I first want to express how much
I LOVED the FOOD 101 episode on OPRAH last week.
I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the prior OPRAH episode that featured the vegan chef- Tal Ronnen. Probably because his part was only 5 minutes long- and NO nutrition information was provided. But this FOOD 101 made up for that. FOOD 101 wanted to make people think about where their food comes from and what they are putting in their mouths.
Will it really make people CHANGE what they are eating? Will it help people be more open to the idea of eating a more WHOLE FOOD PLANT BASED DIET?
Or, like Michael Pollan refers to as a “EAT FOOD, NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANT…diet”?
Or, like Alicia Silverstone refers to as a “KIND DIET“?
I truly HOPE so!
One of my family members that eats a “WESTERN STYLE” diet, was able to watch this FOOD 101 episode. I found it VERY interesting what ideas she took from the episode compared to the ideas that I took from it. First of all, she liked that the author MICHAEL POLLAN eats meat. As long as you know where it comes from, right? She liked Michael Pollen’s rules about COOKING your food and eating junk food as long as you make it yourself. And of course, she also brought up the part where OPRAH likes CHEESE and that Alicia Silverstone eats CHEESE sometimes (if you watched the episode, Alicia eats it VERY RARELY).
I really think my family member missed the point of the episode…which is disappointing. I also feel Whole Food Mommies has this same point:
It’s NOT about MEAT, JUNK FOOD, or CHEESE.
It’s about EATING more PRODUCE. SIMPLE.
But I still have HOPE!
I hope people who watched the episode will take even SMALL parts of the message to heart.
I hope that the country in general will be more OPEN to this way of eating.
I also hope that enough people will want to change their eating habits that we can actually have an effect on our food industry. Like Michael Pollen said- we have a voice and we can vote for a change 3 times a day…during breakfast, lunch and dinner.
After watching the FOOD 101 episode,
I found Michael Pollan’s latest book: FOOD RULES.
Maintanence Mommy introduced me to Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food. But that was the only book I read. This “FOOD RULES” book is so much fun! I literally read it in less than an hour. In the book he gives 64 “food rules” for eating healthily and happily. These rules will help people get off the standard Western Diet- which causes heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes and Cancer. These logical rules that Michael Pollan provides, teach us and help us so much more than the “rules” that science, industry and government provide. He states that these rules aren’t meant to be memorized. Just like FOOD, Inc. the film, they are meant to make us think…and hopefully one day they can become second nature to us.
RULE #23 Treat meat as a flavoring or special occasion food.
I really like this rule. He states there is evidence that the more meat there is in your diet, the greater your risk of heart disease and cancer. Thomas Jefferson recommended a mostly plant-based diet that uses meat for flavor.
Rule #22 Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
Michael Pollan states that diets rich in vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of dying from all the Western diseases. Vegetarians are notably healthier than carnivores, and they live longer.
These are just 2 of the rules that I really liked. Check out this book- it is a lot of fun, and of course, it makes you think!
“We never regret of having eaten too little.”
Thomas Jefferson
Source: WFM Blog 16