Food Rules – An Eaters Manual

Dr. Jerry originally wrote this post in 2010. The content of the book may have been really simple but at the same time eye opening. This classic advice might be more important today, considering the national rate of both disease and obesity has continued to increase over the last 9 years.

Let’s see why Dr. Jerry still likes this cute little book…

Just a quick plug for a great little read. Written by the author of the wildly popular book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan has created a very short and sweet guide to improving your eating habits.

I saw it in the grocery store and read the entire book while my wife was getting groceries and I found myself thoroughly enjoying every page turn. Here are a few of my favorites.

Rule #1 – Eat food. You might think that is an easy one but with more than 17,000 new products showing up on the shelves every year, most of what we eat is more appropriately classified as a “food like substance” – highly processed concoctions designed by food scientists, consisting of ingredients derived from corn and soy that no real person has in their pantry. Pollan states, “today much of the challenge of eating well comes down to choosing real food and avoiding these industrial novelties.”

Rule #7 – Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.Rule #19 – If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.

Rule #36 – Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.

Rule #44 – Pay more, eat less.

Rule #52 – Buy smaller plates and glasses.

Rule #57 – Don’t get your fuel at the same place your car does.

You get the idea. I’ve obviously left out a ton of his great suggestions but I hope you get the idea. I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of his book and taking the time to implement his ideas into your life. We outline a few of our other favorites in a post called Books about Food- Recommended Reading.

Michael Pollan and illustrator Maria Kalman created a hardcover version of the book with beautiful illustrations and more food wisdom. You can find a copy here.