“Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.”

cheryl

cheryl

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“Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.” - The Reader

If author Michael Pollan were asked for his idea of nutritional advice, it could be found in the elevator pitch serving as a tag line on his book In Defense of Food that serves as the title of this column. Succinct. To the point. Full. Let’s examine.

Eat Food. That simply means eat only that which is actually real food, not faux food. My rule of thumb starts with this: Unless it comes in its own skin, it’s not real food. If what you’re eating comes to you in cellophane, cardboard, metal or such, there’s a good chance it’s not real food but a composite of processed derivatives, flavorings, fillers, preservatives and who knows what else, including pesticide residues. Here are some examples. An avocado, a pineapple, a stalk of celery and a potato are all real food. A potato chip, can of cream of celery soup, store-bought guacamole and yes, even pineapple yogurt are going to have ingredients that are probably not real food. Even the best steak at the supermarket has a good chance of being packaged in carbon monoxide modified packaging in order to keep it looking fresh for days or weeks past its prime. It will take some self-educating to become discerning about real food versus faux food. Take heart. It’s worth it.
 
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