In Defense of Food

I just finished Michael Pollan’s latest book: In Defense of food. That’s right! I get to read non-school related things now! I share many of the same beliefs about food as Michael does so although he’s sorta preaching to the choir with me, reading his book was a good wake-up call to start taking the food I eat even more seriously. You can’t change your lifestyle overnight, you’ve got to change it gradually. So I’m going to take a little time to think about what other good eating habits I want to incorporate into my life. Here are Michael’s general recommendations:

  • Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. This is the books creedo.
  • Stay away from foods with health claims. They are probably overly refined foods with nutrients put back into them. Why not instead eat food that already has the nutrients to begin with?
  • If and when you eat meat, eat animals that ate healthy. I know this from living in Ireland and tasting the difference with grass/clover fed cow’s milk and meat. So delicious. I heard a friend say “The meat here tastes too gamey” with which I should have replied “you mean because it has flavor?”
  • Eat a variety of plants, especially leafy greens.
  • Stay out of the center of the supermarket. In fact, stay out of the supermarket.
  • Incorporate more whole grains into your diet. This doesn’t mean whole wheat bread. This means actual grains. Americans eat a whole lot of ground up, refined flower. Bread is delicious, but you should be getting whole grains too.
  • Stay away from corn syrup. This has been my personal creedo for the past year.
  • Eat things with less than 5 ingredients and stay away from “food” with unrecognizable ingredients in them.
  • Eat with people. Eat meals, don’t eat alone, don’t eat on the go, eat slowly.
  • Be thankful for and enjoy your food.
  • Buy locally grown food, buy from farmer’s markets, eat seasonal foods, buy organic.
  • Grown your own whenever possible.
  • Pay more, eat less. Buy food that is of higher quality and your body will be more satisfied. You’ll also be supporting the people who make good food instead of the people who make crappy food.
  • Enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner.

I planted my tomatoes yesterday and am thinking about planting one more thing. What will it be? Maybe cucumbers? Eggplant? More whole grains. Last year we got good at polenta and grits. This year I’ll work in more wheat berry and quinoa. Now that I have a job, I can afford better produce and can afford to shop at Rainbow more often. We are lucky enough to have a great market (Haight Ashbury Market) near us and I will continue to try and shop on a meal by meal basis so we eat fresh. I am going to try and incorporate more fermented foods into our diet. More juicing. I love my juicer. That’s my plan! Eat healthy food, be happy.


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