Food Rules by Michael Pollan

I have just finished reading Michael Pollan’s new book Food Rules An Eater’s Manual.   It is such a wonderful concise guide to healthy eating.   In his last book In Defense of Food  he broke down the often complicated question on what to eat to three simple rules:  Eat Food, Mostly Plants, Not too Much.  In this book he further distills that wisdom into 64 simple rules on what and how to eat.  Some of my favorites rules are : 

Rule 7:  Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.

Rule  11: Avoid foods you see advertised on television.

Rule 14: Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.

Rule 19:  If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.

Rule 27: Eat animals that have themselves eaten well. (think happy cow)

Rule 30: Eat well-grown food from healthy soil.

Rule 33:  Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacteria or fungi.

Rule 39:  Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.

Rule 43:  Have a glass of wine with dinner. (one of my favorites!)

Rule 46: Stop eating before your full.

Rule 52:  Buy smaller plates and glasses.

Rule 53:  Serve a proper portion and don’t go back for seconds.

Rule 60:  Treat treats as treats.

Rule 61:  Leave something on your plate.  

and finally,

Rule 64:  Break the rules once in a while.

I will be expounding on some of these rules in my upcoming posts.  For now.  Eat well.