The other night, I read Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual cover to cover in one sitting.

The book is described as:

…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.

I had been longing to read this book for months, so I finally bit the bullet and bought it on my iPhone. I figured it would be a handy book to have electronically for my grocery trips–you know, when I’m standing in the middle of the produce section for way too long, trying to figure out the best choices for my family.

Even having the table of contents alone would change the way my family eats. Here’s a snippet of my favorite food rules (chapters) listed on the table of contents:

Chapter 2 – Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.
Chapter 7 – Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
Chapter 11 – Avoid foods you see advertised on television.
Chapter 19 – If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.
Chapter 43 – Have a glass of wine with dinner. (*My favorite rule, perhaps!)

It is my hope that I will retain some of what I read in this short guide for better eating and better health, especially when I’m passing by the junk food aisles of my grocery store. I’ve been trying to limit myfamily’s intake of processed foods for quite a while now, unsuccessfully. We are a family who works full time and don’t always have the time required to make meals from scratch. In other words, we eat frozen pizza once a week and rely on chicken nuggets for too many daycare lunches. If I could change any one thing about the way I eat, it would be to strictly limit processed foods in our diet.

If you’ve read this book, I’d love to hear what you took away from it and whether you still follow the rules.