I mentioned last week when introducing my Happiness Project that I had read a number of enjoyable and inspiring books this summer. One of those was Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food.
I have been a fan of Michael Pollan’s straightforward, fluid writing about nature and food for awhile. I previously enjoyed several of his articles and his 2006 bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma, in which he explores the industrial, organic, and local food chains that dominate the American menu.
In In Defense of Food, Pollan investigates the process by which nutrients have taken precedence over actual food in the Western Diet. North Americans, and a growing number of people overseas, seem to care more about a product’s health claims than about its taste or whether or not the product comes from nature.
Throughout the book, Pollan offers a history of nutritionism and an explanation of how food science has replaced any sense of a healthy food culture for many of us. He distills his conclusions into a catchy (and perhaps already familiar to some of you) “eater’s manifesto”: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
So persuaded was I by Pollan’s tough, commonsense arguments that I decided to incorporate his advice into my Happiness Project. Each month, I plan to adopt one of the suggestions from his book into my diet (and my family’s diet, for that matter; after all, she who does the shopping and the cooking makes the menu decisions).
This month’s resolution (taken from the “Eat food” section): “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.”
Pollan suggests that a few generations have passed since our diet was unnecessarily complicated by additives – so we have to reach back to a time before the invention of most of the food currently in the grocery store (what Pollan calls “foodish products”) to get back in touch with what types of food our bodies really want.
The problem with these additives, according to Pollan, is that “they lie to your body.” Artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and fats interfere with our body’s natural satiety cues: we’re not sure if we’re full or still hungry when we eat some of them. These additives are also generally found in foods that have far more energy density than most whole foods: they’ve got less of the good stuff (fiber, water, micronutrients) and more of the bad (namely, sugar and fat).
I started my efforts to follow this rule about two weeks ago. And so far, so good.
Kinda.
I was already pretty good about eating more foods than foodish products so that hasn’t been a terribly hard change so far. The biggest problem I’ve had, though, comes with convenience foods. Would my great-grandmothers have recognized a Luna bar as food? How about the 100-calorie pack of multi-colored Goldfish I gave to my hungry baby as we waited to pick up his brother from school? And what about those Sour Patch Kids that I’ve been craving during my pregnancy? While I’m sure there are far worse offenders among foodish products, certainly these wouldn’t top Michael P.’s must-eat food list.
The other thing I observed (or, at least, came to suspect) is that my family’s diet is far more diverse than that of my great-grandmothers. Something tells me that my g-g’s (two of whom were born in the States, one of whom was born in what is now the Czech Republic, and one of whom was born outside of Frankfurt, Germany) were not frequently dining on sushi, palak paneer, or enchiladas. But I think that would be fine by Pollan, especially if I expand my understanding of his rule to be: Don’t eat anything anyone’s great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
I hope you’ll follow along with me as my Happiness Project and adventures in eating continue.
Do you have any principles that govern your eating and food shopping?
Have you read anything by Michael Pollan? Do you find his arguments persuasive?
How long do you think I’m going to be able to keep up all of these second-trimester-euphoria-induced grand plans?
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
Kristen, your post is very timely for me. I’m currently trying to change/evolve/renew my relationship with food. Interestingly enough I ate my healthiest when I was pregnant. I listened to what my body wanted and that’s what I ate.
During the past few years food has changed from fuel to an activity or source of entertainment for me. Now I’m trying to get back to that nurturing relationship. Luckily, I don’t eat too much processed food (except the refined sugar and flour). Pausing to reflect if my grreat-grandmother would recognize a food will be a very powerful tool for me. Thanks for the tip! I might have to check out Michael Pollan.
My food motto: “Don’t take anyone’s food motto too seriously.”
While I certainly agree with the basic premise–eat food, not too much, mostly plants–I think burying ourselves in the technology of a century ago is not necessarily the best plan.
I’m a big fan of engineered nutrition. Everything from popping Vit A and D in the milk to avoid a generation of rickets and Iodine in the salt to save a generation from thyroid diseases and mental deterioration to the huge protein boosts that I can hand my kids in the form of a chocolate bar.
When kids are little, yes, you can control their diets. With teens? You try every trick up your sleeve to get them to eat something, ANYTHING, that might have just a tad of nutrition in it somewhere. V8′s new fruit juices that have hidden veg, packaged protein bars, genetically engineered cauliflower in funny colors–whatever works, baby.
