The deeper themes flavoring this ever growing menu of healthier choices can be found in Pollan’s other works on food, botany, ecology, economics and our reliance on fossil fuels to produce our food. This one is for the reader who has less time to read than they do to eat.
Don’t skip the introduction on the way to the main course though, one of his best points is aptly made here: the discussion about food and nutrition is complex and full of controversy, how to eat a healthy diet is not really that complicated. The scientific perspective has permeated so much of our thinking about food its easy to get lost in the info-babble. Pollan breaks it down this way: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” (if you were wondering about the first two words, he defines processed foods as “edible foodlike substances” - not really food.)
A few rules below that got my juices flowing:
#6. Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients.
Challenging rule eh? This might really simplify shopping though - screw reading the ingredients just check the length of the list (not to mention the length of each word on the list -”methylchloroisothiazolinone” is not actually food but there's a good chance you've eaten it if you're an American. )
#13. Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
As an avid compost-er I loved this one - but it inspired even deeper reflection for me. When we eat we’re investing in the cycle of life. We are only temporarily intervening in the natural process of rot. Hey, its where we’re all going right? When we create processed food we impede that cycle, sometimes destroying it all together. Food that does not rot is also harmful to environment. Natch.
#16. Get out of the supermarket whenever you can.
Come on, admit it - you’ve had those “what planet am I really on" moments. You’re standing in a Megamart, a bizarre harmonica rendition of “Girl From Ipanema”, floats out while you’re accosted by some poor teenager forced to ask you “how your day is and can I help you with anything and do you want me to ask the butcher to....” How the hell did grocery stores ever get so big? Great Pollan observation: All the good stuff (fruits and veggies) are on the SIDES of the supermarkets. *Deeper theme - This is because they really don’t make that much money off the good stuff. The more processed a food is, the more profit there is to be made on it.
#17. Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans.
This would be number one on my list. Machines can’t cook. Think about it. If you can’t make love, you shouldn’t make food.
#20. Its not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
Heartbreaking I know, I still like the odd drive through poisoning myself. Best not to insult the colon too much these days, not when medical bills can cost you your house. *Deeper theme - petrol based food production extends into how we consume food and what it means to us. Food should really not be treated as something to do while you’re going somewhere else. Eating is a destination, not a multitasking opportunity. You do not belong to your car, its really the other way around.
#25. Eat your colors.
There is a chef (Isa we miss your food!) who cooked at a series of workshops I used to regularly attend. I always knew she was cheffing by the colors spread out at the buffet. It looked as if a garden had wandered in and partied all night. Her food always celebrated the vitality of the natural world. The best kind of food is colorful food. (there’s a lot of interesting scientifico-info-bableico I could list here having to do with the kinds of nutrients different colors usually represent, but I’m trying to stay away from that.)
#28. If you have the space, buy a freezer.
Country living teaches you this. If you’re going to eat meat, buy directly from the person who produces it. When you do find such a person - buy in bulk. Right now we’ve got ¼ of a cow and about ½ a lamb left in the freezer. Both of those animals were raised in fields a short drive from our house. *Deeper theme - Slow Food - have a relationship to your food producer, especially when it comes to animals. You will never regret this.
#31. Eat wild foods when you can.
All of us should have been taught safe food foraging by the time we entered junior high. There’s a lot of great food out there that is really good for you and safe to eat. *Deeper theme here - wild foods connect us more to our native ecosystem, dissolving some of the alienation our modern way of life fosters.
#33. Eat some foods that have been pre-digested by bacteria or fungi.
If you haven’t already heard about the cultured food revolution you will soon. Articles in the New Yorker and other mainstream publications are starting to pop-up, indicating we might really be ready to deal with that festering crock of Sauerkraut in the kitchen cupboard. Turns out digestion and health is really a team effort. Scientists are now acknowledging (FINALLY!) the importance of cultured food and the danger of over-sterilization. Oh look, we’re talking about rot - we’ve come full circle!
#64 Break the rules every once in a while.
Enjoy this book with a healthy side of “don’t take yourself too seriously”. I'm always thrown off when people are militaristic about changes that are deeply rooted in culture. If we were able to change our habits on a dime there wouldn't be anything you could call a habit. Culture has to cut grooves into our lives if its to carry weight from generation to generation. Its OK if change comes slowly, whats important is that change comes.
I think I’ll close with his dedication. “For my Mother, who always knew butter was better for you than margarine.” That sums it all up nicely.
On Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Food-Rules-Eaters-Michael-Pollan/dp/014311638X
