Book Review: Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual, by Michael Pollan

by Dennis Kornbluh

You might not think that the simple act of eating would require a manual.  If that’s so, then why are millions of Americans killing themselves with food?  By eating too much sugar, salt and fat, getting too little fiber and too few vitamins and minerals, Americans can proudly claim the highest incidence of obesity, diabetes and cancer in the world.  Not only are we killing ourselves, but our poor eating habits have an impact on those around us.  Consider, for example, how the unhealthy diets of so many of our citizens may impact the cost of healthcare across our nation.

But what is a healthy diet?  Nutritional advice can be very confusing, and most people don’t have time to make sense of it all.

Fortunately, Michael Pollan, the author of five previous books on food, including In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, has written a very short (140 pages) manual for eaters that is as easy to digest as a ripe banana.  It consists of 64 “rules” that will help you understand, in very simple and precise language, what you should endeavor to eat.  To explain his approach from a high level, the author is able to boil it all down to the following seven words: “Eat Food. Mostly Plants. Not too much.”

Is it a revelation to know that we should eat food?  Well, yes, because Mr. Pollan has a particular definition for food, and at least some of what you’re currently eating may not qualify.  He asserts that most of the processed foods that are sold in supermarkets are not deserving of the name, so he refers to them, instead, as “edible foodlike substances.”  The problems with these “highly processed concoctions,” according to Pollan, are many.  We consumers can’t control the recipes of processed foods, so we don’t know what we’re eating.  Food manufacturers typically add too much sugar, salt and other unpronounceable ingredients that are designed to make the product “taste good” and to extend its shelf life.  Unfortunately, this is all too often not a recipe for good health.

What I find appealing about this book, in addition to its brevity, are the catchy and sensible rules that Pollan introduces, which greatly aid comprehension.  For example, rule #19 states, “If it comes from a plant, eat it.  If it’s made in a plant, don’t.”  Another example is rule #12, which advises, “Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.”  Most supermarkets are organized in a very similar fashion, with the fruit, vegetable, meat and dairy in cases along the edges of the store.  The aisles are typically stocked with the processed foods, such as breads, cereals and many thousands of other items.  Stay on the edges where you’ll find most of the “real” food.  Rule #36 helps us to identify what isn’t real: “Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.” 

One very practical bit of advice that Pollan offers is this: “Cook.”  When you make your own meals, you control what's in them.  Chances are that you’ll use better ingredients than the food manufacturers and restaurants will.  He also shuns supplements, but appreciates the motivation to use them, hence rule #40: “Be the kind of person who takes supplements – then skip the supplements.” 

The last section of the book contains advice about eating less.  This may be the most important, and yet, the most challenging collection of rules to follow.  As it turns out, Pollan informs us, science has found that “Calorie Restriction” may slow the aging process.  Digestion, or, to use the scientific term,  metabolism, is a process that research indicates may be the strongest link to cancer. Eat less, metabolize less, reduce your risk of cancer.  He provides helpful rules to reduce food intake, such as rule # 46, “Stop eating before you’re full,” and rule # 53, “Serve a proper portion and don’t go back for seconds.”  Pollan's prescriptive diet is realistic.  Rule #60 states, “Treat treats as treats.”  When is it time for a treat?  His “S Policy” provides a rule for that, too: “no snacks, no seconds, no sweets, except on days that start with the letter S.”

I think it’s difficult to overstate the importance of this book.  The advice that Pollan provides could make a tremendous impact on the lives of individuals, as well as on society as a whole.  The book's accessibility (you can read it from cover to cover in 1-2 hours) will ensure that a large number of people are able to absorb the message.  Despite the straightforward approach, this is not "Nutrition for Dummies."  I prefer to think of it as "Nutrition for Busy People."

As Pollan points out, there are many places around the world, such as in France, Italy and Greece, where long-standing, traditional diets have enabled cultures to lead healthy lives for millennia.  Here in the U.S.A. our eating habits have gone significantly off course, thanks to cheap, available and heavily advertised processed foods. As a result, our general health has suffered.  Food Rules may finally give us the knowledge and the motivation to take personal responsibility for our diets.

Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual

Michael Pollan
Published by Penguin Books

ISBN 978-0-14-31638-7