I don’t think my grandmother would disapprove. But then, all she ever ate was tea and toast–not exactly healthy either.
Better living through biochemistry.
While in general I agree with your food motto, I’ve been thinking a lot in recent years about the way in which, in the States at least, given government subsidies for corn and soy, we are all essentially buying into agribusiness’s food motto unless we choose to opt out. I’m a huge fan of science and I readily acknowledge the benefits of added nutrients in certain foods, but I’m at a loss to see what benefit the vast majority of additives serve (except to the bottom line of the balance sheets of food manufacturers) and it’s those that I’m concerned with.
I think I subsisted on egg noodles and American cheese between the ages of 8 and 18 before becoming a full-fledged vegetarian. I then went and married a guy who keeps Kosher. So our house is already filled with all sorts of wacky food restrictions and I’m not that excited about introducing more. But I am interested in thinking more about the choices I make – not to ban convenience foods and Diet Coke altogether, but to be more mindful of what I’m putting in my body.
I think Pollan’s vision is admirable but a big dogmatic. There’s no way I’m jettisoning convenience foods while my kids are young–we NEED those little goldfish packets to make outings bearable! I’m only halfway joking.
Yes, we need to focus more on whole foods, local foods, organic foods. Yes, we have a real obesity epidemic in this nation. No, I don’t feel strongly enough about it to deny my children Gogurt.
I’m loving your Happiness Project and look forward to all of the updates!
Giggling here because Gogurt is one of the specific examples Pollan mentions.
What really bums me out is that Gogurt is way cheaper in our store than plain old Greek yogurt. (Not to mention that potato chips and Twinkies are cheaper than most pieces of fruit.)
The Luna Bar. I think I’m doing my kids a favor by getting the upscale nutrition bar instead of the one with all the ingredients I can’t pronounce. But, it’s true, no granny would recognize it as food.
I’m constantly sayin’ it’s just a glorified candy bar. But it’s gotta be better than giving them a snickers. Maybe I should bake.
I think if you keep up the idea of a little at a time it will be easy in the end. I have many dietary restrictions due to some recent health issues(surgically induced chronic pancreatitis), so I am on a very low fat diet (less than 10grams/day). You know what, I eat pretty much the way Pollan suggests and so do my kids. Once we had to, it was easy. I know the protein bars are a hard one, being that I run endurance, I depended on them, but believe me it feels really good eating only whole food. The funny thing is doing it as a family makes it easy. Sure I buy oreos for the kids sometimes, but now they are aware of the fat grams and the corn syrup so they limit it themselves. So everything in moderation, I mean really, I smoke cigarettes (1/day) . You cant be perfect all the time but you can be aware and try REAL hard. Eat what makes you happy while you are pregnant, I think that will make a happier baby than a health food starved mom. Just my opinion: dont take it all too seriously all the time. A little bad stuff is good sometimes.
I hear you on the “everything in moderation” (even the not-so-good stuff) front. (So writes the woman who downed a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup right after putting her boys down for their afternoon naps.)
I’m not a fan of processed food myself but when it comes my little one, I wouldn’t know what I’d do without the convenience of the 100-calorie packs of snacks. But I’m also a firm believer of all things in moderation. I don’t eschew certain foods even if they’re “bad for me” because I know most of the time, I am careful with what I consume, where I purchase my produce and meat, and how I prepare them for my family. So when I fall off that Pioneer Woman wagon, I’m less likely to feel guilty.
Kudos to you, Kristen, for making these changes to your life without being fanatical. Balancing your quest for well-being and sticking to what works for you and your family can be tricky but I have no doubt you’ll pull it off. I’m eager to hear more about your happiness project (as I steal a few pages off your book myself).
This is a really interesting point about the food that is targeted to kids. I think healthier snacks need a better marketing agent and less environmentally-friendly packaging to help us parents-on-the-go. :)
I have not read this, but I’ve eyed it from afar and I’m interested for sure. But where food is concerned, I struggle. I value healthy eating, and I try to provide healthy choices to my family as often as possible. As I read this I’m eating a homemade tomato lentil soup that I brewed over the weekend. However I couple it with a Diet Coke. You see…I’m part way there. It’s such a challenge. I fall prey to convenience and ease far too often. It fuels an intense amount of guilt. Perhaps if I just pick it up and read I’ll feel more motivated. I’m not sure. On this issue I have a LONG way to go.
