NEW READING!!! Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

So even if I think that he has some slightly sexist undertones in his writings, I like (maybe love) the things that Michael Pollan has to say about food.

While watching one of my favorite shows, "The Daily Show with John Stewart" I heard the words "Food Rules" and although I didn't know he had a new book out, I knew it had to do something with good ole MP.

So the person that I am, I paused the DVR got something to eat (turkey chili and foccacia from the fresh market bag to be exact) and watched it while taking as many notes as I could muster in the short 5-7 minute interview.

In the very thought provoking convo had between the two of them, they talked about the parallels of the tobacco industry and the food industry. Starting with the fact that Kraft Foods is owned by Phillip Morris (to which I sadly had no idea!) and how these companies use manipulations in foods (triglycerides, MSG, etc.) to make people addicted to the food exactly like cigarettes.

While these foods have these issues, John Stewart had to ask, "is there any honor in creating cheap foods to fill the bellies of the poor?" to which MP answered in a very interesting way, aluding to the new healthcare debates.

"Cheap foods have a high cost paid by the public health system,"

Currently the healthcare system and the food industry work sympathetically in which the food industry helps to create hypertension, type 2 diabetes and other food related illnesses in which the insurance industry will then make more money on the poor health of the many Americans suffering from them.

With the birth of the new healthcare system bubbling in Congress, MP hopes that it is passed because it will force the healthcare industry to hold the food industry  accountable for the junk that they give us and call it food. Since no one will be able to be turned down, they will want to be able to sign on healthier people and will try to keep people healthier or else they will loose out on $$$.

MP hopes that this will also make the gov't more accountable for it ag system as well. He hopes that this will make it so that there aren't any more subsidies for growers of crops used for high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils which are two of the main contributors to our food related illnesses.

And as always he says, "Eat food; Avoid edible food-like substances"

Happy Reading!!!