Omnivores Relax With Real Food

Omnivores, relax with real food!  This was the take home message we found in last evenings PBS documentary “IN DEFENSE OF FOOD”, featuring well known food journalist Michael Pollan.

We thought the documentary was well done and echo the main point of the film, when it comes to eating, just relax and eat food, that is – real food.  The stuff you find in the middle of the grocery store is what Pollan calls “edible food like substances”.  Focus on the “edges” during your grocery store visits to find real food.  Refer to our blog post on this topic from January 2014 “How to shop for a healthy diet”.

Other points from “IN DEFENSE OF FOOD“:

• Eat Traditional Foods, these are time tested (2013 blog post)
• Watch your portion size
  • If you don’t know your current daily food intake levels, I encourage you to find out.  I was surprised to learn what my daily calorie intake was compared to what was suggested for my height and weight (June 2015 blog post).
  • (2021 Update)  With updated information and a switch in diet to higher Protein intake, portion sizes are no longer an issue.

• East mostly plants (Eat the rainbow blog post)
  • (2021 Updated)  Though we were happy at the time of  this documentary, that “Real Food” was being promoted, we generally don’t agree with the point to eat “mostly plants”.  Especially based on more recent information.  Per the bullet below, for most of us, pasture grazed animals as a source of nutrient dense protein and fats are the key to human health.  Granted, we are all biochemically unique.
  • The documentary points out the health benefits of meat from pasture grazed animals
  • You have heard, you are what you eat!
    • “We are what what we eat eats too.”  Michael Pollan.
      • In other words, we can’t eat the nutritional diversity of a prairie… but we can eat something that is capable of eating the nutrition of a prairie!
      • A bite of our pasture raised and grazed beef allows us to eat the prairie.

I basically started on the above described Omnivores path several years ago.  I took it to the next level by incorporating the portion size advise (including fasting) this past year (described in June 2015).  Six months later I am happy to report my weight and health has been maintained.

As you look forward to the new year are you considering another “Diet Resolution”?  If you find yourself stuck somewhere trying to get on what our friend Danna calls the “Health-Nut Highway”, we urge you to watch this documentary.

Remember, “We are all on a diet. Be on a healthy one.” Dr. Mercola