Book Review: Food Rules

*I wrote this (unpaid, unsolicited) review for my workplace 'green' blog and thought I'd share it here as well.

Michael Pollan, bestselling author of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto and The Omnivore's Dilemma, has published what is called a "definitive compendium of food wisdom." Food Rules is a short, easy-to-understand guide to eating real food and avoiding over-processed "food-like substances."
Pollan's mantra of "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." was established after the extensive research he did for his previous books. He found that all the science and techno-babble about the nutritional value of food could be simplified down to its core: real food is what's important. Not the additives, the preservatives, the artificial, the pre-packaged - real food. This philosophy is reiterated again and again, with rules such as "Avoid food products that have ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce," and "It's not [real] food if it's called by the same name in every language (Big Mac, Pringles, Cheetos, etc.)"
The book not only discusses what to eat, but also how to eat. Pollan discusses the problem with "Western" food culture in the introduction, and breaks down the way we eat as one of the key issues alongside what we eat. Common sense wisdoms such as "Stop eating before you're full" and "Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it" encourage readers to pay attention to how they're eating to avoid overindulgence.
Pollan's previous works cover some of the same material, but go into much more detail regarding the science and statistics behind the reasons for avoiding processed foods. Food Rules is, in essence, the simplified version. Some of the 'rules' were written by Pollan, but in the introduction he discusses his process for this book, talking to not only nutritionists, doctors, and food scientists but also folklorists, anthropologists, mothers and grandmothers, looking for insight into what rules, ideas, wisdoms, and sayings about food are not only truthful, but have survived the tests of time and culture. The result is a common sense, simple to follow guide for eating healthfully.
(If you'd like to borrow my copy of the book, feel free to ask! It's also on sale on Amazon.com for $5 - less than half the cover price.)

A couple more articles

Thanks to @ScottWGraves for posting the links to these articles...

Understanding Climategate's Hidden Decline

Climategate reveals 'the most influential tree in the world'

The science behind the controversy basically shows that the "hockey stick graph" created by Michael Mann was truly created - the data they used to estimate atmospheric temperatures pre-dating modern diagnostic equipment was essentially hand-picked in order to show the image of global warming that they wanted to show.  The tree article above does a good job of explaining it in simple terms; the first article above is a little more scientific in nature.

I don't want to spend too much time on a soapbox, so I'll sum up:  while climate change is a real thing, it's a natural cycle of the planet.  The world is not going to end in a big flaming ball of doom and destruction because of it.  The 'solutions' that everybody and their dog have come up with are good solutions... to other, more pressing problems. The media is good at making a mountain out of a molehill, and ignoring the news that doesn't support their agenda.

All the news that's fit to report... er...

So has anyone else been hearing about Climategate?

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.4101412&w=425&h=350&fv=autoPlay%3Dfalse]

more about "Daily Show: Scientists Hide Global Wa...", posted with vodpod

Basically it boils down to this: Al Gore is a marketing genius, but otherwise a damn fraud.  All the "science" and "data" pointing to anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change has been a bunch of bullshit all along.  Thank god for whistleblowers.

As for media coverage... wait, what media coverage??  Oh yeah, they're all tied up with Tiger Woods.  Comedy Central Scoops Network News on Climate-Gate Scandal

Here's the background:  Climate sceptics claim leaked emails are evidence of collusion among scientists

[vimeo=http://vimeo.com/7945623]

Over 31,000 scientists have signed a petition agreeing that "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing, or will in the foreseeable future cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate."

And where's Gore?  Climategate goes uber-viral, Gore flees leaving evil henchmen to defend crumbling citadel

Personal Sustainability

A Native American proverb says, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children."

Sustainability is defined in two ways.  "Meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs," as determined by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987.  More simply, sustainability can be defined as a three-legged stool - environment, economy, and society - or planet, profit, people.

When you apply the principles of sustainability to a business, it makes a lot of sense - your operations should have minimal impact on the environment, or perhaps a positive impact if any; your business should be economically viable and profitable; and your employees' rights to fair treatment, wages, benefits, and a healthy working environment should be met.

But at home, sustainability is defined a little bit differently.  It's clear that you should make sure your life doesn't have a negative impact on the environment, but what about the economical and social sides?  

In the past couple of years I think it's become pretty obvious that living above your means, relying on credit cards and financing options, and basically spending money you don't have are not sustainable choices.  Being financially sustainable at home means you don't pass your debts along to your children or other family members, you have the cash available for emergencies, and you're not a strain on the economy.  Imagine where we might be if people hadn't bought more house than they could afford, or if credit cards simply didn't exist - wishful thinking for society, true, but why not in your own life?

Social sustainability at home is simple as well.  Both physical and psychological health have a role.  Managing your stress, weight, emotions, and other health concerns are all part of being socially sustainable at home.  Establishing healthy habits, a happy home environment, and strong educational opportunities are social benefits that will pass along to future generations.

I think it's easy to see where the three branches of sustainability intersect and overlap.  Many "green" products and practices can have a positive impact on your finances and your health - for example, using vinegar as a household cleaner not only avoids putting harmful chemicals into the waterways, but also saves you money and prevents the negative health impacts of using those harsh chemicals.  

Taking a look at everything we do - viewing life through not just green, but sustainable sunglasses - is important not just for our lives today, but for generations to come.

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Here are a couple of great resources:

Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover - his website is full of great information, and I highly recommend his books.

The Necessary Revolution by Peter Senge - a detailed account of why sustainability is so important for businesses and individuals.

The Natural Step's Sustainability at Home Toolkit - a great guidebook for making sustainable choices at home.  (Written for Canadians, but the principles can be applied to anyone!)