FOOD RULES part 2

Okay, so by now you should get Mr. Pollan's point. Eat whole, real, natural food. Forget about diets, low-fat, low-carb, whatever. Just eat food. But what kind of food you ask? Well let me tell you.

What kind of food should I eat?

22. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves. --antioxidants, fiber, omega 3s. All good.
23. Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food. --hmmm. I've feel as though I've heard this before. Eat meat sparingly. Yes, I have.
24. Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cow, pigs and other mammals).
25. Eat your colors. --Vegetables that is.
26. Drink the spinach water. --in the words of MP "the water in which vegetables are cooked is rich in vitamins and other healthful plant chemicals. Save it for soups or add it to sauces."
27. Eat animals that themselves have eaten well. --"the diets of the animals we eat strongly influences the nutritional quality of the healthfulness of the food we get from them, whether it's meat, eggs or milk." Grass fed and antibiotic free meat, eggs and dairy is more expensive, but more more healthy, not to mention tastes much better. You either pay out now (at the grocery store, or later at the doctor.)
28. If you have the space, buy a freezer. -- "when you find a good source of pastured meat, buy in quantity and freeze.
29. Eat like an omnivore. --"the greater the diversity of species you eat, the more likely you are to cover all your nutritional bases."
30. Eat well grown food from healthy soil. --or he could have just said Eat Organic.
31. Eat wild foods when you can. --very complicated explanation in book. Just do it. It's healthier.
32. Don't overlook the oily little fishes. --less mercury lots of omegas.
33. Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacteria or fungi. --Fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, and sourdough bread are good sources of B12 an essential nutrient you can't get from plants.
34. Sweeten and salt your foods yourself. --you will consume much less than if the company does it for you. Maybe my mom was on to something not letting us have sugared cereals. However we were allowed a small sugar spoon worth of sugar on our cheerios and grape nuts. Hmmmm. Very wise mother indeed.
35. Eat sweet foods as you find them in nature. --sugar in a fruit also has fiber. Not so much in the juice. Just eat the apple already.
36. Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of your milk. --again, highly processed and full of chemical additives. Guess I should go thank my mother today.
37. "The Whiter the bread the sooner you'll be dead." --Eat whole grains.
38. Favor the kinds of oils and grains that have been stone-ground. --olive, sesame, palm fruit and peanut are good oil choices.
39. Eat all of the junk you want as long as you cook it yourself. --How often are you really willing to make real french fries? Or homemade ice cream? Or Pie? Not everyday I bet.
40. Be the kind of person who takes supplements--then skip the supplements. --be wise about your health, but don't waste money on supplements you don't need. If you are eating mostly plants you will get enough.
41. Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks. --they all eat real food. Not processed crap. And the live much longer and are much healthier.
42. Regard nontraditional food with skepticism.
43. Have a glass of wine with dinner. --Or don't. Your choice.


And there you have it. Are you feeling wiser? Or just lost? Basically what I got from that was Eat mostly plants. Organic if you can. If you are going to eat meat, make sure it is organic grass-fed meat, and eat it sparingly. Eat a variety of foods. And eat junk only if it is homemade. Easy enough, eh?

I know this kind of eating takes time. And frankly lots of it. Pretty much if you are going to eat this way, you have to be willing to think ahead. Plan your meals, get to the grocery store often for fresh produce, and then cook them. And that is the key I think. Preparing your own meals. This way you get away from fake food, and into real food. And I know none of us feel we have the time, but hey, I just found time to write this blog post, and you found time to read it, so well, I'm betting you do have some extra time now and again. So get out of the fast food line, and back into your kitchen. Your family and body will thank you.

Next up: Part 3 How Should I eat.