My Personal Pollan Fad

Ever since I watched the documentary "The Botany of Desire" I have been hanging on every word of Michael Pollan's. I am sure this is some sort of fad that I will laugh about in the coming years, but it has had a significant impact on my thinking if not my habits. This is surprising because I read part of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" a few years ago but I did not make it all the way through before the library recalled it, and I never renewed it, which tells me something in itself.

However, I recently read his "Food Rules" and enjoyed it immensely. It is a fun little collection of 64 rules divided into three parts: 1) What should I eat? 2) What kind of food should I eat? 3) How much should I eat? (answers below)

Here are the rules I remember after reading the book over a week ago:

Section 1: Eat Food; Eat only foods that will eventually rot; Avoid Food products that contain more than five ingredients; Buy only foods with ingredients you can pronounce
Section 2: Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk; Eat like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks. (i.e., not like Americans)
Section 3: Cook; The Banquet is the First Bite; Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dinner Like a Pauper; Do All Your Eating at the Table (this one is especially tough)

answers: 1) Food 2) Mostly Plants 3) Not Too Much