This past Sunday I watched the documentary Food Inc. Have you seen it? If so what did you think? It’s an eye opening account of the commercial farming industry focusing mostly on government subsidized corn and the beef industry.
As well as watching this I picked up a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and haven’t been able to put it down. It greatly expands on the documentary as well as gives information about Industrial Organic farming. I am mid way through the book and have been highlighting the heck out of it so I can post “Dawn’s Cliff Notes”.
I read so much about nutrition and the farming industry that I thought I had a pretty good grasp on things. Boy was I wrong. Food Inc didn’t surprise me much but I definitely am learning a lot about the word “organic” through this book. More to come!
In the mean time here are Michael Pollan’s 7 words and 7 Rules for Eating. I found them on Web MD.
7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating by Michael Pollan
Pollan says everything he’s learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words: “Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.”
Probably the first two words are most important. “Eat food” means to eat real food — vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat — and to avoid what Pollan calls “edible food-like substances.”
Here’s how:
1. Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. “When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can’t pronounce, ask yourself, “What are those things doing there?” Pollan says.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can’t pronounce.
3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.
4. Don’t eat anything that won’t eventually rot. “There are exceptions — honey — but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren’t food,” Pollan says.
5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. “Always leave the table a little hungry,” Pollan says. “Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, ‘Tie off the sack before it’s full.’”
6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It’s a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. “Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?” Pollan asks.
7. Don’t buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.
I just added Omnivores Dilemma to my library holds
You know where I stand with all of this, I just wish more and more people could be educated. Sadly, the manufacturers won't stop making the garbage food unless the public stops consuming it.
You hit the nail on the head Ash! Michael Pollan says you get three votes a day for change. I think about that all the time. Lots of barley and veggie recipes to come….
I have not seen that movie. Thanks for sharing this and the 7 rules list as well. I am vegetarian and try to eat as clean as possible – not perfect of course, but I try.
I love Ommivore's Dilemma. I did not like Food Inc. I thought it relied too heavily on tugging the heart strings and not enough on numbers. I don't want a sob story, I want to know what I can do. I prefered Super Size Me for the way the story was told and seeing the answer to “What happens if I eat three meals a day of McDonalds?” was well done.
Other books you might be intersted in include Animal Vegetable Miracle – a year of eating local by Barbera Kingsolver and Fast Food Nation for a look at how cheap food is driven by big companies that don't care how hard they work their employees and try to pay them as little as legally possible.
Thanks Foy! I will definitely check those out. Someone did mention the McDonalds one so I need to watch that. I love hearing your views on the movie. It did rely on heart strings which might turn some people off. It's amazing how many people want to completely bury their heads in the sand and just not know.
Food Inc really opened our eyes when we saw it last year. It really made us think more about where our food comes from. I think it's awesome the information is getting out to the public.
Hi Dawn,
I haven't seen Food Inc yet or read that book, but I know what you mean. I encourage you to read “Skinny Bitch” and “The Kind Diet” as well. Both excellent and whether you eat meat or not, they will really open up your eyes to the food, agricultural and farming industries in the US.
I have actually had a few others suggest both the book and her diet as well so I should check it out. I actually was going to buy Skinny Bitch a while back but I read the reviews and they were so mixed I didn't end up buying it and I saw Alicia interviewed on Oprah and she talked about shopping at Whole Foods (I have had some very negative experiences there so I'm a bit biased) and a lot of what she picked up was still processed. I will give it all another try!
I KNOW I need to read the book and watch that movie! I love the list though and agree with everything you wrote. I try to teach my friends/family about it but I feel like people are so concerned about calories and fat to look at ingredients. Annoying!
I agree! I have many very intelligent friends who just “don't want to know”. It is so hard for me to understand WHY. Especially when many have kids. Why would one not want to know what they are putting in those little bodies never mind their OWN?
In fact, I just emailed a girlfriend about an acquaintance: “I just found out_______ is another I-DO-NOT-WANT-TO-KNOW. I just can’t understand that mentality especially when you have kids. It just seems a little…..I don’t even know what the word is…careless? risky?….”
She responded “ignorant”.
Ah,yes.
I love what Michael Pollan is doing…he is causing Americans to take a step back and truly examine our food and the processes it incurs to get to our tables. His rules are some helpful guidelines that I certainly am trying to incorporate into my life. I've yet to see Food, Inc, but it is on my list. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Dawn,
I think both Skinny Bitch and The Kind Diet put way to much emphasis on processed food, but they do have some revealing information about the industry.
Thanks Amanda. I will check those out as well then. The more info the better I say!
There was an editorial in either Eating Well or CookingLight this month about breaking all of Michael Pollan's rules all in one day. Did you see it? It was a little tongue in cheek. The rule breaker in me liked it though!
I loved Food Inc and Omnivore's Dilemma. I think everyone should see/read them at some point. They are just so eye-opening!
I get both cooking light and eating well I can't believe I missed that! I will have to go back through them to read it.