In contrast, populations eating more traditional diets generally do not suffer these diseases. The Western diet (high in processed foods and meat, added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, few vegetables) is unhealthy and results in high rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Pollan’s introduction to the book lays out the crux of the healthy eating obsession in America. Human beings ate well and kept themselves healthy for millennia before nutritional science came along to tell us how to do it it is entirely possible to eat healthily without knowing what an antioxidant is.” But I am skeptical of a lot of what passes for nutritional science, and I believe that there are other sources of wisdom in the world and other vocabularies in which to talk intelligently about food. To the contrary, in researching it and vetting these rules I have made good use of science and scientists. Interestingly, Pollan turned to cultural traditions about food, what he calls “food wisdom,” to garner and distill his eating rules, relying less on nutritional science. It is the most sensible, practical guide to healthy eating I’ve ever read! I was already a Michael Pollan fan, having read Omnivore’s Dilemma a few years ago, and Food Rules did not disappoint. It was on my summer reading list as you may remember. I recently read Food Rules as part of my efforts to eat more healthy, develop healthy eating habits, and loose a little weight. In 2009, Pollan published Food Rules an Eater’s Manual, in order to help readers answer one simple question: what should I eat? In Food Rules, Pollan offers a common sense approach to healthy eating with 64 simple rules that move beyond all of the mishmash of advice and scientific findings. This is the healthy eating philosophy of Michael Pollan, investigative journalist and author of some of the most important books on the American food industry, including The Omnivore’s Dilemma. Healthy eating is a complicated and confusing miasma of information and conflicting advice.īut what if it doesn’t have to be? What if healthy eating can be summed up in 7 little words? “Eat food.

We rely on scientific experts to tell us what is healthy or not, and then they change their minds. We pour over food labels and nutrition guides. We pursue complicated diets, telling us to eat this not that. Healthy eating – it is an American obsession.

Don’t let dieting advice and convoluted nutritional science keep you from creating a simple, healthy eating philosophy.

Michael pollan 7 rules