Bøger af Michael Pollan

Kan psykedeliske stoffer være en måde at tænke anderledes om dødsangst, depression og alderdom på? Ja, kan de ændre vores syn på verden? Michael Pollan tager os på en gribende og fascinerende rejse fra genkomsten af psilocybin og LSD i psykiatrisk forskning og ud mod sindets horisonter og muligheder.Da LSD blev opdaget i 1940’erne, troede lægerne, de stod på tærsklen af en psykologisk revolution. De så overvældende resultater i behandlingen af lidelser som afhængighed og depression – og mulighed for at bruge de psykedeliske stoffer til at undersøge bevidsthedens mysterier. Men optimismen varede ikke ved. Da ungdomsoprøret rullede ind over USA i 1960’erne, blev de psykedeliske stoffer koblet til modkulturen og presset ud af universiteterne og politisk under jorden. I 40 år turde ingen tage forskningen op.Lige indtil et umage par – en Silicon Valley-ingeniør der bor i en skov og en højt estimeret, ranglet professor med hang til meditation – i 2006 fik godkendt et studie på det prestigefyldte universitet Johns Hopkins.I dag er en stille, men gennemgribende revolution i gang. Studier viser, at dødeligt syge kræftpatienter kan håndtere deres dødsangst efter at være guidet af en psykolog gennem en psilocybinoplevelse. USA’s og EU’s lægemiddelmyndigheder finansierer enorme studier i psykedeliske stoffer, fordi man håber, de kan afhjælpe den truende depressionsbølge, der er ved at slå ind over den vestlige verden. I London er det første center for psykedelisk forskning åbnet. Og på Rigshospitalet undersøger man effekterne på hjernen.I ‘Din foranderlige bevidsthed’ fortæller Michael Pollan på varm, uhelbredeligt nysgerrig og sober vis historien om de psykedeliske stoffer. Han beskriver, hvad der skete, da det første forskningskapitel blev fortrængt, og hvordan det andet folder sig ud lige nu. Han tager os på en rejse ind i en verden af psykologer, shamaner og svampejægere, der beretter om exceptionelle oplevelser med dyb og forandrende effekt. Kigger med i hjernescanneren, når forskerne viser, hvordan det netværk i hjernen, der er knyttet til vores selv, dæmpes. Og endelig prøver han (for første gang i en alder af næsten 60) stofferne selv.En rapport fra det, der meget vel kan være fremtiden for vores psykologi og vores forskning i bevidsthed.

New York Times Book Review10 Best Books of 2018A New York Times Notable BookThe #1 New York Timesbestseller.A brilliant and brave investigationinto the medical and scientific revolution taking place around psychedelic drugs--and the spellbinding story of his own life-changing psychedelic experiences When Michael Pollan set out to research how LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are being used to provide relief to people suffering from difficult-to-treat conditions such as depression, addiction and anxiety, he did not intend to write what is undoubtedly his most personal book. But upon discovering how these remarkable substances are improving the lives not only of the mentally ill but also of healthy people coming to grips with the challenges of everyday life, he decided to explore the landscape of the mind in the first person as well as the third. Thus began a singular adventure into various altered states of consciousness, along with a dive deep into both the latest brain science and the thriving underground community of psychedelic therapists. Pollan sifts the historical record to separate the truth about these mysterious drugs from the myths that have surrounded them since the 1960s, when a handful of psychedelic evangelists inadvertently catalyzed a powerful backlash against what was then a promising field of research.A unique and elegant blend of science, memoir, travel writing, history, and medicine, How to Change Your Mind is a triumph of participatory journalism. By turns dazzling and edifying, it is the gripping account of a journey to an exciting and unexpected new frontier in our understanding of the mind, the self, and our place in the world. The true subject of Pollan's "e;mental travelogue"e; is not just psychedelic drugs but also the eternal puzzle of human consciousness and how, in a world that offers us both suffering and joy, we can do our best to be fully present and find meaning in our lives.

A book which brilliantly twists our perception of nature by showing us nature's perspective of us.

