Michael Pollan’s new book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual came out over the holidays. For those of you not familiar with his work, Mr. Pollan, a professor of journalism and an author, is considered one of the grass roots leaders in the quest for better food and better food production system.

His previous books The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals and In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto exposed millions of readers to the ills of the Western Diet and the uber-capitalistic food industry. The result of constant pressure to increase profitability of food companies has wreaked havoc on our collective health, and created a country with 100 million obese people. Where Pollan’s previous books were more academic and philosophical observations and recommendations, Food Rules gives practical advice for day to day perusal.

The preface to the book argues against our obsession with this or that nutrient (fat, vitamin E, calcium) and pretty much disses “nutritionism” as something that has not helped, rather caused confusion among consumers. If we eat real food, in small portions, and mostly from plant sources, we won’t have to worry about saturated fat, added sugars, antioxidants and lycopenes, Pollan argues. Though he’s not a scientist, he did consult experts and researched substantially in preparation of this manual.

Pollan writes very well – some of the rules sometimes seem more like poetry than practical advice:

#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.

#6o Treat treats as treats.

Others are so simple and smart that even a 4 year old can grasp:

#25 Eat your colors.

#36 Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk.

As a brownie lovers, we particularly connected with

#39 eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself

The gist of the book is not surprising. Most food at the supermarket is not really food, rather an “edible foodlike substance”:

#11 avoid foods you see advertised on television.

An important rule for families, not just for nutritional purposes:

#58 Do all your eating at a table.

and so forth…

The book is a quick light read. There are no big surprises here. It is the framing of what we all know to be true into a simple guiding rules that makes Food Rules an enjoyable hour or two spent.

The last rule is very important, we’re humans after all, and we celebrate a birthday once a year:

#64 Break the rules once in a while.

What to do at the supermarket:

It’s hard to summarize everything into on sentence but Pollan minimized his thesis into 7 words:

Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

To which we add – Buy minimally processed products, mostly plants and whole grains, but also dairy and meat. Prepare meals yourself, enjoy food with your family at the dinner table, have small portions, drink water, and don’t obsess.

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The only special treatment my young children get when we walk into a restaurant are the crayons and kiddie menu to doodle on. Why in the world would we punish them with chicken nuggets, hot dog, a reheated pizza, or whatnot, when they can be enjoying the fine Italian/Thai/French/Vietnamese/Californian cuisine that the adults are having?

Does this surprise you? It shouldn’t.

There’s this belief that children can’t eat grown-up food. They won’t like it. They don’t eat veggies. They can’t handle complex tastes, yadda yadda…

Same thing happens when grocery shopping at the supermarket. Entire aisles, product lines, and companies are devoted to that beloved niche market – our kids. Granted, there are some products for babies that make sense – a jar of Gerber to keep in a diaper bag for those cases when baby’s hungry and you’re not near the kitchen. But have you had a look at your pantry and fridge to count up all the things you bought because they’re for kids?

Whether it’s Danimals, a sugary cereal, or glow in the dark Mac ‘n Cheese – think about the real reason you bought these items. Is it because your children really need them? Or because of the clever packaging that has led you to believe these are better choice for your little ones?

What you’ll discover in many cases is that you’ve gotten something with more sugar and in some cases artificial colorings. Blue is a fun color to paint with. Not to eat.

If your children are still very young and not subject to too much outside influence other than parents and close family, it should be very easy to refrain from kid branded products. Problems usually arise when a child starts preschool or learns from older friends in the surrounding social circle.

Viewing TV commercials is a contributing factor, too. It would be great if manufacturers would refrain from using kid pop icons on their packaging. But the deal is just too sweet for both Hollywood and the brand manufacturers. Unfortunately, the industry self regulation is very lax, and the government does not and cannot effectively intervene.

So it’s up to parents to figure out a game plan that works for their family. There’s no one right solution.

Whatever you decide, try  not to be too extreme. The 80 / 20 rule seems to be effective with many of our readers – if your children eat 80% of their food as healthful as you can muster, but the other 20% more leniently (including junk food and post-modern snacks), then you’re off to a good start. If you deny your children any of the treats that they see their friends consuming, you’ll be in for quite the rebellion once they hit the teenage years.

What food strategies are you implementing with your children?

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photo credit: Patrishe

Have your children seen an ad for fresh apples lately? How about a commercial for yams or carrots?

Probably not.

But they most likely have seen lots of advertisements for candy, soft drinks, sugary cereals, and other processed food like substances.

And what they see, they immediately turn into action. At least, this is what a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale has concluded. From the New York Times:

In one experiment, 118 children, ages 7 to 11, were each given bowls of Goldfish crackers and then left to watch a 14-minute cartoon. During the commercial breaks, some of the children saw ads for games and entertainment; others watched four spots for unhealthy snacks like waffle sticks with syrup, fruit roll-ups and potato chips. The children who saw the food spots ate 45 percent more Goldfish than those who watched the game commercials.

What you need to know:

It’s an uphill battle for parents today to try and keep their children eating healthfully. Food manufacturers are not making things easy.  Tens of thousands of nutritiously superfluous products manufactured for kids,  and the big brands spend tens of millions of dollars on advertising to those eyeballs that count the most.

Some parents have decided to live TV free. Others Tivo commercials away. But for the most part, our impressionable younger generation is learning what to eat from brand marketers on Madison Avenue.

What to do at the supermarket:

You need to start educating your children from a very early age about healthy eating habits. Definitely provide snacks and sweets, but in moderation.

You also need to explain that not everything on TV is  true, and when it comes to advertising, there are motives present not necessarily in the best interest of the consumer.

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