Michael Pollan’s first book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, might have been a fascinating treatise on the origins of modern food — but it also expanded guilt about eating, from fast food all the way to Whole Foods. But while we digested the idea that corn is the root of all evil, the author was working on his more uplifting follow-up, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. Here, Pollan takes on the food industry’s idea of “nutrition” (they’re just trying to make money, y’all!), but mercifully clues us in on what foods aren’t made of mutant ingredients. He’ll tell you what you already know (eat mostly plants, eat less, eat local), but his doggedly researched, entertaining manifesto will also help you to eat a real vegetable and feel empowered by it.