I have a long way to go too. I’m much more nervous about next month’s challenge where I actually have to start looking at ingredients. Right now I am definitely defaulting toward easy-to-prepare foods that would be familiar to generations past. But I shudder to think how much of my pantry is full of foodish products disguised as food.
Everything in moderation I think is the motto with our children. Like it or not we live in a modern convenience world and as they grow older our children will be exposed to all the unhealthy foods and eating habits around us, so it is unavoidable unless you live in a bubble. My own eating habits reflect that too -I eat healthy snack food bars instead of cereals, fruit and healthy soups like the V8 brand but at the same time I eat ice cream and other treats. My daughter does not like french fries, burgers or pretty much any of the fast food options most children like and doesn’t eat candy either. But she likes chocolate and yes she gets some as a reward for doing certain things. I think it is all about balance and as they get older helping our children to get balance too. That said I do intend to do better with home cooked meals as and when my daughter eventually emerges from the toddler pasta and pizza phase.
I think toddlers may have been sent to the Earth to challenge the meaning of the term “balanced diet.” My 17-month old is a pretty good eater, but I think my 3-year old would be happy to live on cheese and cheese alone. (Of course, I was the same way…wait, maybe I am still the same way…)
I’ve been meaning to read his book for quite a while.
Because of the kids, we’ve left most convenience foods on the shelf. Fynn has a sensitivity to Red Dye 40, and both kids turn into monsters when HFCS is involved. And those two things? In everything, so it seems. Most of their “snacks” come from the organic aisle, not because I’m an organic snob, but because the other shelves house things that make my babies into crazy children. Add into that the peanut allergy… and my shopping has become a nightmare…
And I’m trying to give up the Diet Cokes… really, I am. I’m onto seltzer mostly these days, and coffee (eeek…) but it’s better than the Diet Coke :)
I cut out caffeinated drinks during this pregnancy (except for the occasional sip here and there). It’s been really tough. That seltzer just doesn’t have the same kick as an afternoon DC, does it? :)
I heart Michael Pollan and often keep his food rules in mind when shopping for and preparing meals. I don’t live by his rules, but they inform my choices and help me make better decisions.
Hi Kristen – I’ve been fascinated by the “would my grandmother recognize it as food?” question ever since I first heard it last year. I’m thinking a lot depends on how old we are. I’m guessing I’m about 20 years older than you, so your grandmother might see instant mashed potatoes and say, “yes, food” where mine wouldn’t. But maybe I’m just getting too darn analytical about this whole thing! That said, I don’t think any of our grandmas would know what Luna bars are. I know, that sucks. But I stopped eating them. And I do think Granny would approve of my substitution: a slice of whole grain bread with Trader Joe’s organic peanut butter. Doesn’t have the pizazz of a Luna bar, but oh well.
p.s. Welcome back, and congratulations too. I just caught up on your life-away-from-blog. I thought it was wonderful you took an extended break, and even though you had a great reason I don’t think any of us needs a reason to take a break. And yes, the blog bargain, as you so aptly put it, is there, but sometimes it’s not a good bargain, especially if it upends our life balance. I’ve realized that it’s not that big a deal if I can’t manage the blog bargain all the time. It may lead to fewer comments and fewer visitors, but I can handle that.
Hi Patty – Thanks for your nice words about my blogging break. I’m also grateful for your snack advice: whole grain bread with organic peanut butter. Sounds great to me! (Now if it would just fit in my diaper bag as neatly as a Luna Bar does…) :)
I was lucky to be brought up to be suspicious of foodish products, so most often I stick with real food, mostly plants. But I allow myself and my family the occasional fall off that wagon. I adore Michael Pollan – I’ve even gotten to hear him read a time or two – but my adherence to most rules and philosophies is loose and flexible. At the grocery, I shop the perimeter, moving to interior aisles only as necessary for toilet tissue, canned tomatoes, dried pasta and chocolate-covered graham crackers. At the table, I eat fresh food without additives or artificial flavors. And I do all of this all the time, except when I don’t. :)
I’m curious, Leslie: Is Michael Pollan as likable and down-to-earth in person as he is in his writing?
I’m also glad to see that your forays into the supermarket aisles involve chocolate-covered graham crackers. I’ve long known you were a woman after my own heart…
While I imagine my paternal grandparents (who I never met and who hailed from the Shtetls of Russia) ate mostly fear and the occasional potato, if I follow my Buby’s lead (who came from around today’s Czech republic as well as yours) I might be eating a lot of borsht and blintzes (and I bet I’d feel great, although I might be stricken with sudden onset babushka syndrome).