The startling truth behind the food we consume in the twenty-first century

Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much. Using those seven words as his guide, Michael Pollan offers this indispensable handbook for anyone concerned about health and food. Simple, sensible and easy to use, Food Rules is a set of memorable adages or 'personal policies' for eating wisely, gathered from a wide variety of sources: mothers, grandmothers, nutritionists, anthropologists and ancient cultures among them. Whether at the supermarket, a restaurant or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this handy, pocket-size resource is the perfect manual for anyone who would like to become more mindful of the food we eat. For the past twenty years, Michael Pollan has been writing about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. The Omnivore's Dilemma, about the ethics and ecology of eating, was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature and, most recently, In Defence of Food.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE NEW NETFLIX SERIES 'It's not often that a life-changing book falls into one's lap ... Yet Michael Pollan's Cooked is one of them.' SundayTelegraph'This is a love song to old, slow kitchen skills at their delicious best' Kathryn Huges, GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEARThe New York Times Top Five Bestseller - Michael Pollan's uniquely enjoyable quest to understand the transformative magic of cookingMichael Pollan's Cooked takes us back to basics and first principles: cooking with fire, with water, with air and with earth.Meeting cooks from all over the world, who share their wisdom and stories, Pollan shows how cooking is at the heart of our culture and that when it gets down to it, it also fundamentally shapes our lives.Filled with fascinating facts and curious, mouthwatering tales from cast of eccentrics, Cooked explores the deepest mysteries of how and why we cook.

'A must-read ... satisfying, rich ... loaded with flavour' Sunday Telegraph This book is a celebration of food. By food, Michael Pollan means real, proper, simple food - not the kind that comes in a packet, or has lists of unpronounceable ingredients, or that makes nutritional claims about how healthy it is. More like the kind of food your great-grandmother would recognize. In Defence of Food is a simple invitation to junk the science, ditch the diet and instead rediscover the joys of eating well. By following a few pieces of advice (Eat at a table - a desk doesn't count. Don't buy food where you'd buy your petrol!), you will enrich your life and your palate, and enlarge your sense of what it means to be healthy and happy. It's time to fall in love with food again. For the past twenty years, Michael Pollan has been writing about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. His most recent book, about the ethics and ecology of eating, is The Omnivore's Dilemma, named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature.

One of the New YorkTimes BookReview's Ten Best Books of the Year Winner of the James Beard Award Author of How to Change Your Mind and the #1 New York Times Bestsellers InDefense of Foodand Food RulesWhat should we have for dinner? Ten years ago, Michael Pollan confronted us with this seemingly simple question and, withThe Omnivore's Dilemma,his brilliant and eye-opening exploration of our food choices, demonstrated that how we answer it today may determine not only our health but our survival as a species.In the years since, Pollan's revolutionary examination has changed the way Americans think about food. Bringing wide attention to the little-known but vitally important dimensions of food and agriculture in America, Pollan launched a national conversation about what we eat and the profound consequences that even the simplest everyday food choices have on both ourselves and the natural world. Ten years later,The Omnivore's Dilemmacontinues to transform the way Americans think about the politics, perils, and pleasures of eating.

Second Nature is the story of one man's education in the garden. But this is much more than a book about gardening. Michael Pollan masterfully promotes the garden as the most appropriate site to rethink our relationship to nature and to begin to put it on a saner footing. One of the best reasons to garden today, Pollan believes, is to put yourself on intimate terms with one samall corner of the universe.

"Cat Treat Recipes" shows you exactly how to make cat treats. This includes delicious homemade cat treat recipes, natural cat treats, organic cat treats and natural cat treat recipes. This book about how to make cat treats includes 100 of the very best natural cat food and cat treat recipes plus some extra surprises for your favorite feline. The Dog Food Recipes Cookbook is a unique and special book that includes recipes that are loved by dogs and dog owners around the world. It's the Reader's Choice Edition! Every feline will love what you make from this cat treat cookbook, since you'll be using natural and organic ingredients. It's all natural cat food because YOU are the cook!

"Usamos las plantas a diario para alterar nuestra conciencia. Nos relajamos con lavanda o valeriana y nos activamos con cafeâina, sin jamâas pensar en ello como una adicciâon. Entonces Åpor que otras sustancias de origen vegetal, como la psilocibina o la mescalina, son ilegales? ÅSegâun que el criterio se ensalzan los beneficios del cafâe y en cambio es delito plantar amapolas en algunos paâises? Michael Pollan investiga tres drogas de origen vegetal -- el opio, la cafeâina y la mescalina -- para mostrar la arbitrariedad de nuestro juicio respecto a estas sustancias, profundamente condicionado por el estigma social. El autor revisa el papel de las plantas psicoactivas en distintas epocas y culturas, a la vez que experimenta con sus efectos. El objetivo es comprender por que el ser humano hace todo lo posible para alterar su conciencia y, al tiempo, limita este deseo universal con leyes y condena social. Combinaciâon de historia, divulgaciâon cientâifica, memorias e incluso periodismo gonzo, esta obra ofrece una mirada desprejuiciada y atenta a las distintas variables que han determinado la condena o la legalizaciâon de las drogas, y da cuenta de la genuina curosidad del ser humano a la hora de relacionarse conla naturaleza y alcanzar niveles distintos de percepiâon de nuetro entorno" --

