Do not eat anything that your grandmother would not have recognized as food

In a few days, the German edition of Food Rules will be published under the somewhat unwieldy title
Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t have recognized as food: Golden rules for good nutrition
.

Michael Pollan, who in recent years has concentrated more on books about food and its effect on people, summarizes his theses on healthier or better food in this current work in catchy phrases. Many of these ideas are based on long cultural-historical roots (or on quotations from his two grandmothers), others are new ideas based on studies and research, and some were also sent in by readers of his previous book. In this new edition, the 80 theses are accompanied by very beautiful illustrations by Maira Kalman.

What comes to you through the window of your car is not food.

But, do you still need a guidebook for the kitchen? Don’t we know by now what is good for us and what is not? Pollan succeeds in a wholly undogmatic way in stimulating greater awareness. Especially the form of short “rules” or mnemonic sentences is fun and offers through the accompanying explanations enough material to pass on these ideas or to reflect ourselves what we eat there sometimes. Or like.

Eat only food that has been prepared by humans.

For Pollan, the food industry is of course a particular source of evil. Many of his rules therefore also deal with the consideration of industrially produced food and in particular with the ingredients processed therein.

Other rules are quite clear and simple, some I have internalized almost automatically for years…

Have a glass of wine with dinner

Serious reflection on what and how we eat certainly can’t hurt. Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t have recognized as food: Golden Rules for Good Nutrition can serve as a good starting point and is fun to read (and discuss).