There’s a new item being added to our retreat goodie bags: Michael Pollan’s latest book, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It’s cute, extremely portable and digestible, and could also be called Eating Sustainably for Dummies. I already thought Michael Pollan was a genius, but after breaking it down into 64 very simple tips to help anyone eat well, I’m even more convinced. It’s sort of sad that most of the advice in this book our grandmothers wouldn’t know the meaning of; for example, Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. And in fact, tip #2 reads: Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. With all the food confusion out there – latest-and-greatest diets, never-ending plethora of new products, conflicting health news – Pollan’s bottom line is quite simple: Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

This book might take an hour, max, to read. You will laugh, you will be shocked, and you will be inspired to make changes in your eating habits. I guarantee it. You can even buy it on amazon.com right now for 5 bucks. Those are pretty small time and money investments, that could result in huge payoffs for your health and well-being.

Cooking Light, one of my fave foodie mags, ran an article in their Jan/Feb issue that optimistically stated the following about where we’re at right now: It’s a period when the real, deep wisdom about healthy eating is coming into new focus for those who will see. This wisdom blends science, tradition, care for the environment, love of cooking, the human need for pleasure and indulgence, and the ideal of balance into a minestrone seasoned by the good old common sense of the American cook. The power to do good – to nurture our families, to enjoy our food, to celebrate culinary traditions while being mindful of the health of the earth – is in our hands.
Sure sums it up for me.

If you’ve read Food Rules, I’d love it if you’d post your fave rules in the comments…