I started cooking 90% of my meals when covid hit and lost 65+ pounds. I wasn’t cooking hip healthy foods. I make pizza, burgers, pastas, bbq, chicken wings, or whatever I was craving. This guy is spot on. My food taste better and I feel better when I cook myself. We need a home cooking revolution and that would solve so many problems the USA has.

“How cooking can change your life” ~Walter White

The ONLY problem with cooking your own food is that 'going out to eat' isn't fun anymore. You realize how awful restaurant food is once you're use to home cooked meals.

“You create an anxiety... and then you create a solution.” -- Really, there are times when it seems that marketing should be considered immoral, if not criminal.

Ten years ago, I was unpacking our groceries and a couple of my kid’s friends who were visiting walked over and gawked at me. One of them, awestruck, said “you guys buy ingredients!”. It was then I realized that very few people actually cook these days. Coming from a family of European immigrants, I’d never experienced anything else. Even during college, my roommates ate crap and I made good things. Soon I was cooking for the house.

"We recoil at social engineering by the government, but for some reason we accept it by industry."

I see this all the time: People have difficult jobs, they come home , they are hungry, they hate shopping, they hate cooking. Their spouses hate shopping, hate cooking. No one prepares a meal. Result: Anger, upset, misdirected at spouse, and bad eating habits.

Cooking and baking is excellent stress relief. Blast your fav music, podcast or quiet your house, focus on the task and you come out with a tangible accomplishment. It's wonderful.

What a breath of fresh air to read all these comments. So many people cooking at home from scratch.

I cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Monday to Friday). I prep my meals and take them to work with me during the week. Saturday is date night out with my girl and Sunday’s call for family dinners. I thank my Italian immigrant grandmother for teaching me how to cook

“You don’t have time for cooking, you’re too important” DAMN that hit 😂😂😂

I have been cooking professionally for many years; still can feel excited to cook at home ! My opinion is that we need to start teaching children about food and preparation to take ownership about good nutrition!

big companies are not supposed to look after us, their aim is to make money. We are supposed to look after ourselves, no one else.

I did keto for about two years. Although I don’t do it anymore-it taught me a lot about how the food industry puts salt and sugar in EVERYTHING. The health food aisle is full of foods packed in sugar-cane sugar and honey. The only way I could cut sugar out of my diet was to cook from scratch. And I discovered how many foods I ate that were based on convenience.

I absolutely love cooking. I find it recreational. To me, it is a mixture of art and chemistry + some traditional theoretical knowledge and craftmanship. I enjoy feeling the textures, smelling the ingredients, listening to the food processing and watching the metamorphose when heat is applied. Cooking is should be a joy never a chore!

I got to meet Mr Pollan waiting to board a plane from Cincinnati to Los Angeles. He was very kind and a total gentleman. His work has literally changed my life by opening my eyes to so many things about how we eat as humans these days. I was super excited to thank him for this and he seemed happy to hear it.

Michael Pollan 8 years ago- "How cooking can change your life." Michael Pollan today- "How magic mushrooms can change your life!"

Real food, cooked at home, saved my life. I've lost 80 pounds in one year, no longer need diabetes meds, no longer need high blood pressure meds, no longer have acid reflux, no longer have sleep apnea, went from an A1c of 11.1 to 6.0 in six months, and best of all I feel strong again and about twenty years younger. I hit the gym three times a week for one hour - that's it. And I'll be 70 next year. YOU CAN DO, TOO!! I'M TALKING TO YOU!! I'M NOT KIDDING. Things to beware of: Any "diet" - you will definitely lose weight on any of them, but absolutely none of them are sustainable. Work out a nutritional program for your self that you can be happy with for life. Also, avoid sugar, processed foods (pretty much the isle sections of supermarkets), sugar, additives such as antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, sugar, trans fats (for those items that still have it), sugar, and any of the following in more than small, occasional amounts: potatoes, bread, alcohol, fruit juices, and anything that has sugar (often hidden with weasel-word names - learn them), anything that was not available to your great-grandparents, and anything that contains more than two lines in the ingredient listing or contains words you can't pronounce. Things you thought might be bad for you, but are indeed very good for you in reasonable amounts: coffee, nuts, berries, nonfat milk, chocolate (NOT the brown sugar candies like Hershey's and Snickers bars, but REAL chocolate, containing at least 72% cacao - 90% or more is even better), and our old best friend: water - and lots of it. BEST OF LUCK!! I HOPE YOU GET THE RESULTS YOU WANT - YOU DESERVE THEM! Maybe I'll bump into you at the gym!

"Eat anything you want, just cook it yourself." Well said, thanks for the video!

