In his book “In Defense of Food,” Michael Pollan outlines several suggestions regarding what, and how, to eat. We recently read part of this book for our class, Principles of Sustainability.
Most of the suggestions Pollan makes are familiar to me; I have heard them before. I took a whole foods cooking class several years ago, and many of the same principals were emphasized: don't eat food that isn't recognizable as something from nature; eat mostly plants; invest in high quality, organic food that is in season and locally grown; shop only in the peripheries of grocery stores; drink red wine with meals; etc.
Despite the fact that most of Pollan's advice was already common sense to me, there were a couple of points that made me want to re-evaluate the way I eat:
Avoid food products that make health claims.
Eat wild foods when you can.
Pay more, eat less.
Eat meals.
Try not to eat alone.
“Avoid foods that make health-food claims.” I actually hadn't heard this piece of advice before, but Pollan's explanation of this eating principle made a lot of sense. I tend to get sucked into health claims on food – as well as on vitamins, cleaning products, appliances, etc. But Pollan makes a good point: “it is only the big food companies that have the wherewithal to secure FDA-approved health claims for their products and then trumpet them to the world.” Furthermore, I agree with Pollan that it's easy for companies to distort or exaggerate the truth: health claims can be slapped on packages based on evidence taken out of context or based on biased studies funded by large corporations. It's tempting for me to trust what “experts” say and believe a beautifully-packaged product is good for me. However, I have to keep in mind the money that is behind all of the claims and packaging and that the health trends are changing as much as any “fashion.”
“Eat wild foods when you can.” I know that eating whole foods is good, but I never really thought about focusing specifically on wild foods other than the kind you can find in a grocery store, like wild-caught salmon. Foraging for food sounds like a lot of fun, and it would increase the amount of whole foods in my diet as well as increasing the amount of local foods in my diet. I remember picking wild blueberries this summer with my boyfriend, and – although I got eaten alive by mosquitoes – it was a satisfying experience. I found delicious, nutritious food – and it didn't cost me anything except time with my boyfriend and some physical labor in the outdoors.
“Pay more, eat less.” I have always thought that good food is worth the investment. However, when I thought of “investment,” I was thinking only in terms of money. Pollan writes, “paying more for food – in every sense – will reduce the amount of it we eat.” The key for me in this piece of advise is paying more in every sense. I agree with Pollan that it's easy to eat lots of food when food is easy to prepare or easy to access. It's tempting to eat a huge bowl of chips when all you have to do is open the package. It's easy to eat lots of sweets when you have candy bars at check-out aisles selling for pocket change. Recently I was at Mills Fleet Farm and I was feeling a bit hungry, so I grabbed a Pearson's Nut Roll at the check-out to have as a “snack” in the car on my 5 minute ride home to my apartment. If the Nut Roll had been more expensive, or if I had to make one from scratch, I would most likely not have given in to this indulgence.
“Eat Meals.” I am a notorious snacker. I very rarely sit down to full meals. In fact, when I'm alone (which I am 95% of the time I'm eating), I usually only eat one thing at a time. It's much easier to eat a couple almonds here, and a granola bar there, and then have cereal later followed, maybe, by some popcorn. Eating randomly and haphazardly like this, it's easy to end up consuming a higher quantity of a lower variety of foods. Peanut butter toast can become a staple. So can corn chips. A lot of people have told me it's healthy to snack often, because it prevents blood sugar from dropping; as a result, I've felt justified in making “snacking” my primary method of food consumption. It makes sense to prioritize meals over snacks, though, because meals encourage a more balanced diet and they help make you aware of the quantities of each item you are consuming. For example, a couple chips on a plate with a sandwich, salad, and veggies is easier to “track” mentally than chips eaten out of a bag while watching TV.
“Try not to eat alone.” This is a difficult one for me because I live alone. However, I recognize that for the most part, when I eat in the company of others, I tend to eat meals instead of snacks. There are the exceptions – friends of mine who, when I'm with them, usually entice me to down candy, chips and soda along with them. But when I make plans to have dinner with people, most of the time we cook real meals. It's easier to cook good meals when there are helpers, and conversation makes all of us eat more slowly. By contrast, when I eat alone (which I do the vast majority of the time), I usually watch TV and eat snacks or single dishes mindlessly. Sometimes this is a good thing: I can end up eating an entire bowl of kale or a bowl of pumpkin soup that is healthy but not necessarily tasty. However, more often than not, eating alone causes me to reduce the variety of my diet and increase the quantity of food consumed. Furthermore, eating alone can leave me feeling unsatisfied and set up cravings – making me want “something” to eat, regardless of the fact that nothing really sounds good.
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