Oprah Winfrey, the granddame of Daytime television, interviewed journalist Michael Pollan, who you may or may not remember as a food expert featured in the documentary Food, Inc. Pollan was on the show promote his new book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. When speaking to Oprah about the documentary Food, Inc. he spoke about the difference between chickens today and what he calls “your great-grandmother’s chicken” from 100 years ago. He drew attention to the fact that today’s chicken is not an eco-friendly one, as it is being grown at a faster rate, which means more antibiotics are being used. As a result of the alarming rate of antibiotic, society is then faced with antibiotic resistant germs, known as “super germs”. This is the dilemma of factory-farmed food, which then begs the question is there a way to mass-produce an eco-friendly and sustainable version of the food we eat?

According to Pollan it is entirely possible.  The hitch is that this new method for faming is unknown at the present time; yet ingenuity and perseverance will surely provide a solution.  He says the problem is what he calls the ‘Western Diet’, which didn’t exist 100 years ago; it consists mostly of processed foods that contain copious amounts of sugar and fat with limited to no fruits and vegetables. The ‘Western Diet’ is not an eco-friendly or healthy one, because it inspired heart disease and diabetes to reach all time highs and alarming rates of growth.

This is where his new book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual comes in.  The publisher describes the book as an “indispensable guide for anyone concerned about health and food. Simple, sensible, and easy to use, Food Rules is a set of memorable rules for eating wisely, many drawn from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat-buffet, this handy, pocket-size resource is the perfect guide for anyone who would like to become more mindful of the food we eat.”  Building on this idea Pollan shared his thoughts on beef and dairy with Oprah. “I’m very picky about the meat I eat,” he says. “I eat grass-fed beef, which is now becoming more common. Yes, it’s still more expensive, but it’s a very sustainable product.” When he’s buying dairy, Michael looks for pastured dairy—milk from grass-fed cows. “It’s got more beta carotene, more omega-3s, all this kind of stuff.” Michael also likes to buy produce from farmer’s markets. “Getting out of the supermarket when we can is a very important part of learning where your food comes from,” he says. “Ask the farmer”.  When they finally started to delve into the book, Pollan shared a few of his rules with the audience:

 1) Eat food: meaning eat real whole foods, novelty in food is unhealthy for the  most part.
 2) Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food: his  definition of this is that she would not understand the idea of yogurt in a tube,  instead mistaking it for toothpaste.
 3) Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot  pronounce: again this is a straightforward rule, simple ingredients and no  preservatives are best.
4) Eat only foods that will eventually rot: Pollan does not consider the Twinkie  food, as it does not really rot.
 5) Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself: he says if you enjoy French fries eat them, but make them yourself. If you go through the  process of making fries, or baking a cake etc… you not have it as often because it  takes time and planning, but also it will be healthier as there are not additives,  dyes and preservatives in what you are making and you control the fat and sugar  content.

Pollan’s parting thought focused around the fact that in the United States it’s rational to eat poorly. Why? Well, many Americans cannot afford an eco-friendly diet consisting of fresh fruit and vegetables because they can get more calories per dollar by giving in to fast food. Fast food is the only way that many are able to feed their families and not leave them hungry. It is a sad reality and he hopes that by shining a light on it that will help enable more affordable meals in the form of real, fresh, unprocessed ingredients. Pollan is truly an expert on the topic and his rules are blatantly obvious and we would all be healthier if we heeded his advice. An eco-friendly diet may require a little more money and time, but as Pollan demonstrated, it is well worth it; just as reading his book might be.