No show on the election? I guess the Democrats on NPR are already conceding.

Hi Tom and Michael,
Thanks so much for doing this important show. I want to express my deep gratitude to Michael for his work. Although my family has always eaten healthily, until I read Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, I never fully understood the rationale behind the organic and local movements. Michael’s thesis that much of what we eat in modern America is not actually food changed the way I shop, eat, and feed my family. I now bake all our bread, buy only locally raised meat, and try to offer my children as much real food as possible. My four year old son even routinely says, “Mom, does this stuff have any corn syrup in it?” when I buy a new snack.
Michael, I am wondering how you might adapt your eating suggestions for life with children. Your “mostly plants” idea just isn’t happening yet in our household; we are still in the “mostly crackers” phase. I bake as much as I can and ply my boys with fruit, but I find it hard to fill their voracious appetite for snack foods. My kids love organic snacks, but small boxes of crackers often cost four dollars and last only a day. I am also a stay at home Mom on a tight budget. So, how do I feed my kids according your food principles? Can I do it without bankrupting our family? How did you do it with your own son?
Thanks so much. I look forward to reading your latest book!
Laurie
South Royalton, Vermont

I’m anticipating a question that may or may not be asked: I’m interested in what Mr. Pollan thinks about the “Buy Local” impulse and admonition one hears so often these days. What about places where it makes more economic and ecological sense to grow things than where one happens to live? And how about economic development in a place like, say, Haiti, where for many impoverished people the first, and perhaps only, economic tool of choice is what they are able to grow, and, perhaps, export?

I wish Paula Poundstone was booked too.

Tofu is the same in every language. Is this a food that should be avoided?

I have been following Michael Pollan’s advice on eating like a vegetarian until 6PM each day. For more than a year now I have been getting my protein from plant sources for breakfast and lunch. I feel great and recommend this diet to all my friends. I am looking forward to reading the new book.

I agree that organic and local make for better food choices, but it’s never going to amount to anything for most Americans unless it is affordable, available, and convenient up front (not talking about the long run here; low-income Americans cannot afford to worry about the long run at this point–they’re barely surviving in the short run). This food is undoubtedly better for us and also better tasting. Unfortunately, it is very expensive. You also must consider the fact that cooking at home, at least in the short run, costs money: you need equipment, spices, etc., and you need kitchen and cooking skills that many people, especially low-income people, simply do not have. It also requires time, which many of us do not have. I will also add a point that I rarely hear mentioned. The food stores and markets where local and organic items are available (at least here in Burlington, VT) are often unwelcoming and intimidating to poorer people. I’m an educated, middle class person who wants to eat right, but I often feel unwelcome and out of place at our local co-op (City Market, but known to locals as Sh*tty Markup).

My question too. Michael, What snacks do you give your kids? I stick to crackers, cheese, apples, hummus (notice the brown food theme-oy), but bad stuff creeps in, especially at school! Suggestions welcome.

I JUST THREW UP!!!

Michael Pollan’s description of the “pink sludge” literally made me lose my breakfast. No more McD for me!

Hey Tom and Mike,
Was really excited to hear the Mr. Pollan was on today. My roommate and I watched Food Inc. about a month and and half ago and we cut out meat. Its been harder for me, than for her I think, but its actually pretty affordable. We have been going to Trader Joe’s and just making smarter choices. Cutting out fast food. FYI, we are 25 year olds on a very fixed budget. Thanks for the info!

I am a numbers person. My best investment was a digital postal scale. I weigh my portions. I also bought a blood sugar sugar meter. I can tell the effects of different foods on my system. Raw ingredients are priced more reasonably than processed products. I make my own bread. It is cheaper,taste better and I can control what is in it.
Good show.
Thanks

Thanks for this important interview. I can’t keep up with all the trends but these simple rules really make since to me. I was just at a neighbor’s house with my girls and in a play-date of 2 hours the mom offered the children popcorn, rice crispy treats, hershey kisses and tootsie roll pops. Unbelievable. Doritos, candy, chips lying around for easy access by her five-year old. And then she wonders why her daughter won’t eat her dinner. Also noticed a book “The Biggest Loser” lying on the floor…I hope they hear this show!!!!

“REAL” organic food is scarce and expensive. until we encourage the FDA to stop poison the population, we will not have sustainable pattern of offering good food to americans. what stops us is our taste and the powerful food lobbyists. yes, the US government (FDA) is the problem.

Cook! I love the combination of reading Michael Pollan and using Mark Bittman’s cook book, How to Cook Everything. Quick, mostly easy, many VERY inexpensive recipes.

As a past clinical nutrition researcher I applaud Michael’s passion and effort.

Recently saw Food, Inc. – That made me question why does the U.S. subsidize corn?

One of the problems is that people misunderstand food addiction today the way alcoholism was misunderstood in the 50s. There are people who are physiologically addicted to things like wheat, dairy, and sugar in a very real way, who are completely helpless in the face of what we are tempted to eat in this country.

For me, it took me 2 1/2 years and a 12-step program to get off these products because I simply couldn’t get through more than a couple of days without them – imagine my surprise because I had no idea I was addicted until I tried to stop.

