       Over the past several decades, the food industry has swapped actual nutrition with chemicals and false health claims. In "Eat Food: Food Defined," by Michael Pollan, Pollan has developed a set of guidelines to ensure readers buy real food, not over-processed, food-like substances. From highly processed snacks to genetically modified produce, food is no longer food. By providing facts, statistics, and real-world examples of such food-like substances, which according to The Carolina Rhetoric, logos is the "use of facts and statistics as evidence", Pollan's propositional claims and informal style allow the reader to truly connect with Pollan's argument ("Persuading Rhetorically" 93). Through the use of logos, along with support of ethos, an informative tone, and informal style, Pollan is able to effectively expose the falsity of what is called "food" and how consumers can be more aware of what they are putting into their bodies.

       Pollan's first guideline, "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food," employs an informative, direct, and questioning tone, setting the foundation for his logos (Pollan 9). He introduces the following quote from John Yudkin, a British nutritionist: "Just don't eat anything your Neolithic ancestors wouldn't have recognized, and you'll be ok" (Pollan 10). Through this quote, Pollan is able to lead into his real-world example, the infamous Go-Gurt Portable Yogurt. The modernity of Go-Gurt allows Pollan to connect with his readers because many of them probably ate Go-Gurt as a child or feed their own kids Go-Gurt. By adding in a great-grandmother's reaction to such a food source, Pollan is able to boost his ethos, therefore, allowing his logos to be more effective. After gaining this connection with his readers, Pollan breaks down what makes up a Go Gurt -- a hodge-podge of arcane ingredients that alone, no one would eat.  This leads into a shift in tone. Pollan now implores the readers with a rhetorical question, asking them if "Go-Gurt Portable Yogurt [is] still a whole food? A food of any kind?" (Pollan 10). By placing the blame on the reader for eating such food, Pollan's logos is effective because of his questioning and direct tone.

       After establishing a sense of ethos and creating a connection with his audience in his first guideline, Pollan uses logos to address the facts behind what food contains in the 21st century. His second guideline states, "Avoid food products containing ingredients that are A) unfamiliar, B) unpronounceable, C) more than five in number, or that include D) high-fructose corn syrup" (Pollan 11). To elaborate on this guideline, Pollan introduces white bread, a common household staple in America, to establish a connection with his readers. Bread, as the reader's grandmother would say, "is traditionally made using a remarkably small number of familiar ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and a pinch of salt" (Pollan 11.) Pollan then compares the ingredients of the traditionally made bread with the ingredients that are contained in Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread. Through this comparison, Pollan's evidence is strong to support his main claim that food is no longer food. The store-bought bread "fails every test under rule number two" (Pollan 12). Pollan also supports his claim through his second guideline when he addresses that food companies are removing unwanted factors and replacing those ingredients with a plethora of artificial flavors and preservatives so that the processed food maintains the flavor of the original food. For this, he uses the example of fat-free milk. In order to preserve the creamy texture of milk, "that usually means adding powdered milk ... [which] contains oxidized cholesterol, which...is much worse for your arteries than ordinary cholesterol and is then combatted by adding antioxidants" (Pollan 13). This example provides a look into how prevalent extra and artificial ingredients are in everyday food items. By utilizing an informative tone and real-life examples, Pollan's logos is prominent and effective to support his main claim.

Pollan adopts a more aggravated and disgusted tone in his third guideline. Although the tone strays from the rest of the article, it helps solidify Pollan's logos surrounding his main argument that food has evolved into chemically infused substances. His third guideline warns readers to "Avoid food products that make health claims" (Pollan 13). These health claims are typically found on foods that have been highly processed. In fact, most health claims are based "on incomplete and often erroneous science" (Pollan 14). Pollan brings to light the irony and insufficient evidence behind a majority of the health claims. Trans-fat rich margarine, for example, was once advertised as a healthy alternative, but it ended up contributing to heart attacks and heart disease (Pollan 14). Pollan then addresses a modern example of these claims: heart-healthy Lay's potato chips. By giving a modern example, just like with the bread, Pollan is able to strengthen his relationship with his readers. Pollan also exposes the driving force behind the American Heart Association. His disgusted tone is apparent when he states the fact that the American Heart Association will "bestow (for a fee) its heart-healthy seal of approval" (Pollan 15).Pollan then lists the current unhealthy foods, such as "Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs,...and Healthy Choice's Premium Caramel Swirl Ice Cream Sandwiches,"  that contain the seal, harnessing the power of logos to support his main argument (Pollan 15). In his third guideline, the combination of Pollan's tone and his examples leaves the reader with a negative view of the food industry. 

In his fourth and final guideline, Pollan addresses the solution to the fake food epidemic. He does so by combining a positive shift in tone and his previously attained ethos. This guideline advises readers to "Get out of the supermarket whenever possible" (Pollan 15). His aggravated and disgusted tone from the prior guideline becomes authoritative and passionate as he addresses the solution presented in this final guideline. Because of his shift to a very positive, enthusiastic tone, the logos supporting the idea of removing oneself from grocery stores and supermarkets is effective. By shopping at local farmer's markets, the reader is able to avoid foods with packaging, labels, high-fructose corn syrup, other unpronounceable ingredients, and false health claims (Pollan 16). The accountability of shoppers is restored at local markets. Because of his ethos established in the first guideline, the reader is able to trust and accept Pollan's solution to eating real food once again. The effectiveness of Pollan's support for eating locally grown items and the economic and personal benefit of doing so is supported through his positive tone and explanation of all of the positive benefits of doing so. 

In order to address the fact that modern day food is just a concoction of different chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients flavored in a way to mimic food, Pollan uses logos, along with the support of tone, style, and ethos to support his argument. Pollan proposes solutions that can help the consumer avoid eating fake food. He supports his argument with an informative tone and an informal style.  Because of his informal style, he is able to address the readers directly without coming across as overwhelming and harsh.  Over the years, food companies have removed healthy ingredients from their foods and replaced them with artificial flavors and preservatives. In order to avoid these chemicals, one must return to eating foods that ancestors would recognize. By eating foods that ancestors would recognize and shopping at local markets, the reader becomes, once again, accountable of what he or she is consuming. 

