Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Food Rules by Michael Pollan Michael Pollan informs us that the Western diet of highly processed foods, fast foods, loads of added fat, sugar, salt, and tons of refined grains is not good for our bodies and detrimental to our overall health and well being. Our bodies need many more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains than most people are eating. The overall message of this book is that anyone can nourish their bodies and become healthy if they stay away from the Western diet. Obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are linked to this exact diet. In this eater’s manual, Pollan strives to aid Americans in the simplest way possible. He creates a manual that instructs people how to make small changes in their everyday life and eat a more traditional diet. Those who abandon Western-eating habits often experience significant improvements in their overall health.

In this book, Pollan provides practical steps a person wants to to eat right should take. Pollan has one main point in this manual that is restated in countless different ways. His main argument is that processed foods are destructive to ones health. One rule that he explained was “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” There are many new complicated food products that are available in our grocery stores. There are many reasons to avoid eating such foods, including the fact that they have various chemical additives and corn and soy derivatives. Many of the foodish products in our supermarkets are typically packaged in plastics, some of which are probably toxic. Another rule was “Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third grader cannot pronounce.” The food scientists’ chemicals are designed to extend shelf life, make old food look fresher and more appetizing than it really is, and to get you to eat more. These additives are best to be avoided. Lastly “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.” The more ingredients in packaged