According to author Michael Pollan, what you’re eating might not be food at all, but an “edible food-like substance”. In his new book, In Defense of Food, Pollan contends that as a society, our study of food as the sum of its nutrients is way off.

This is the second recent book we’ve seen that directly confronts the way we study nutrition (along with Good Calories, Bad Calories). Both assert that our entire understanding of nutrition is skewed by giant, powerful “edible food-like substance” manufacturing companies.

The problem for me is that I love food, and I love these engineered food-like substances. Sure, a crusty French bread, rare steak, and some well-prepared vegetables are great, but who doesn’t love a Pop-Tart fresh from the toaster?

Are these guys overreacting, or is there some sort of major breakdown in our understanding of nutrition?