       Over the past several decades, the food industry has swapped actual nutrition with chemicals and false health claims. From highly processed snacks to genetically modified produce, food is no longer food. In "Eat Food: Food Defined," by Michael Pollan, Pollan develops a set of guidelines to ensure that readers buy real food and not over-processed, food-like substances. His main rhetorical technique is logos, which The Carolina Rhetoric defines as the "use of facts and statistics as evidence" ("Persuading Rhetorically" 93). By providing such facts, statistics, and real-world examples of such food-like substances, Pollan's propositional claims and informal style allow the reader to truly connect with his argument. Through the use of logo--supported by ethos, tone, and 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.

       Setting the foundation for his logos, Pollan's first guideline, "Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food," employs an informative, direct, and questioning tone (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. Go-Gurt is a modern food, having only been around for a few decades, and this example allows Pollan to establish a connection with his readers, many of whom have consumed the portable yogurt. Pollan then introduces a great-grandmother's negative perspective on this food. By connecting the older generation to the new generation, he is able to show how unrecognizable food has become. With the power of a great grandmother's opinion, Pollan is able to boost his ethos, therefore, allowing the logic behind his argument to be more effective. This initial connection with his readers allows Pollan to effectively break down what makes up a Go Gurt -- a hodge-podge of arcane ingredients that alone, no one would eat. To conclude his first guideline, Pollan shifts his tone from informative to questioning. Pollan now addresses 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). This question directly places blame on the reader. Through a combination of Pollan's questions, tone shift, and ethos, he is able to effectively communicate the logos behind his main argument.  

       Drawing from the connection and ethos established 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). Supporting this guideline, Pollan introduces white bread. Such a common household staple in America furthers his connection with his readers and develops his logos. 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.) In order to combine the old with the new like his prior guideline, Pollan compares the ingredients of the traditionally made bread with the ingredients contained in Sara Lee's Soft & Smooth Whole Grain White Bread. The difference in length and unpronounceable ingredients between the two ingredient lists highlights and emphasizes the changes in the food industry. Granular sugar is replaced with high fructose corn syrup, and whole wheat flour is replaced with enriched bleached flour. According to Pollan, the store-bought bread "fails every test under rule number two" (Pollan 12). Pollan is able to open the eyes of his readers to how complicated the ingredient list has become for such a simple food. Pollan's evidence supports his main claim that food is no longer food through this strong comparison. 

Straying from the rest of the article, Pollan adopts a more aggravated and disgusted tone in his third guideline. This tone shift solidifies the logos of Pollan's main argument: food has evolved into chemically infused substances. His third guideline warns readers to "Avoid food products that make health claims" (Pollan 13). Health claims are typically found on foods that have been highly processed, and most health claims, according to Pollan, are based "on incomplete and often erroneous science" (Pollan 14). Trans-fat rich margarine, for example, was once advertised as a healthy alternative to butter, but 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. Potato chips are fried in oil and coated in salt -- two ingredients that are not exactly "heart-healthy." His ironic examples prove that a majority of these health claims are false and have no sense of logic. Pollan then attacks one of the main contributors to the health claims: the American Heart Association. His disgusted tone is apparent when he states 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 (Pollan 15). As shown by Pollan's evidence, the American Heart Association is not focused on heart health but is instead concerned about profit. The tone used in the third guideline provides a foundation from which Pollan builds his argument and exposes the falsity of health claims on products.

Through his ethos established in the first guideline and a contradicting tone to the previous guideline, Pollan provides a solution to the fake food epidemic. His fourth and final guideline advises readers to "Get out of the supermarket whenever possible" (Pollan 15). Local markets restore the accountability of shoppers. By shopping at local farmer's markets, the consumer is able to avoid foods with packaging, labels, high-fructose corn syrup, other unpronounceable ingredients, and false health claims (Pollan 16). He develops a passionate tone that emphasizes the logic behind shopping locally and highlights the lack of non-food ingredients. Through the dramatic tone shift, Pollan presents the idea that this is the solution. Consumers are able to know exactly what is in their food and where their food originated. They have direct communication with the cooks, farmers, and merchants allowing them to ask questions and not just rely on food labels. Combined with the ethos established in prior paragraphs, the reader is able to trust Pollan's view. Pollan's logos for eating locally grown items is effective because of his dramatic tone shift and strong ethos. 

In order to address the fact that modern day food has become a concoction of different chemicals and unpronounceable ingredients that only mimic real food, Pollan primarily uses logos, supported by tone, style, and ethos to emphasize his argument. Pollan proposes solutions that can help the consumer avoid eating fake food. 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. Because of his informal style, he is able to address the readers directly without coming across as overwhelming and harsh. 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.

