Food Rules

Michael Pollan gives some good advice on everyday eating - not by telling you what to eat or not, but simply some guidelines to avoid the unhealthy habits we make all too often. And it's not about science, although there's plenty to go along, but really more about traditional and cultural diets. All of the rules listed in the book are based more on tradition, what your great grandparents would have had, rather than hammering scientific studies and statistical data about disease. These rules are more common sense, stemming from cultural, old-style eating habits - the way they were when America was still young and the idea of the food industry had not yet been realized. By simply linking your diet back to these old ways, you could improve your eating habits a lot.

Several rules that I particularly liked were:

#20: It's not food if it arrived through your window.
#32: Don't overlook the oily little fishes.
#43: Have a glass of wine with dinner.

A couple rules that I think are among the same ideas that could help?

1. If a product is named after a food, but doesn't actually contain it, don't eat/drink it. (ie shrimp sauce, fake lemon juice)
2. The easier to make, the worse it probably is (except whole fruits, of course).
3. If you have to cook it for a second time, avoid it (pre-cooked meat, etc).
4. Remind yourself what a portion or serving actually is, and consider that when making your plate
5. In a cafeteria, the healthiest options probably won't be the focus for that meal. Get stuff from the side lines or salad bars.
6. Drinking water at meals is the easiest way to get to the recommended daily serving. 

Overall, the book was a great quick read, reminding of some simple things that don't take much conscious effort but could drastically improve your diet. The rules don't take much to remember, since they're based off traditional attitudes toward diet - summarize it to one sentence: eat like your great grandparents did.