The Food Rules: Reminders About Eating Right

Author Michael Pollan has a new manual out called “Food Rules” — a guide with simple tips and reminders about eating right. Many of his tips are based on common sense or rules our grandparents tried to drill into our heads…sadly, much of America has forgot the rules…so the $5 guide is a worthwhile investment to freshen on up.

Among the 60+ tips in his book? Here’s a look at a few:

* The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead: Remember this mantra? Whole grains are the way to go.

* Shop the periphery of the market: The freshest foods — fruits, vegetables, fresh meat and seafood — are always located on the edges of the market. Stick to the periphery and avoid the aisles — where mostly processed and packaged foods live. Also — my favorite tip: Don’t buy food where you buy gas!

* If you’re going to eat junk, make it yourself: Don’t buy packaged cookies and desserts or french fries from the fast food joint. If you make them yourself, you’ll #1 skip out on all the preservatives and excess fats / sugars and #2 will be less likely to eat junk as often because who wants to spend hours baking and frying?

* Treat treats as treats: Michael isn’t all about gloom and doom…but he says, “We’ve turned special occasion food into everyday food, and that’s how we get into trouble.” Enjoy but in moderation.