Food Rules: An Eater's Manual - by Michael Pollan
Despite an increasingly busy work schedule, I've been trying to get caught up on some of my favorite blogs, websites, and the many instructional books that have gathered dust lately. I've also been focusing on working out and eating better again. As a matter of coincidence, my wife recently purchased the book: Food Rules.
The book is an incredibly quick read (139 pages). If you take the bus or metro, you'll probably burn through it during the round trip to and from work. In it the author, Michael Pollan, attempts to bypass some of the "needless complication" of modern nutrition science by presenting 64 easy "food rules."
These rules never come off as preachy; nor is there an agenda beyond the stated goal of directing the reader towards practical advice and past generational wisdom that may help you eat a little healthier.
Some of these rules include:
#8 Avoid food products that make health claims
Summed up, the author makes the point that naturally healthy produce, dairy, and meats tend not to make overblown health claims. They're unprocessed and remain healthy under long-term scrutiny, unlike new wonderfoods, such as Margarine.
#20 It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car
This one's pretty self-explanatory - though potentially challenging for some.
#29 Eat like an omnivore
No, don't worry - this isn't a Vegan manifesto (not that there's anything wrong with that). Many of the rules in the book remind you to eat some meat, drink a glass or two of wine, grab a nice sweet, but remember to eat your vegetables.
#39 Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself
There's a recurring theme in the book that if you take the time to cook your meals and invest in quality ingredients when you do so, not only will the product be healthier, you'll also be less likely to stuff yourself non-stop.
In Summary:
Like I said, there are 64 of these rules. Hopefully the ones I chose will pique your interest some, but there are quite a wide variety of them. Even if you don't agree with all of them, there's bound to be a useful nugget - for instance: "Labels list ingredients by weight..." So if the first thing on the list is Sugar or Soy or some other crap, hopefully it's the crap you signed up for.
What's all of this got to do with BJJ, MMA, or anything else fight related? Diets like the Gracie Diet or this one I found from Pablo Popovitch, are often sought out to help athletes become competitive or gain an edge. It's easy to Google and grab the latest "specialized" diet, but the common sense that's contained in this book seems much more balanced, healthier, and easier to implement. Once in place, everything beyond that is just a tweak or a modification to an already healthy foundation.
Remember: Garbage In / Garbage Out.
