“If you’re concerned about your health, you should probably avoid food products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat.”
That’s from the new #1 best seller, “In Defense of Food,” by Michael Pollan. He also wrote the best-selling Omnivore’s Dilemma – see here.
Pollan adds:
“Once, food was all you could eat, but today there are lots of other edible foodlike substances in the supermarket…These novel products of food science often come in packages festooned with health claims.”
Are you eating or selling any of “these edible foodlike substances…these novel products of food science” ?
P.S. See here for a New York Times magazine piece on his stunning and engaging new book – for those of us who love getting whole foods from the local farmer’s markets and co-ops.
I believe that American technology and ingenuity is the best in the history of the world.
However, when it comes to messing around with our food supply, all of these advances over the years are not necessarily such a good idea.
I once heard a man say that when you go to the grocery store, once you are finished shopping in the fresh produce section, you should check out and go home.
That’s a good idea.
Paul Eilers
http://www.PurpleGreenPops.com
I am fortunate to live in a home with people who love to cook from scratch.
Today’s dinner was Winter Pumpkin Soup.
The only “claim” is that it is guaranteed to keep you warm in sub-zero Wisconsin weather! 🙂
Walter Reade (from Wisconsin)
I grew up on a farm with butchered calves, fresh fruits and vegetables.
It really does taste different than the food you find in the store.
When I went to college, I bought my first hamburger meat (we ran out of ours) in the grocery store. I called my Mom when I got home with it because it “smelled” odd to me and I thought it might be bad.
She said it was probably the preservatives, but that it hadn’t gone bad. That made me feel better to know I bought meat with preservatives!! 🙂
Brenda Bunney
http://MLMSuccessBunney.com
brendab@brightok.net
I heard Michael Pollan on CBC radio, loved it, and was sorry I had not thought of writing the book first :). This is what I have been teaching for the last 40 years or so. I grew up in a time and place where all cooking was seasonal and from scratch. It went without saying.
I am proud of my grown offspring for several reasons. But one is that they both think “soup stock!” when they see a bone. I now live in the country and grow some of my food. My favorite recipe for chicken soup starts with: “Sharpen the Axe”.