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jankatar 's review for:
Food Rules
by Michael Pollan
informative
fast-paced
I'm conflicted.
The information in this book is quite good. I've been diving into recent nutritional science and this agrees with the things I've been learning about to a large extent. However, the way that information is presented (through 64 rule of thumb/mnemonic-like food rules) made my diet culture senses tingle. Now don't get me wrong, the book doesn't promote any nonsensical diet culture bullshit at all, but the way some rules are phrased and the fact that there's quite a lot of focus on definitely-don't-eat-too-much (one simply states 'Eat less.'*) can be triggering to those (many) of us who have been targeted by the weight loss industry at some point in their lives. The book is apparently targeted at the average American who's never thought about what a healthy diet is, which can make it a problematic read for people who are already at least somewhat health conscious. The author does end with the rule that breaking the rules is okay at times, but considering the audience that will likely read this, it might have been better placed somewhere at the very beginning (and multiple times in between).
Apart from that, there's some cool information and tips. I like how the author included some traditional grandma wisdom that has now been backed by science. Also apparently eating small fish like mackerel or sardines places less stress on ecosystems than eating big fish like tuna or salmon, I did not know this!
One final issue I have with the book is the fact that it's part of Penguin's Green Ideas series. Apart from the occasional mention (like with the fish), the environmental impact of the food we eat is not mentioned at all, it's all about our own health. How about the impact of meat and dairy on the planet? How about super long worldwide food chains, energy-draining greenhouses or water-intensive avocados? Bit of a shame that that's not discussed, especially in a collection like this.
*I have a particular gripe with this one because hello Michael Pollan how do you know how much I eat??
The information in this book is quite good. I've been diving into recent nutritional science and this agrees with the things I've been learning about to a large extent. However, the way that information is presented (through 64 rule of thumb/mnemonic-like food rules) made my diet culture senses tingle. Now don't get me wrong, the book doesn't promote any nonsensical diet culture bullshit at all, but the way some rules are phrased and the fact that there's quite a lot of focus on definitely-don't-eat-too-much (one simply states 'Eat less.'*) can be triggering to those (many) of us who have been targeted by the weight loss industry at some point in their lives. The book is apparently targeted at the average American who's never thought about what a healthy diet is, which can make it a problematic read for people who are already at least somewhat health conscious. The author does end with the rule that breaking the rules is okay at times, but considering the audience that will likely read this, it might have been better placed somewhere at the very beginning (and multiple times in between).
Apart from that, there's some cool information and tips. I like how the author included some traditional grandma wisdom that has now been backed by science. Also apparently eating small fish like mackerel or sardines places less stress on ecosystems than eating big fish like tuna or salmon, I did not know this!
One final issue I have with the book is the fact that it's part of Penguin's Green Ideas series. Apart from the occasional mention (like with the fish), the environmental impact of the food we eat is not mentioned at all, it's all about our own health. How about the impact of meat and dairy on the planet? How about super long worldwide food chains, energy-draining greenhouses or water-intensive avocados? Bit of a shame that that's not discussed, especially in a collection like this.
*I have a particular gripe with this one because hello Michael Pollan how do you know how much I eat??