“Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.” is the advice given by Michael Pollan in his book “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto“. Having devoured the book in less than a week I think I couldn’t agree more.

A large portion of the book covers the flaws and mistakes in nutritionalism. That is eating a food for its nutritional value and not the food itself. That food is more than the sum of it’s vitamins and minerals. It’s not the carotene that makes a carrot healthy for you, it’s the carrot.

Perhaps the most scary thing about the book, is the waking up to the fact of how wrong the industry is. How processed the food, or rather food like substances as Pollan calls them, in today’s supermarkets are. The labels on food-like-substances that say FDA qualified, which if you read the fine print allows the makers of said food to make most any claims they want to. Disgusting.

Perhaps the best observation in the book is on state of the gas station. He says:

“Don’t get Your Fuel From the Same Place Your Car Does

American gas stations now make more money selling food (and cigarettes) than gasoline, but consider what kind of food this is: except perhaps for the milk and water, it’s all highly processed nonperishable snack foods and extravagantly sweetened soft drinks in hefty twenty-ounce bottles. Gas stations have become processed-corn stations: ethanol outside for your car and high-fructose corn syrup inside for you” (Pollan, 192)

Towards the end of the book he gives a number of food algorithms. Not hard fast rules, but algorithms that can help you eat real food. I have reproduced a few of the ones I liked the most below. Please keep in mind that there are generally a page or five to explain them, but even at face value they are pretty good.

  • Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar, B) unpronounceable, c) more than five in number, or that include d) high-fructose corn-syrup
  • Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of them middle
  • Get ouf of the supermarket whenever possible
  • Eat mostly plants, especially leaves
  • You are what what you eat eats too
  • Pay more. Eat Less
  • Eat meals

These are simple things that we normally don’t think about. Things so simple as eat meals have been lost on us. It should be a given, but many people fall into the trap of snacking. All day. Pay more. Eat Less. That is eat higher quality foods, but as they cost more - you will naturally eat less. You will probably be more apt to eat slower (and taste!) your food as an added side bonus.

There are so many good things to say about this book I can’t do it any justice. You really should read it. It will change your complete outlook on food. Unless you like to getting your food from the same place your car does.

To maybe wet your appetite here is a talk given by him.