What I’m Reading – Food Rules

The book Food Rules: An Eaters Manual was recommended to me on Facebook by Syndey. By now you know I LOVE to read……and this book was delightful! Unlike a lot of the other heavy books about food and nutrition, this one was witty and at times I laughed out loud. I like this book because it wasn’t written by a nutritionist…..or a doctor…..or some know-it-all. It was written by a journalist who got his information by interviewing people. No, he didn’t only interview doctors, etc……he also interviewed grandmothers and mothers: people who REALLY know what they’re talking about. The book is comprised of 64 “rules” that Michael Pollan collected after researching what we really should be eating. Most of the rules are things you’ve already heard – from your grandmother or great-grandmother….from times when there wasn’t an issue with over-processed foods and GMO junk.

–“Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.” Have you ever tried to read the list of ingredients on a box of Twinkies? Not gonna happen. I’m really trying to take this rule to heart. I’m examining labels now….if there is something in it and I don’t know what it is, it goes back on the shelf. Pronto…..to stay with those Twinkies that will still be around when I kick the bucket. And speaking of Twinkies that last forever:

–“Eat only foods that will eventually rot.” Think about it…..food should rot. It really should. If it’s in your cabinet for a year and it’s still good in the box? Uhhhh, what is in there that’s keeping it from going bad? *Shiver* There are exceptions to this rule: dried beans, canned items (which do eventually go bad), and wheat berries. Once, Barry’s Aunt Judy put a Happy Meal out on her table and let it sit…..for weeks. She just wanted to see what would happen. After several weeks, it still looked exactly like it did when she put it there. Ew. *Shiver*

-“Don’t ingest foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap.” Who really likes to wear a hair net? Do you wear a hair net when you cook in YOUR kitchen? Probably not. I think the exception to this rule might be the school cafeteria…..and it might be odd to see a lunch lady without a hair net.

-“It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language. Think Big Mac, Cheetos or Pringles.” This one really gave me a laugh, so I had to include it.  🙂

-“Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk” So true….what makes those Fruity Pebbles fruity? I’m pretty sure it’s not FRUIT. We follow this one very well. We eat homemade granola and sometimes I splurge and buy organic cereals – but none of them change the color of the milk.

-“The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.” Again, HA! This just made me laugh. 

-“Treat treats as treats.” A lot of people on their “whole foods diet” get a little carried away and forget that it’s okay to have a treat now and then. It’s okay to eat cake on a special occasion. You just don’t want to eat it with every meal. Don’t get so uptight that you can’t enjoy a piece of pie. Get your panties out of wad. You walk funny that way.

-“Break the rules once and a while.” Obsessing over something isn’t good for anyone. Then it becomes an idol. Whole foods should NOT be your idol. Yes, feed your family well…..but don’t wig out when you can’t.