Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I've read a couple of Pollan's other books and enjoyed them, so I picked up this one as it seemed to be an extension of "In Defense of Food" which was very informative. This book seeks to take his statement of "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." and expand it into a set of rules for eating to help people make better choices about what they buy and eat. The introduction turned out to be more interesting than the text, as he discussed collecting lore and handed-down food rules which he used and "distilled" into some of the rules listed in the book. The lists of rules themselves are clear and explained well, but for me at least they were not anything new. I think this book would be a great way to start the conversation about healthy eating with a young teenager, or to flip through as a reference if you've got poor eating habits, but there isn't nearly the amount of content there that I had expected, and that's why I only give this three stars.
I read this a few years ago at a different place in my life, with an ignorance of diet culture. I do think it’s helpful to identify nourishing foods and at the time I did enjoy it. However, it can also trigger some to slip into restrictive eating/diet culture mentality. So if you’re not at a place where you’re able to eat intuitively then pass this one by. If you’re in a healthy place with being able to listen to your body with hunger and fullness and respect it for what it is then peruse it and see if it’s helpful. If you find yourself starting to place food into moralizing categories though, judging yourself or others for choosing foods that go against the so-called rules, put it aside.
Well-intentioned and made a lot of good points.
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
83 simple rules by Michael Pollan to help you eat the way we are supposed to
informative
fast-paced
I really hoped this book would hold some wise pearls of wisdom, but it's essentially common sense. I agree with everything he said, and the book was very short and readable, but it was nothing new.
Basically a quick overview of the points presented in The Omnivore's Dilemma, which I liked a lot, and In Defense of Food, which was a repetitive waste of paper. This is a fun little book but if you are interested in the topic I would recommend Omnivore's Dilemma for more thorough background.
If you have read the author's other books you already know these rules. The book is simplistic, with lots of pictures and white space. I read the entire book in a single day, while sick, and with visitors. I feel like this book is milking the success of the author's previous titles and it was a waste of my time.
I forgot I read this book last New Year's Day! It is a great manual to keep in mind when thinking about food -- I had the illustrated version and LOVED it!