This Is
Your Mind on Plants, a book about caffeine, mescaline, and opium.
4. He frequently makes guest appearances. Aside from his
prolific writing, Michael provides insight and commentary on food,
psychedelics, and other topics in a variety of media appearances each year.
He's a popular guest on some of today's most popular podcasts, and he's served
as a consultant for hit documentaries like Food, Inc.
5. He is a professor at UC Berkeley. Michael has worked as
an environmental journalism professor at the University of California,
Berkeley. Michael helped found the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of
Psychedelics, which was inspired in part by his research for his books on
innovative drug therapies.
