3 ms·

I think the original quote is simpler: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The essay from the NYT is a good read: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazi

I think the original quote is simpler: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." The essay from the NYT is a good read: https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t... Now, Pollan broadly speaking does get a bit more into what constitutes "food". But I'd argue in general: this is mostly a heuristic. It's not a clear set of rules, because such a thing is likely impossible. And advice of this sort is inherently kinda hand-wavy and (in Pollan's words) "flagrantly unscientific". That doesn't mean it's useless as a guide – everyone will have a bit of a different view on that. Bread, as something which has been consumed for tens of thousands of years, is recognisable as food. It's got perhaps three ingredients and is minimally processed. Cheese might be similar. Maybe it could be as simple as "something you can reasonably make in your own kitchen", or maybe it needs to be a bit more complex. The point is – it's too easy to get caught up in litigating the precise meaning of a vague phrase. The intent is clear, and the focus should be more on general diet rather than the needless semantics of "does bread stop being food when I make it into crumbs".

mbubb 7y ago
Yes - you stated this better than I did. For me the idea of bread made with "Enriched bleached flour" is a good example of 'deceptive' food where you strip nutrients in one process and re-inject nutrients of questionable value. So bread is a great example of a food which can go from empty calorie food to dense nutrient.
Waterluvian 7y ago
That's fair. Feels like a "you know it when you see it" kind of thing. I feel guarded against the inevitable health zealots who need a much simpler model to proselytize against, and therefore bin everything into good or bad. I can get on board with "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I also really like, "try to have a variety of colours on your plate" (not sure where I heard this one from).

mbubb 7y ago

Yes - you stated this better than I did. For me the idea of bread made with "Enriched bleached flour" is a good example of 'deceptive' food where you strip nutrients in one process and re-inject nutrients of questionable value. So bread is a great example of a food which can go from empty calorie food to dense nutrient.

Waterluvian 7y ago

That's fair. Feels like a "you know it when you see it" kind of thing. I feel guarded against the inevitable health zealots who need a much simpler model to proselytize against, and therefore bin everything into good or bad. I can get on board with "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." I also really like, "try to have a variety of colours on your plate" (not sure where I heard this one from).