Per my friend Carol's suggestion, I picked up a copy of Michael Pollan's famous book, In Defense of Food. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it, I found it little too food-jargon heavy for me. But rather than give up I went for the book on CD and...success! It's amazing how many processed foods we eat without knowledge - try flipping over a loaf of bread at the supermarket and you'll be surprised (like I was) to find that the list of ingredients goes way beyond yeast, flour, and water.
As a new subscriber to Pollan's wisdom I've been trying to reconcile my supermarket spending and stick to foods my great-grandmother would recognize as food. A.K.A. no frozen pizzas, pre-packaged veggies, etc. It's really eye opening! Now I'm onto his next book, The Omnivore's Dilemma...
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I just picked up Food Rules yesterday. He's great, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteI think you'd really like Mark Bittman's "Food Matters", as well. My husband and I have long been believers in health and "clean" eating, and Bittman's book really reinforced those beliefs. I was so impressed that I've been giving copies away to all of my family and friends.
ReplyDeleteooh fascinating. i haven't read that book, but i LOVED the documentary Food, Inc. (pollan appears a bunch in it). ever since we watched the documentary, we've bought only organic dairy and meat. it's so crazy to see all the behind-the-scenes of the industry!!
ReplyDeleteYay!!! He is so great! And I agree with Joanna, Food Inc. is great too! And its an instant view on Netflix. Also, Jaime Oliver's "Food Revolution" is starting this Friday on ABC, I'm for sure checking it out!
ReplyDeleteI agree. You'd be amazed how much other 'ingredients' are in simple foods when you look at the label. What an age of processed foods.
ReplyDeleteI finally got to seeing Food, Inc. the other day and while I knew a lot of the sketchy facts, it pushed me even further into advocating *good* food. And yes! Watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, it's stunning to see so much unhealthiness at an early age. The season premiere starts this Friday, it's on ABC :)
ReplyDeleteAHH I LOVE HIM. I read Omnivore's Dilemma and went to a speech he gave at my University. He definitely woke me up on the topic of food. :)
ReplyDeleteooh, I've been meaning to pick up this book! It's crazy how much of our food is processed these days. Yuck! Can't wait to read this!
ReplyDeleteMy brother-in-law had this book...I was curious about it. I will have to read it, I really want to start eating better, but I don't know where to start!
ReplyDeletei read this book for my nutrition class when i was in college! it really was eye-opening. i was relieved, because i do actually avoid most processed foods & stick to the outer aisles of the market (fresh meat & produce). glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I'm itching tp pick up a copy, er, download a copy. Can't imagine myself reading the book either, don't think my son would allow it! :)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that book just make you want to clean out your pantry and hit up the farmer's market?!
ReplyDeleteI suggest reading his Food Rules - it's a bit easier to break down and make actual changes in your life. I liked his other books, but this one focuses only on delightful one-sentence recommendations on how to eat healthier/more real.
Just discovered you blog - really love it. Nice work!
I just re-read my comment and cringed at my comment "Nice Work!" Really, what am I a teacher? It's hard to be this dorky :)
ReplyDeleteOh yay! I am a Michael Pollan zealot! You might find Omnivore's Dilemma a little dull - it's almost exactly the same as In Defense of Food, without the practical application advice. It helps to have this in your kitchen: http://sara-christine.blogspot.com/2008/10/eat-food.html
ReplyDelete:)