Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Food Rules

by Michael Pollan

In sixty-four bite-sized pieces of advice, Michael Pollan's Food Rules tells you everything you need to know to eat healthily, dine happily and live well.

Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

Using those seven simple words as his guide, internationally-acclaimed food journalist Michael Pollan offers this indispensable handbook for anyone concerned about health and food. Sensible, easy to use and written in plain English, Food Rules is a set of memorable adages or designed to help you eat real food in reasonable amounts, gathered from a wide variety of sources: nutritionists, anthropologists, ancient cultures - and grandmothers.

Whether at the supermarket, a restaurant or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this handy, pocket-size resource is the perfect manual for anyone who would like to become more mindful of the food we eat.

'In more than four decades I have come across nothing more intelligent, sensible and simple to follow than these principles'
The New York Times

'Instantly makes redundant all diet books and 99 per cent of discussions around healthy eating ... Sense, at last'
   Daily Mail, praise for In Defence of Food

'Pollan invites us to grab our pots and pans and cook some real food for dinner'
   Time Out, praise for In Defence of Food

'Read this witty book for a healthier life and diet'
   The Times, praise for In Defence of Food

Michael Pollan has been writing for over twenty years about the places where the human and natural worlds intersect: food, agriculture, gardens, drugs, and architecture. The Omnivore's Dilemma, about the ethics and ecology of eating, was named one of the ten best books of 2006 by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is also the author of The Botany of Desire, A Place of My Own and Second Nature and, most recently, In Defence of Food.

Reviewed by ibeforem on

4 of 5 stars

Share
In my understanding, Food Rules is basically a pocket-version of one of Pollan’s other books, In Defense of Food. So if you’re read that one, you might not want to bother with this one. I hadn’t read either, and decided to download this on my Kindle after seeing Pollan on Oprah. Pollan’s rules really boil down to three simple concepts: eat food, not chemicals; eat mostly plants; and don’t eat too much. His 64 food rules are basically ways to help us do this. I’m not sure why there are 64; they probably could have been cut down to 50, because a few of them say the same thing with different words. Regardless, I’m in favor of Pollan’s philosophy. I agree that we should focus our eating more on real food and less on whatever has the largest "low-fat", "low-calorie", or "low-sugar" label. Pollan’s rules are definitely something I’ll keep in mind as I’m shopping in the future.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 April, 2010: Finished reading
  • 8 April, 2010: Reviewed