Book Review: "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual" by Michael Pollan

When I first heard Michael Pollan speak on radio, I knew that his philosophy of food was something I had been in search of for a long time. His motto is "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." And his book, “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual,” provides easy-to-follow steps to support a simple, healthy and natural diet. This book is a must-read if your diet consists of fast-food, frozen meals and few vegetables. Here are my favorite five rules from his book:

• Avoid food products that have more than 5 ingredients
• Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce
• Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle
• Treat treats as treats
• Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.

I like Pollan's rules as guidelines for a nutritious and healthy diet and this is particularly important in today's world. While many people try to be healthy, weight loss is the key for most women and many of these women are misguided about healthy eating habits by following bad diets which offer quick weight loss at the expense of good health. So I have come up with a few suggestions of food rules for dieters:
  

• Don’t go for long periods without eating – that way your body holds on to its fat reserves and your metabolism slows down.
• Don’t eliminate whole food groups – many diets, such as Atkins, Paleo etc., exclude certain food groups, in particular, carbohydrates. But every food group has its own function and benefits. The key is to have a balanced diet and to eat everything in moderation.
• Drink water – avoid sugary, caffeinated, and diet drinks.
• Feed your cravings – Pollan says himself “break the rules once in a while,” and when you really fancy something, go for it, otherwise, you will crave it even more and when you finally give in, you will indulge more!