Michael Pollan’s most recent book, “Food Rules” is a collection of 64 rules to help anyone hoping to make better food choices. The rules are partially culled from his previous book “In Defense of Food” and partially from readers who submitted rules that had guided their families or their cultures to healthier (and more sustainable) eating. As usual, Mr. Pollan’s work in this book is accessible without being trite, and makes the whole business of choosing food more like an adventure than a chore. Here are a few examples of his “Rules”:
Rule #2: Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
Rule #3: Avoid food products containing ingredients no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
Rule #7: Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
Rule #13: Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
His writing is witty, engaging, and always personal. I highly recommend this book and his others related to food, including “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and my personal favorite “Botany of Desire” which I heard has just been made into a film.