An enhanced edition of Food Rules-beautifully illustrated and packed with additional food wisdomMichael Pollan's Food Rules prompted a national discussion helping to change the way Americans approach eating. This new edition illustrated by celebrated artist Maira Kalman-and expanded with a new introduction and nineteen additional food rules-marks an advance in the national dialogue that Food Rules inspired. Many of the new rules, suggested by readers, underscore the central teachings of the original Food Rules, which are that eating doesn't have to be so complicated and that food is as much about pleasure and community as it is about nutrition and health. A beautiful book to cherish and share, Food Rules guides us with humor, joy, and common sense toward a happier, healthier relationship to food.

The instant New York Times bestseller"Expert storytelling…[Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways."-New York Times Book Review From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan, a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants-and the equally powerful taboos.Of all the things humans rely on plants for-sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber-surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. So, then, what is a "drug"? And why, for example, is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable, but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime? In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs-opium, caffeine, and mescaline-and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings? In this unique blend of history, science, and memoir, as well as participatory journalism, Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts, and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively-as a drug, whether licit or illicit. But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants, Pollan shows, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago, this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants, and our attraction to them through time, holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world.

The instant New York Times bestseller | A Washington Post Notable Book | One of NPR''s Best Books of the Year“Expert storytelling . . . [Pollan] masterfully elevates a series of big questions about drugs, plants and humans that are likely to leave readers thinking in new ways.” —New York Times Book Review From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan, a radical challenge to how we think about drugs, and an exploration into the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants—and the equally powerful taboos.Of all the things humans rely on plants for—sustenance, beauty, medicine, fragrance, flavor, fiber—surely the most curious is our use of them to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: People around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. But we do not usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable. So, then, what is a “drug”? And why, for example, is making tea from the leaves of a tea plant acceptable, but making tea from a seed head of an opium poppy a federal crime? In This Is Your Mind on Plants, Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs—opium, caffeine, and mescaline—and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants. Why do we go to such great lengths to seek these shifts in consciousness, and then why do we fence that universal desire with laws and customs and fraught feelings? In this unique blend of history, science, and memoir, as well as participatory journalism, Pollan examines and experiences these plants from several very different angles and contexts, and shines a fresh light on a subject that is all too often treated reductively—as a drug, whether licit or illicit. But that is one of the least interesting things you can say about these plants, Pollan shows, for when we take them into our bodies and let them change our minds, we are engaging with nature in one of the most profound ways we can. Based in part on an essay published almost twenty-five years ago, this groundbreaking and singular consideration of psychoactive plants, and our attraction to them through time, holds up a mirror to our fundamental human needs and aspirations, the operations of our minds, and our entanglement with the natural world.

"Michael Pollan dives deep into three plant drugs--opium, caffeine, and mescaline--and throws the fundamental strangeness, and arbitrariness, of our thinking about them into sharp relief. Exploring and participating in the cultures that have grown up around these drugs while consuming (or, in the case of caffeine, trying not to consume) them, Pollan reckons with the powerful human attraction to psychoactive plants."--

The New York Times bestseller that's changing America's diet is now perfect for younger readers';What's for dinner?' seemed like a simple questionuntil journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young readers' adaptation of Pollan's famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices. In a smart, compelling format with updated facts, plenty of photos, graphs, and visuals, as well as a new afterword and backmatter, The Omnivore's Dilemma serves up a bold message to the generation that needs it most: It's time to take charge of our national eating habitsand it starts with you.

