Why I “Heart” Michael Pollan

Simply put, he changed my life.

Now I’ve never met the man, and I’ve hardly even seen him on TV. But I have read some of his books. They are life changing. No joke.

I’ll tell you, I was very skeptical at first. I thought “here’s a journalist with no formal nutrition training telling me (a registered dietitian, thank you very much) how to eat, puh-leeze!”

But he makes sense… A lot of sense.

In summary here are some tidbits of why I think he’s so great:

1. He contributed to Food, Inc. If you haven’t seen that movie… see it. ASAP. I own it, so if you’re interested in borrowing it, please let me know (local friends only!). Food, Inc. is an eye-opening look at the food industry. It should change the way you eat forever.
2. His book In Defense of Food. What a great concept… eating REAL food. His book states it very simply, but in a way that makes a whole lot of sense: “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” There’s a lot of great info in that in the book… please check it out!
3. His resources for families. Click here for more info.
4. His collection of Food Rules. These are a few of my favorites:

• Buy your snacks at the farmer’s market.
• Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
• Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
• It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
• Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
• Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.
• Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.
• Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
• Pay more. Eat less.
• Stop eating before you’re full.
• Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does.

At the very least, I urge you to check out his site and read a few articles. I know very few of us (me included) could ever eat 100% of the way he recommends, but if we all make small steps, one at a time, we (and the planet) will all end up much healthier.