Book Review :: Food Rules

I picked up this interesting little book yesterday at the Stately Raven Bookstore. I had read some of Michael Pollan's other books – The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. They were excellent, but huge and somewhat complex. This tiny little title caught my eye, mostly because of my new pursuit of vitality.

I've been changing my eating strategies one little thing at a time for the last few weeks. Added a little fruit. Subtracted a little meat. Can't remember the last time I ate fast food. You know. . .stuff like that.

So far, it's making a difference.

Then I picked this book up. Now I've got new strategies to add. The book is just 64 simple rules for eating wisely. Some of them I had heard before. Most of them were new. Many were provocative and easy to remember.

A Sampling:

Rule 2: Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

Rule 13: Eat only food that will eventually rot.

Rule 21: It's not food if it's called the same thing in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos and Pringles.)

Rule 36: Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.

Rule 51: Take as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it.

Rule 57: Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.

My very favorite rule is #39 – Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. I think the last time I cooked french fries, potato chips, corn chips, candy, ice cream or Oreos in my own kitchen was along about the time I was wearing those size 8 jeans. . .