I keep meaning to go with “mostly plants, not too much” but then I’m haunted by “French fries, really good.”
Here’s to the pursuit of healthiness, and letting happiness sneak up on us (although I wish it for you and all around). Namaste
Hey, I’d count French friend potatoes as a plant product. I’m sure Michael Pollan would approve, right?
I like that manifesto a lot! I’ve always felt similarly – for instance, I’d rather have sugar (which is a plant I know and understand) than artificial sweeteners, and I’d rather have butter or olive oil than some kind of substitute.
Kristen, I have been doing quite a bit of research since my MIL’s diagnosis. In researching what kind of foods would be best during her chemo and would basically starve the cancer, I have found that there are many foods that basically tip the scales regarding cancer.
One of the things I found is that dairy is one thing you should cut out. The amount of hormones and anitbiotics, along with the fat content are big concerns for patients that are battling estrogen generated breast cancer. Sugars and fats feed cancer cells. Red meat keeps your body at an acidic level, increasing your likelihood of developing cancer.
And all of this knowledge is at our fingertips, yet, who bothers to look this up unless someone you love is diagnosed with cancer?
Needless to say, hubby and I are really taking steps to change our diet, and that of our kids, in an effort to be more healthy, and eat stuff that is closer to the ground. I love the quote about grandmother’s being able torecognize what you are eating as actual food. Truer words were never spoken.
Hi Maria – I’m really impressed by the holistic approach your family is taking to your MIL’s care. I was wondering if you found anything in your research about organic dairy being better than non-organic. I suppose both have the same fat levels, but I wonder if the absence of the hormones and antibiotics in organic dairy make a difference.
“What really bums me out is that Gogurt is way cheaper in our store than plain old Greek yogurt. (Not to mention that potato chips and Twinkies are cheaper than most pieces of fruit.)” – And this is what I find most frustrating about eating well. I hate how expensive it can be. When the economy was a bit better, I didn’t give a second thought to a $200 food bill at Whole Foods. Now? I’m having to restrict my visits. It’s too dangerous in there for me.
I hear you, Jane. My husband and I were just talking about this. Buying organic milk alone feels like a budget buster.
At least we have another month or so of local fruit before winter sets in and it’s back to the grocery store choice between expensive, not-so-good fruit shipped in from South America or even less healthy options in the snack aisle.
I’m going to have to check this out. I’ve been reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck and loving it. This sounds right up my alley :)
I am a lifelong vegetarian, but I still fall prey to some of the most unhealthy foods. (Girl, you had me at Sourpatch Kids). My family eats a healthy dose of fruits, veggies and lentils, but some days we like to indulge, savoring pizza with ranch dressing and french fries. I definitely think there is a balance – it is overdoing it on either extreme that gets us in trouble.
Hi Rudri – I’ve been a vegetarian for years and I think that I sometimes give myself too much credit as a healthy eater because I don’t eat so many of the foods that we associate with an unhealthy Western diet. BUT. I do eat so many of the least healthy vegetarian foods too. (I practically live on cheese and other full-fat dairy products.) I appreciate your reminder about balance: allowing the handful (or bagful!) of Sour Patch Kids every now and then, but trying to make better choices most of the time.
An admirable challenge you have taken on, Kristen. You know that I went through my own eating experiment last spring (with Pollan and Foer for company) and it did change the way I eat quite a bit. I eat much less meat and am more selective about the meat I do eat. I’m trying to stop convenience foods before they start when it comes to my son. Graham crackers and Cheerios are our “pacifier” foods and I think they’re harmless enough. I make my own granola bars and try to make most of my own bread. I certainly fall short sometimes, but it feels good to know that I’m trying.
Gale, I think it’s great that you’re trying to curb the convenience foods before IEP gets used to them. I started out with good intentions with my older son, but I definitely caved in too easily once he got older and started getting snacks at other places. We don’t do too badly with our choices, but I think we can do better and I hope that this new project will help me be more mindful of what I give to my kids (and to myself as I grow a third!).
Pregnancy is a hard time to forego sour patch kids.
I don’t buy gogurts or goldfish (mostly for all the excessive packaging and cost) and my kids would mug another kid for the pleasure of a handful of cheddar bunnies or pirate booty.
Good luck with your project. Michael Pollan has some sound advice.
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