Unhappy Meals

I can't remember if I've posted about this here in the past, I know I've talked to many of you who read this blog about it, though...it's all about how/what we eat. A few months back I read Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma which follows four different meals back from table to creation, while posing the question: what might be the best meal for me, other people and the environment? For those of you with whom I've talked about he book, you'll know it was life altering- it literally changed what/how I eat and where I buy my food.

I just read another piece by Pollan, Unhappy Meals taken from the New York Times Magazine in January (click the title of this entry to be connected to it). Again, he amazes me with his ideas. I think what I find so compelling about his ideas regarding food is the simplicity of it all. For example, his recipe for healthy eating consists of three sentences:

1.Eat food.
2. Not much.
3. Mostly plants.

He then spends a lot more sentences telling us why this might be the most healthy way for us to eat as well as the history of America's "food culture" or lack thereof. I think one of my favorite ideas from this piece is the idea that if a food has to advertise that it's healthy and has all these health benefits, then it's probably not good for you. It's the "silent" foods that can't claim to be new or defend themselves such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables that are the best for you but since an unknown farmer is behind those products, without billions of dollars in marketing behind them, these food products don't catch our attention as much as the "healthy snack" in aisle 10.

Like I said, it has definitely changed how I feed my family as well as the places that I shop to buy the food. If you're short on time, read the article, if you have even less time, just read his main ideas on the last 2 pages of the article. If you're interested in a truly health-full way of eating, read the book.