When I discovered the problem with processed food while still working, I started cooking on weekends - pot of soup and maybe some cabbage or chili to last the week. Make part of a salad and top with tomatoes when its time to eat. It is much cheaper - but maybe not as "cravable".

Brilliant. Not only is cooking at home a joy for me, my kids love me for it and it has become the big event for them. My daughter asks me starting at 6pm, “what are we having tonight followed by every 10 minutes, is it ready”? Learning how to dice a cucumber, cook a hamburger, perfect basmati rice, baked fish, eggplant casserole - have taught me how to be a better person, through focus, precision and health. Amen Michael Pollan!

As an Italian I suggest a solution: produce new grandparents. The italian food industry since 1861.

Haven’t needed to see a doctor for anything in last two years since I started cooking at home. It’s comforting when you trust the cook.

This is a fantastic video. We've been eating about 90% clean for the past two years. I've started going to the gym. I've lost almost 120 lbs and most of that was because of the diet. Looking back, I'm amazed how I never saw how I was slowly killing myself with the food I was eating.

After reading Michael pollan... it changed my life. I have made the effort to cook every night for my family

I learned to homecook from my dad and since I moved to my own place I cook almost every single day, I now will literally feel sick and tired if I consume fast food or "trashy foods" ; For people that don't cook themselves I have one tip for you ; you don't know how bad you feel now eating crappy foods until you cook yourself and mind your eating habits. You WILL feel an enormous difference in energy levels and overall wellbeing

I feel lucky to come from a household to where my mom and father cooked dinner every night, when we traveled we packed our food with us, we always had a garden and chickens. We never ever relied on fast food. Those habits have now been handed down to me and I couldn’t be more grateful. It blows my mind when I eat lunch at work, it’ll be my sandwich and maybe some fruit and veggies with some other stuff in it, but all of my other coworkers everyday go and pick up any fast food joint they can get their hands on. Lol could never imagine downing a 2000 calorie greasy fast food meal for lunch.

I'm going to start quilt-making soon. Thanks Michael for restoring my faith in cooking. I cook every day from scratch, more and more as I get older. I try to grow whatever I can in my backyard as well. My Mother taught me everything I know and I really appreciate her lifelong efforts to bring the best food to the table every day.

I don't know how you live NOT cooking the majority of your food; not only is it healthier, but it's significantly cheaper....

I was raised in a Sicilian household and from my earliest childhood memories everyone was in the kitchen cooking. When I was older and started living with roommates or girlfriends, I realized how odd that was as no one knew how to cook anything but toast, fried eggs, mac and cheese, etc. I still find it weird that people don't grow up cooking. I've always wondered what the long-term health effects there are from not cooking at home and a diet that consists of food ordered to-go, at restaurants, fast-food joints, and frozen foods.

I could hear this man talk about any topic for days, the sweetness in his voice and the way he breaks down every bit of information is amazing, I regret not knowing him until now.

Cooking is meditation for me. I have been cooking from the age of 12, which was imbibed by my mother who always said it will benefit in accepting food served by others and stop finding faults in other people’s food. Another thing she taught me was praying while cutting the vegetables which increase the purity of the food when we consume. Since then I loved everything that I ate and relished it.

Food "cooked on the stove" is the key to good health!

Cooking brings comfort… cooking for others brings joy… seeing the smiles bring satisfaction

This is a fantastic take. Food is a big part of our lives, and you could say it’s our whole lives. Unplugging from processed foods and harnessing my cooking has been a big liberator for me, a sort of spiritual task. I can tell how I’m doing mentally by what I reach for food-wise. I’m frustrated with how our society is going right now. I take that frustration out on what I eat: not letting the big food corporations get my money or my health.

It's amazing listening to Michael Pollan. Such an excellent communicator.

Michael Pollan is astoundingly insightful and comforting while educating us so importantly. National hero

I grew up in one of the most extremely dysfunctional households you could have found half a century ago in the US. There was no responsible parent in the house doing the daily cooking. There was an older brother or sister doing this and that keeping my twin sister and I alive until we could send for ourselves which was about six years old. It might have been sooner had I been tall enough to reach up and operate our gas burners (no auto lighting either - kitchen matches was the way). Anyway, there I was, from six years old to the present cooking my own food for myself. Who knew that it would be a great health blessing in disguise? Give me $20 even today and I can buy the fixings for better eating (to MY taste) than I can get with $100 eating at any restaurant.

Wow! I’ve never heard of the speaker before, but I’m so impressed. Great video. So glad it came into my feed.

He is so respectful to society. Empathised with people

Nothing new to me really, I've studied this subject for few years too but what makes this so big is that Michael here has balls to stand up and speak about it. I bow to you sir. Hope everyone could see this video, it's very important!