A captivating personal inquiry into the art of architecture, the craft of building, and the meaning of modern work';A room of one's own: Is there anybody who hasn't at one time or another wished for such a place, hasn't turned those soft words over until they'd assumed a habitable shape?'When Michael Pollan decided to plant a garden, the result was the acclaimed bestsellerSecond Nature. InA Place of My Own,he turns his sharp insight to the craft of building, as he recounts the process of designing and constructing a small one-room structure on his rural Connecticut propertya place in which he hoped to read, write, and daydream, built with his own two unhandy hands.Invoking the titans of architecture, literature, and philosophy, from Vitruvius to Thoreau, from the Chinese masters of feng shui to the revolutionary Frank Lloyd Wright, Pollan brilliantly chronicles a realm of blueprints, joints, and trusses as he peers into the ephemeral nature of ';houseness' itself. From the spark of an idea to the search for a perfect site to the raising of a ridgepole, Pollan revels in the infinitely detailed, complex process of creating a finished structure. At once superbly written, informative, and enormously entertaining,A Place of My Ownis for anyone who has ever wondered how the walls around us take shapeand how we might shape them ourselves.Praise forA Place of My Own';A glorious piece of prose . . . Pollan leads readers on his adventure with humor and grace.'Chicago Tribune';[Pollan] alternates between describing the building process and introducing informative asides on various aspects of construction. These explanations are deftly and economically supplied. Pollan's beginner status serves him well, for he asks the kind of obvious questions about building that most readers will want answered.'The New York Review of Books';By shrewdly combining just the right mix of personal reflection, architectural background, and nuts-and-bolts detail, Michael Pollan enables us to see, feel, and understand what goes into the building of a house. The result is a captivating and informative adventure.'John Berendt, author ofMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil';An utterly terrific book . . . an inspired meditation on the complex relationship between space, the human body and the human spirit.'Francine du Plessix Gray';A tour de force.'Phillip Lopate

Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, Food Rules, and How to Change Your Mind,explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen in Cooked.Cookedis now a Netflix docuseries based on the book that focuses on the four kinds of "e;transformations"e; that occur in cooking. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney and starring Michael Pollan, Cooked teases out the links between science, culture and the flavors we love.In Cooked, Pollan discovers the enduring power of the four classical elementsfire, water, air, and earthto transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. Each section of Cooked tracks Pollan's effort to master a single classic recipe using one of the four elements. A North Carolina barbecue pit master tutors him in the primal magic of fire; a Chez Panissetrained cook schools him in the art of braising; a celebrated baker teaches him how air transforms grain and water into a fragrant loaf of bread; and finally, several mad-genius ';fermentos' (a tribe that includes brewers, cheese makers, and all kinds of picklers) reveal how fungi and bacteria can perform the most amazing alchemies of all. The reader learns alongside Pollan, but the lessons move beyond the practical to become an investigation of how cooking involves us in a web of social and ecological relationships. Cooking, above all, connects us. The effects of not cooking are similarly far reaching. Relying upon corporations to process our food means we consume large quantities of fat, sugar, and salt; disrupt an essential link to the natural world; and weaken our relationships with family and friends. In fact, Cooked argues, taking back control of cooking may be the single most important step anyone can take to help make the American food system healthier and more sustainable. Reclaiming cooking as an act of enjoyment and self-reliance, learning to perform the magic of these everyday transformations, opens the door to a more nourishing life.

Da LSD blev opdaget, troede forskerne, de stod på tærsklen af en psyko­logisk revolution. Resultaterne i behandlingen af psykiske lidelser var overvældende. Det forekom pludselig muligt at lodde dybden af bevidsthedens mysterier. Men i 1960’erne blev de psykedeliske stoffer koblet til ungdoms­oprøret, presset ud af universiteterne og politisk under jorden. I 40 år turde ingen tage forskningen op. Indtil et umage par – en Silicon Valley-ingeniør der bor i en skov, og en højt estimeret, ranglet professor med hang til meditation – i 2006 fik godkendt et studie på det prestigefyldte universitet Johns Hopkins. I dag er en stille, men gennemgribende revolution i gang. Studier viser at psilocybin kan hjælpe terminalt syge med at håndtere dødsangst. USA’s og EU’s lægemiddelagenturer finansierer store studier i psykedeliske stoffer fordi man håber de kan blive et værn mod den bølge af depressioner der truer med at slå ind over den vestlige verden. I London og København under­søger man stoffernes effekter på hjernen. I ‘Din foranderlige bevidsthed’ fortæller Michael Pollan historien om de psykedeliske stoffer. Han tager os på en rejse ind i en verden af psyko­loger, shamaner og svampejægere der beretter om exceptionelle oplevelser med dyb og forandrende effekt. Kigger med i hjernescanneren når forskerne viser hvordan det netværk i hjernen der er knyttet til vores selv, dæmpes. Og endelig prøver han (for første gang i en alder af næsten 60) stofferne selv.