Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.
"Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants." This is sane advice. This is a summation of the wisdom to be found in Michael Pollan's new book "In Defense of Food - An Eater's Manifesto". Pollan's previous book titled "The Omnivore's Dilemma" created a huge conversation about the American, and North American, way of eating. "In Defense of Food" shows us what we need to know to unscrabble the American paradox which has more and more people becoming less and less healthy, all while being overly concerned about nutrition.
Why does food need defending? Much of what we eat, as a society, is not food, not produced by nature but by food science. With the industrialization of food, whole foods have become refined and processed. Archetypal "Mom" has lost her authority over meals as the food industry and nutritional science have shaken our confidence in common sense and tradition. We have shifted our trust over to the food industry whose "experts" guide us towards nutrients instead of foods. Michale Pollan strongly urges us to avoid food products that contain unpronouncable ingredients or that make health claims. With lively prose and logical clarity, Pollan points out the value of eating like the French. Or the Italians. Or the Japanese. Or the Indians. Or the Greeks. If these traditional diets weren't healthy, the diet and the people who followed it wouldn't still be around. We are reminded to eat meals. At a table, not in the car. A desk is not a table. We are urged to cook and to plant a garden.
Pollan proposes a new (and very old) answer to the question of what we should eat. "In Defense of Food" is an empassioned plea to reclaim our health and happiness as eaters. Let us point you to some ways to start your own journey to better eating and better living:
The glorious foods of Greece : traditional recipes from the islands, cities, and villages / by Kochilas, Diane.
Outstanding in the field : a farm to table cookbook / by Denevan, Jim.
Homegrown : pure and simple : great healthy food from garden to table / by Nischan, Michel.
For more farm to table food ideas, visit Farm-To-Table Cooking and Eating.