Michael Pollan, how wonderful that you go there! This is all so true. We have lost something when we just thing about getting `FED` as opposed to being `NOURISHED`!

So true! I'm making most of my meals becasue I'm on sick leave. Even I make cookies and cakes. I refuse to use seed oils except olive. I only use fat from bacon or roast meats. I've lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks and I cant walk due to busted leg. Cooking in wheelchair is difficult but the food tastes so much better. My friend bought me takeout and the taste of canola oil was revolting

I used to eat out a lot. I would get sick on a pretty regular basis. Probably like 3-4 times a year. Then I had the idea one day that I have no idea who's hands were in my food and if they were clean or not. It totally changed the way I think about food. I avoid eating food not made by me as much as possible.

Started cooking as a child with my Mom and sisters, love to cook, have cooked every day for over 50 years. Just finished garlic butter steak bits for tomorrow's brunch with our kids and their families. Of course biscuits and eggs, too..

I thought I couldn't love Michael Pollan any more, and yet he proves me wrong! Thank God for men like him!

Once I learned to cook in my late twenties well I love it…it is a creative outlet..you make your family and yourself happy..you feed them they smile they laugh..it’s great..but people need to learn how to cook..otherwise for most it’s a chore like it was to me..it took to long to make dinner..then it didn’t taste that good…then I had to clean up! Not worth it …take out! But once I learned short cuts and watched cooking shows and now UKposts..it’s great,,try it!

Been teaching about the microbiome globally! We need to take this serious and change our lives/culture! Make and eat fermented foods! It's easy and so important! Walking barefoot on clean soils, grasses and sand grounds our health on another level. Just returned from teaching in Australia! Sad to see that they have picked up a lot of our bad habits (fast-foods etc), in America but their is also a consciousness arising! Let's do it!

Giant kitchen is one of the most important hubs of a home. If you wanna cook but the cleanup is a pain, get a good dishwasher, not a cheap one... Invest, it will do the work. Theres a tool for everything, use em, it makes things easier. (I like the hand tools, they're often fascinating machines.) Freezer... freezer freezer freezer. If you're like me, single, you'll have leftovers youll be eating for days or weeks and it lets you buy in bulk so you save a bit of money.

Wow, this seems so obvious but man it really hit me how I have fallen into this myself. Returning to the simple things of life is the answer.

As a Dutch person who cooks every day and only orders something maybe two times a month, I find this cultural habit fascinating. I dont know any better.

I remember watching a documentary on potato chips, Lays or Pringles etc not really sure. The amount of research/time/money spent to design/engineer the most tasty, addicting chips was incredible...(so you buy more). Similar to drugs - not real/natural - that shouldn't become our norm - back to basics.

🇨🇦our family spends a lot of time and energy cooking. Our son 25 loves to cook.

From a professional chef working 10 to 12 hours 6 days week I still cook from scratch most meals takes 20 minutes at most it's all about prepping things the day before

Cooking is an orchestra of beautiful things

This is enlightening. McDonalds fries was the only thing I'd eat from there. Not anymore, though.

I’ve always enjoyed cooking for myself, it’s one of those few things I always find joy in not the mention my ability to get something exactly how I want it is great

water is your best friend. I felt blowed and did the "water diet" (just drink tons more water than usual in accordance to your weight) and in one week you will notice a huge difference

Thank you Michael, for adding insight into the food system. Spring is a great time to get back into the kitchen, and the farmers market will be here soon in MI! Thanks again for your work.

For me cooking has been Zen for 50 years😃 Sensual, often exotic/erotic, sociable - do it together with friends over a glass of wine sometimes ... am a gourmet and a hobby cook, and at 72 my health is near perfect. However, I am also on a 16:8 fasting regime,not intentional, purely accidental. Never get hungry, and each meal is a feast. Not going to stuff my face with anything purely for psychological deficits.

Michael Pollan's videos and books have been fantastic sources of information for me regarding nutrition and diet. He is so right!

7:14 ...they create an anxiety and then create a solution. I think that story and that line might be the most important part of the speech. Marketing and the media is controlling your minds.

Listening to Michael Pollan is so soothing

I am listening to this as I am cooking a meal. Cooking is my favorite form of art.

Great lecture! It is indeed true that if you do more homecooking you will be way more healthy. My parents always did home cooking and I'm rarely sick, and other kids from my school ate alot of fast food and sugar, guess what, almost sick monthly and some even had diabetes! Which was rare at the time, but now a days it isn't anymore

holy cow! no more ready meals for me, will spend the time to cook. thank you for sharing

YOU'RE SO RIGHT.. it makes me wanna cook my own meal

I love cooking. I made it a part of my daily routine. Soon as you make it apart of your daily routine its so rewarding, especially if it turned out delicious. Even better when others think its delicious. Just cook your own food. It only takes an hour. Cookings even easier if you throw it in a slow cooker.

