Tuesday, 09 March 2010

• Read It and Eat: Food Rules

   

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  Michael Pollan, the renowned journalist and author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, has just come out with a new book, Food Rules. Based on the idea that the American obsession with complicated diets has spiraled out of control and has often been more destructive than helpful to American health (the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, even the Taco Bell diet), Pollan puts forth this carry-with-you-anywhere manual of quick and easy rules on how to eat right.
  

  The book is divided into three main sections, each with simple answers and short justifications accompanying: What to Eat (Pollan answers: "food"), What Types of Foods to Eat ("mostly plants"), How to Eat ("not too much"). Each section has witty tips to consult whether in your grocery store or at a restaurant.

  One such tip from the first section on defining what food is writes "don't eat anything advertised on TV." Such a proposition (followed by a short explanation and clarification) may seem quite obvious: We hardly see cucumbers or simple brown rice advertised on TV as often or in the same marketing way that we do with Doritos and McDonalds. Another helpful rule: "The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead," indicating how white bread offers only shots of sugar with poor quality proteins and fattening starch, all without the nutrients offered by unprocessed breads.

  While Pollan's book may seem to some an oversimplification of nutrition (there are many opportunities to point out, "Well, I saw an advertisement for Dole Bananas, is that so unhealthy?"), the guide illuminates the simplicity of good dieting with common sense reason.

  What do you guys think--is eating simply the way to go? Do you like Michael Pollan and have you read any of his other books?

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