I recently picked up Michael Pollan’s Food Rules to re-read. This is one of the very first books I read on my journey to discover true health, before I ever began studying nutrition. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a small book of food wisdom about what real food is and how we should eat it. It aims to keep eating simple, and teaches that food is as much about pleasure and community as it is about nutrition and health. It’s a book less about rules, really, than rules of thumb. I enjoy reading this book as a reminder to encourage people that daily decisions about food don’t have to be so hard. Or so confusing. There are so many theories swirling around out there, and conflicting advice… and its all plastered all over the internet. So I just appreciate this book and the simplicity of it’s message. He’s got 83 food rules in the most recently published volume (the original had 64), but many of them are versions of the same theme, which drive home his point. He summed it all up in a concise bit of wisdom you have likely heard,
“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Tough to argue with that!
I’ve picked a sampling of 10 of my favorite Michael Pollan food “rules” to help you keep it simple too. You probably know most of these things, but maybe struggle to consistently take them to heart.
1. Eat food.
Seems basic enough, right? But what he means is real food. Pay attention to how much of your diet actually consists of what Pollan likes to call “edible foodlike substances” (ie: processed food). Real food is not processed from corn or soy, has no chemical additives and is not contained in toxic plastic packaging.
2. Avoid food products pretending to be something they’re not.
This includes former favorites like margarine, which pretends to be butter, fat-free cream cheese, which contains neither cream, nor cheese, highly processed soy “mock meats” and processed food products that make health claims on the package (you know the ones…”good source of whole grains!” “good for heart health!”).
3. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
One thing just about every dietary theory out there can agree on, is that eating fruits and vegetables (especially vegetables) is highly beneficial and we all need to eat more, especially the green leafies. To eat a plant based diet you don’t need to become a vegetarian, just shift to building your meal around the veggies, not the meat. Treat meat as the side dish. There are tremendous health benefits from taking this approach.
4. Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.
If you eat meat, dairy or eggs, the nutritional quality of your animal protein is greatly influenced by both the quality of the food the animal eats and the way it was raised. But still, the industrial food chain keeps mass producing cheap animal protein at the expense of our health. Look for pasture raised, grass fed animal products. They will nourish rather than harm you and it is well worth the extra cost.
5. The whiter the bread, the sooner you’re dead.
Pollan describes this rule as a blunt bit of grandmotherly advice. Blunt it is and likely true as well. White flour is not much different from sugar, as far as the body is concerned. It spikes your blood sugar and wreaks havoc with your insulin production, factors that add up to inflammation in the body, which contributes to disease. Blood sugar also plays a massive role in your ability to burn fat and lose weight, so if you struggle in this area, you should avoid white flour like the plague.
6. Avoid ingredients that lie to your body.
This list includes sugars, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavorings, fake starches and fats, MSG and texturizers, among others. These ingredients play tricks on both the body and the brain, causing malfunction all over the place, including your metabolism, your digestion and your health.
7. Enjoy drinks that have been caffeinated by nature, not science.
I included this one, because we all love our caffeine, but there is a caffeine epidemic in this country. Enjoy caffeinated beverages in moderation, but this “rule” is good news for coffee, tea and chocolate lovers. Bad news for Coke or Red Bull drinkers! Coffee, tea and chocolate all come from plants. Coke and Red Bull do not.
8. If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, you’re probably not hungry.
Are you eating because you’re hungry, or something else (boredom, stress)? This is a good test!
9. The banquet is in the first bite.
This is a good one to remember, especially at dessert! It’s an encouragement to just slow down. No bite will ever taste as good as the first one. So eat slowly and enjoy those first few bites. If you take your time and truly enjoy your food, you will likely end up eating less.
10. When you eat real food, you don’t need rules.
Truly, when you stick to the main motto “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” you should do just fine! In other words, don’t obsess over food rules! We all break the rules now and then and that’s okay. What matters are the eating habits you develop in the day to day. Use these simple rules as a guide as you make daily decisions. Take them to heart. You’ll bring more health to your body and more joy to your soul!
Have you read Food Rules? Which rule is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
Live nourished,
Heather
