What to Eat
What is it that confounds us when it comes to eating well? Why do people ask me what it is they should be eating? Why is there such a focus— a fear– around the very thing that sustains us and gives us pleasure?
Only a generation ago, people knew what to eat. Today, nobody knows what to eat. Why is that? Well, for one thing, we have too many choices between foods and food products and advertisements everywhere you look. But eating well does not have to require a math degree or a flow chart of scientific formulae. I hope that I can simplify this for you.
Michael Pollan makes it easy when he says to eat real food, mostly plants.
What I say is eat real food, not food products, mostly veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. What ’s a food product? It’s anything that requires a label to tell you what’s in it. It’s anything that your grandmother didn’t eat. Think Swiss cheese vs. Velveeta. Think fresh peaches vs. canned peaches in sweet syrup. Think pure maple syrup vs. Aunt Jemima! Are you getting it?
Marion Nestle, PhD, is the author of a great book, “What to Eat” and I highly recommend it. She spends a lot of time trying to help people know what is safe, nourishing food. Her food blog, FOOD POLITICS, is very good, too. She gives good advice when she suggests that people shop the perimeter of the supermarket. This essentially lets you avoid the junk and processed foods in favor of the produce, meat and dairy departments. During the summer and fall months, I recommend shopping at all the farmer’s markets you can find. If it’s not sold there, you probably don’t need it anyway!
To simplify things, take it from someone who hates math and will not count calories, grams of fat or carbs. Focus on seasonal veggies and fruits. Build your meals around them. Add beans and animal products in smal amounts so you get the protein you need. Need more energy? Up the protein a bit. Use grains in their whole form once a day or so, and keep the servings small. Think oatmeal, whole rice pilaf, or wheat salad. Snack on raw nuts and seeds. Relax. It’s only food. Real food. Make friends with real food and enjoy the bounty this season.