Having just spent four hours of my Saturday making my mom's amazing cabbage and pork stew, I have to say that I'm conflicted. I do actually like to cook, and I'm good enough at it that I far prefer my own cooking to take-out and ready-to-eat grocery store meals, but there just isn't time. I turned down an invitation to socialize this weekend because I have too much housework to get done before Monday. We need shorter working hours, is what we need. I only work the normal 40 hours a week, and I don't even have kids or pets to look after, and yet, between work and sleep and managing a simple one-person household, I have practically no time left over to actually live my life. Wtf? I'm only starting to cook again because my poor body has been so neglected over the last two years that I've gained 20 lbs and I feel like I've aged three decades - so I HAVE to cook now. But it's seriously eating into my "free" time.

This is incredibly insightful. I'm enjoying listening to every word.

I teach university courses; this is the level of expertise and authority that I strive to get to in my field of expertise...

Excellent and enlightening lecture Mr. Pollan!

Excellent speech. Salute

I started on the Mediterranean diet a couple years ago. It has been a great boon to my health (absolutely stopped arthritis in my hands, also lost 15 pounds without at all trying, etc). I am by no means super conscientious on the diet aspect (which foods for instance), but started cooking and as I cooked I had to learn how to cook. I also learned to use herbs and spices, to roast veggies, and all sorts of things that made food taste better.

a really good speaker. he was very concise with his arguments and points

Jeez, this guy can crunch out the words. Fortunately, good words.

I, or my spouse, cook about 18 meals out of 21/week (a few less for my spouse who buys lunch many work days). Sometimes that's cereal & fruit or fried tempe & vegetables, but usually its something like a homemade soup, a tofu-veg stirfry or beans & peppers burritos.

thank you so much for sharing your gifts with our world, I am a mother of three beautiful children and honor most of your rules........ so wonderful to feel your backing and i am a advocate for sharing this information with all who will listen.........

AMAZING! Great presentation. Love you Michael!

Thank you for this talk and this video.

His work is phenomenal.

Bravo! That is one of the most important things for children to learn. My daughter loves cooking & always has. She makes meals from scratch every day. I heard a friend of hers who's 17, asking her how to cook pasta. Imagine not knowing how to cook pasta. But, very common with young folk I see.

Fantastic talk, BRILLIANT, simple, impactful.

As an Italian-American, it's our tradition to cook our Nana's dishes. My kids learned too. We don't eat fast food or drink sodas. It's farm to table for us. 😋

My every waking moment is spent either cooking or thinking about cooking. I usually dream about cooking as well. My father's father and my mother's mother were both restaurant owners and cooks, so I guess it's just in my genes. I am teaching my sons to cook also. I tell them that chances of finding a wife that can cook properly these days is dim, so their only hope for eating proper and delicious food is to cook it themselves.

I'm only 16 & i live in a household that forces me to only eat processed foods. I want to eat better so bad, but there is no ingredients in my house that will allow me to go back to the basics and it is quite depressing because i'm always sick. my body doesn't respond well to that food at all and i feel like it is slowly killing me, and making my health deny earlier then it should as i age.

Wow, so inspired!

Cooking is a form of stress relief for me after a day of hard work

"This is traditionally how marketing works: you create an anxiety, and then you create a solution." Maybe I'm crazy, but this feels awfully relevant during these pandemic times.

Processed foods are "sneaky". I had not thought to check the ingredients on the bottle of store bought ketchup in my frig. High Fructose Corn Syrup is the second ingredient (right after some form of processed tomatoes). KETCHUP! New item on to-do list: Learn to make my own ketchup using my own home-grown tomatoes.

Excellent. Thank you.

Thoroughly informative .

That's pretty profound dude. "There's a Wilderness inside of us as well as out there"

This is one of the best videos i've seen lately! =)

Great input, also great follow up questions!

I sent this to my husband so he can have a better understanding of why I change the raisin bread he loves to sprouted organic raisin bread. Thanks for sharing

Informative presentation indeed. Would anyone happen to know what resource(s) he gets the "Even poorer women who cook have better health outcomes than wealthy women who don't" quote comes from? Brilliant take-home point. Would love to read the paper in it's entirety.

This was Amazing

Michael Pollan rocks! Such a good speaker and story teller. I love to cook. Not particularly good at it, but gosh it’s fun, and I prefer my home-cooking to almost any restaurant food, though a local taqueria has my heart too. Making my own meals is also a way I can ensure I’m eating gluten-free, and a great way to feel connected to other cultures by using spices and recipes.

Love this!