Food Rules

My previous website, d+eco, was a great place for me to blog about all the issues that Revolt is about. Considering the site is not running anymore I wanted to take a look back at some of my posts and share them here. I know a lot of you did not get to read them and I feel they are very important for everyone to see. So this post is one of them. Enjoy!

I recently purchased a great book from author Michael Pollan and I wanted to share it with you. It is called Food Rules and I feel it is highly important for everyone to get it. It is set up in three sections: What you should eat, how you should eat and what kind of food you should be putting in your body. We all know that when it comes to food there are boundaries. Growing up we had our parents and grandparents telling us to eat healthy and stay away from the “junk”. Well, they were right. Except, nowadays “junk” is in everyone’s supermarket, pantry, fridge and table. You may think you are eating healthy but I can bet you aren’t. The so called Western diet is a huge problem in this country. We have ruined food. If we can even call it that anymore.

Every week you shop down the aisles of your local market and wind up buying chemicals, sugar, fats, disease and tons of other processed garbage. This garbage is being served on your dinner table and getting fed to your family. Don’t you think your family is worth a little more than that? You may know the facts but are you acting on them? Its time to be responsible for your body and health as well as the people around you. These days I just can’t believe that people don’t realize that about 90% of the food being sold in most supermarkets is toxic. How can you not know? I hate to call people stupid but hey, if the shoe fits. Im sorry, but if you are not aware of the major problem in this country than you need to wake up! Yes, it is a major problem. This Western diet is making the people of this country very sick and it needs to stop. Obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are all caused by the food industry. Big business is selling you crap and they are making you believe that its good for you! WIth every commercial and every package they continue to lie because they know you will believe them. And you all are!

Well, I do not fall into the trap of deception and false advertisement. I do not let this industry take control of my life. I realize and know for a fact that they are all in it together and unless I take action and eliminate them all I will not be free. Free to be healthy and guilt free. I ask all of you to think twice about what you put in your body. Think about how people are getting sick and deteriorating due to the crap on the shelves and how much money they waste on medication and doctor visits to stay alive. It is not a coincidence! Unless you eat all organic and natural foods you are in trouble. You may think you are ok but most likely you aren’t. Here are some rules from Pollan’s manual that I ask all of you to read and consider. It is time to gain control back and feel the best you have ever felt. I promise that these rules will help you get there.

1. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
2. Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup.
3. Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients.
4. Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients. (this does not include ingredients in a recipe)
5. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
6. Avoid products that make health claims as well as ones that include the words “light”, “low-fat” and “nonfat”.
7. Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not. (example: margarine)
8. Avoid foods you see advertised on television.
9. Stay away from the middle of the supermarket and shop in the fresh aisles.
10. Eat only foods that will eventually rot.
11. Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.
12. Get out of the supermarket when you can and shop more at farmer’s markets.
13. Eat only foods that are cooked by other humans and not corporations.
14. Don’t ingest food in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap.
15. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.
16. Its not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
17. It’s not food if its called the same name in other languages. (example: Big Mac)

If you want to read more than you can purchase Michael Pollan’s manual on Amazon for $5. Yep, only $5!! So, there is no excuse. For $5, you can gain tons of important insight and change your life for the better. I would also suggest you look into Pollan’s other books for they are highly praised. Remember, by making these positive changes you not only stay healthy, longer, but you feel strong and more positive from the inside. If you continue to choose to be a victim of the food industry you are the only one to blame. I just feel bad for the people and children you are responsible for. They will all suffer from your bad habits and ignorance. Its time to stop this deadly cycle and evolve for change!

Other books by Michael Pollan: In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, In Defense of Food: The Myth of Nutrition and the Pleasures of Eating, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education, The Omnivore’s DIlemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World, A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams, A Place of My Own: The Education of an Amateur Builder.

Books that Pollan contributed to: Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to a Food and Farm Bill, Voices of the Land