"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants"

Michael Pollen is one smart dude. I have read TONS of books about our food system, the way we eat, the deficiencies in the Western diet and comparisons of our diet against those of other cultures. But Pollen breaks it down simply and directly. And his ideas and findings aren't groundbreaking or earthshattering, but maybe his simple advice is just what we all need to hear. Our collective issue, according to Mr. Pollen, is that we eat fake processed crap, we eat too much of said fake processed crap, and not enough fruits and vegetables and real food. I tend to agree with his assessment.

It's pretty odd that we know MUCH more about nutrition and health than we did 60 years ago, but we aren't any healthier. In fact, we are sicker and fatter (broadly speaking--hahah no pun intended) as a nation than we were when we knew less. Pollen proposes an alternative way of eating that is informed by the traditions and ecology of real, well-grown, unprocessed food. He argues that our health cannot be divorced from the health of the food chains of which we are part.

He suggests that we try to abide by 5 simple rules, if we wish to avoid ingesting non food substances:

1. Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. (Can we say cheese whiz, or those sugary yogurts in tubes--if Great Grandma would look at it and not know what to do with it--don't eat it)
2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are A) unfamiliar, b) unpronounceable, c) more than 5 in number, or d) that include high fructose corn syrup.
3. Avoid products that make health claims (Usually if you flip these types of products over and read the ingredient list you won't be able to pronounce or have ANY idea of what most of the ingredients list entails)
4. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle (Have you even seen Cheetos or an Oatmeal Creme Pie on the outside of the supermarket? No, I didn't think so.)
5. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible (Go to the farmer's market, or road side stand whenever possible...the food is likely fresher and has traveled fewer miles)

Finally, he sums up his whole philosophy on eating with seven simple words..."Eat food, not too much, mostly plants".

Love this guy, no muss, no fuss, just the cold hard truth. Words to live (and eat) by.

Twinkie? Bad.

Fresh fruit? Good.

Get it? Got it? Good.

If only it was always so easy to pass up the processed junk. I'm not perfect. You know this. But, I'll keep trying if you do!