A review by sophiesallade
Food Rules: An Eater's Manual by Michael Pollan

3.0

*read in the bath tub*
Reason for 3 stars is at time this book really feels fatphobic. I love the thought of eating only real food, and cooking for one’s self, and eating at a table, farmers markets, the whole lot. But I think eating ‘whole foods’ shouldn’t be talked about as a way to ‘lose or not gain weight’.
Some of the rules I wrote down and thought about-
1.Avoid food products containing ingredients you don’t have in your pantry
2. Buy your snacks at the farmers market
3. Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans
4. It’s not good if it arrived through the window of your car
5. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves- but the description under this one was a bit problematic… I don’t necessarily think that vegetarians are healthier than omnivores. Especially thoughtful omnivores vs vegetarians that eat a bunch of processed meat substitutes. Maybe just quantity is what counts? But he said in the prologue that some of the healthiest cultures in the world eat mostly meat
6. Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms, plants) better than 2 (fowl), better than 4 (cows, pigs)- Chinese proverb
7. Eat animals that themselves have eaten well
8. People who drink moderately and regularly live longer and suffer less heart disease (wine)
9. If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, you’re not hungry. Eat till 80% full
10. Don’t go back for seconds
11. Limit snacking to fruits, veggies, and nuts
12. No snacks, no seconds, no sweets unless the day begins with ‘S’