In Defense of Food

Last weekend I finally got around to reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. The book was fascinating and I found myself dog-earing one page after another.

Michael’s 12 rules of eating:

1. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
2. Avoid foods containing ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Don’t eat anything that wouldn’t eventually rot.
4. Avoid food products that carry health claims.
5. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket; stay out of the middle.
6. Better yet, buy food somewhere else: the farmer’s market or CSA.
7. Pay more, eat less.
8. Eat a wide diversity of species.
9. Eat food from animals that eat grass.
10. Cook and, if you can, grow some of your own food.
11. Eat meals and eat them only at tables.
12. Eat deliberately, with other people whenever possible, and always with pleasure.

The most astounding fact I learned from this book:

Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food; they also spend less than a half hour a day preparing meals and little more than an hour eating those meals. Compared to the 9.9 percent of their income Americans spend on food, the Italians spend 14.9 percent, the French 14.9 percent, and the Spanish 17.1 percent. It’s important to note that the Italians, French and Spanish also suffer less health issues than Americans. Coincidence? Not likely.

My one question in regards to this book:

On page 25 there is a mention that the official U.S. recommendation for the maximum permissible level of free sugars is 25 percent of daily calories. To my knowledge there is no RDA for sugar. If anyone has any insight they’d like to share on this, I’d love to determine where this number came from.

Do I recommend this book?

YES. It’s a worthy read and ultimately it is difficult not to side with the ideas the author is presenting. I found In Defense of Food to be an eye-opening, informative read written in a way that’s easy to digest (pun intended!).

Stay strong.

Peace.

Susan