*Please update your bookmarks to my new website: Like most of you out there in the blog world, I just got around to watching Michael Pollan on yesterday’s episode of Oprah. I love that Oprah used her influential show to shed light on such an important issue!
I’m a pretty big fan of Michael Pollan. I have almost finished reading his book, In Defense of Food:
He makes a lot of the same good points in his book that he did in yesterday’s Oprah.
A few points that I found particularly notable:
1. Don’t eat anything your grandma wouldn’t recognize in the grocery store. (i.e. yogurt tubes?!)
2. Don’t eat anything that has ingredients that a third grader couldn’t pronounce.
3. Spend money on real food. We currently spend around 9% of our income on food, but a whopping 17% on healthcare! In the past, we spent 18% on food, and only 5% on healthcare. Who would YOU rather give your money to? Like these lovely ladies, I’d rather spend my money on an organic apple!!
4. If you’re going to eat junk food, make it yourself. I think I love this rule most of all! Making changes in your diet isn’t about feeling restricted! (we all know restriction usually leads to binges!) It’s about making conscious decisions about what you put into your body. If you want french fries, make them at home! You will burn calories while making them yourself, you’ll use more natural ingredients, and it’s likely you’ll eat them less often– after all, they’re a PAIN to make! Of course, you could make healthier oven-roasted sweet potato fries much easier. 
5. Fat doesn’t make you fat. When we, as a society, labeled fat as the “bad guy” we ended up stocking our stores with a bunch of processed food filled with sugar instead! In fact, many low-fat foods actually have MORE calories than the full fat version! So by avoiding fat, we have actually all gotten fatter! Go figure. I’m with Heather– don’t be scared of eating fat! (especially healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados and coconut!)
Those are rules to live by!
I also loved the segment with Alicia Silverstone! I’ve seen The Kind Diet in bookstores, but haven’t gotten around to browsing through it yet. I like how she focused on the benefits of her vegan diet– weight loss, clear complexion, better sleep– rather than everything you have to give up. I feel like if you introduce someone to a vegan diet, they are instantly scared away by everything they CAN’T have anymore! Has anyone out there read her book? Any good recipes in there? I mostly buy books like that for recipes at this point…
What did you all think of the Oprah show? Do you think we’ll see a Food Revolution in the near future?
I know I try to vote with my dollars every time in the grocery store– more local, organic produce, please! 
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I missed Oprah, and I’m kicking myself for not setting the DVR. Oh well, I’ll catch the re-run or watch it online.
Yes, don’t fear the fats. Our bodies need them!
Thanks for the shout-out.
Michael Pollen is great! Loved Food Inc. though need to read his books too. He has such great advice. I hope others start re-thinking their dollars too
I just got my hands on “In Defense Of Food” – I was so happy to find it at the library! I’ve been meaning to read it for a while now, I’ve heard it’s a really great book.
And I definitely agree with #4! Too bad that most people find it inconvenient and a waste of time to make their own food…
Alicia Silverston’s book The Kind Diet is wonderful. I have been a vegan now for 5 months (all because of this book) and feel amazing both physically and emotionally. Another great book to check out as Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safron Foer.