Pollan’s Rules Part II, Not Too Much
This is part two of a three post series summarizing Michael Pollan’s advice from his excellent book, In Defense of Food. The conclusions he reaches are: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. These are Pollan’s overarching guidelines for buying and eating food. But, since that’s not much to go on, our posts will deal with each in more detail. Here is “Not too much,” which provides suggestions on how to eat…
Not too much is something we all hear all the time, but it offers some strong wisdom. With food, quality really is more important than quantity. The way you eat (with whom, where, for how long) may also change how healthy your food is.
- Spend more money but eat less food - This may seem ridiculous, but spending more money on quality food will pay off from a health standpoint.
- Eat meals slowly at a table with company - Sitting down with friends or family is better than eating a TV dinner in front of a movie. Having a healthy food culture will have an impact on how much you eat, and it will make the food experience more enjoyable. Cultures that have pleasurable food experiences are healthier than those that don’t take the time to enjoy their meals.
- “Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does.” - Can’t resist quoting that one directly from Pollan. It’s disturbing that gas stations now make more money selling food and cigarettes than gasoline! And, gas station food is almost all highly processed.
- Eat until you’re full, not until the plate is empty - If you feel bad wasting food, don’t prepare or serve as much. The compulsion to clean your plate, isn’t good for your weight or health.
- Cook your own food - That way you know what all the ingredients are and where everything came from.
- Better yet, grow your own food - If possible, plant a garden and grow as much of your food as you can. This increases the intimacy you have with your food. Not only do you now really know everything about your food, but you have a strong ecological connection to it.
Part III deals with the second part of Pollan’s motto. “Mostly Plants” provides suggestions on what to eat.
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