I lost 8 pounds in 1 week – surely water just from bloating, and about 30 pounds in the end, and I was definitely not on a diet. The quality of my life rebounded spectacularly. I no longer fell asleep everywhere, I did not feel hungover for hours every day, I was able to concentrate, I had energy again, and I stopped catching cold every 2 months.

Was it a miracle? No, it was release from a food allergy/addiction that was probably brought on by genetic pre-disposition followed by overexposure to all those food items over a period of years.

Hi Tom & Mike. The latest food commercial I’ve seen and it is now my favorite, is the High Fructose Corn Syrup commercial where two boys are eating cereal. The older boy says “Hey, what are you doing, that has High Fructose Corn Syrup!” and the younger replies. “Don’t you know that HFCS is made from sugar cane? Don’t you know it’s healthy in moderation? Didn’t mom teach you anything?”

Funny thing is that HFCS is present in almost ALL foods like bread, ice cream, juice, cookies, pasta, etc. so if you eat a little of these foods everyday you are eating HFCS way more than “in moderation”

Please, let’s get real: veganism is the only way. Animal slavery is totally abhorrent. It’s as much about the animals as it is human beings. http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/

Can anyone make a recommendation of what book by Mr. Pollan that I should read first?

The government takes our money in the form of taxes and gives it to those who would poison us in the form of subsidies to big ‘food’ corporations. How can we level the playing field so we can afford to eat well??

I have moved to the US from Australia and the most difficult thing for me is the food here. The food standards in the US are so bad compared to other developed countries, that it’s a terrible ordeal to find any healthy food.

I took for granted that everything in the supermarkets in the cities where I grew up banned detrimental foods like High Fructose Corn Syrup, and here they are in everything. My choice now is to either lower my health standards (which I refuse to do) or to lower my standard of living so I need to spend more time baking my own bread, cooking my own snack foods and basically making everything from scratch because it’s just not available unprocessed. Most of the snacks and meat I eat are imported from Australia because I just don’t want to eat preservatives or growth hormones.

In many other developed countries, where health care is provided by the government, it’s the healthy foods that are subsidized and the junk food that is is taxed. Because the US government doesn’t provide healthcare and thus doesn’t have to take care of people in their old age, they don’t care about the impact caused by subsidizing detrimental foods like processed corn products, so people are forced to choose a bottle of coke over a bottle of water because it’s cheaper, and then they end up dying of diabetes.

I love coffee. Mr. Pollan, can you share what you know about coffee?

Michael–is it possible you have some of this backwards? Your claim is that the ancient foodways turn out to be biochemically the right way have done things–before science knew.

Isn’t it possible that humans have adapted to the food available to them? Isn’t that what you said about the seal blubber eaters?

Also: I appreciate your concern for farmer health. I would love to see pesticides reduced dramatically. GMOs can help to do this, and studies have shown improved farmer health from reducing pesticides with GMOs. Do you think GMOs have a role in this?

I have a question that I’d really like answered. I really like leg of lamb but for the past few years I’ve noticed that the meat tends to be mushy. It’s like someone soaked the meat in Adolph’s meat tenderizer for a week. I’ve also noticed this with deli roast beef. Why is this meat so mushy. Could it be the diet of the critters or could it be in the processing? I don’t buy lamb legs or deli roast beef any more. I’ve asked several butchers about the lamb and no one seems to know.

Brian, re those ads:

Yep, just a couple of teens chillaxin’ and rappin’ ’bout…corn syrup? I don’t know if even teens who are Grangers or FFAs sound like this. What a hoot!

Why can’t we have this this obvious failure of a commercial play for free on an NPR show, along with a dissection?

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Pollan for saving my life! Two years ago a friend turned me on to his books, since then my library has grown to include hundrends of book all focusing on the same issue–eating real food, increasing health and feeling happier!

Regarding feeding ANIMALS themselves . . .

this might seems crazy, but I feed my cats organic, free-range chicken, rather than processed animal feed, containing, among other processed ingredients, rendered animal products. The upshot — my cats are healthy — saving me COUNTLESS dollars in vet bills!!

Animals are our partners on this earth. We want to lord over them, but we really need to see that we have accepted STEWARDSHIP of animals and must keep them healthy too!

I am so glad that you have Mr. Pollan on again. I am very heartened by the awareness that he has been spreading on the corrolation between our highly processed diet and our health.
I was wondering if he has an invitation or opportunity to speak with President Obama about these issues since the nations healthcare seems to be top priority.
Thanks!!

I would love to know how I can combat my food cravings and my need to eat too much. I am very much overweight (60 pounds).

I have tried so many times to change my eating and eventually cave in and eat these wrong things: Why? I don’t understand why I have so little control over my behavior.

I crave foods that contain lots of sugar and I don’t know what else: I love premium ice cream, chocolate, cakes, cookies, whole grain breads with Smart Balance: It, of course, makes me fat. I also eat lots of greens and fruit and I crave organic skim milk. How can I change my cravings? I tried to do it on my own many times and always go back to these “foods”.

With regards to fermented food and wheat engineering – Doesn’t Dr. Alessio Fasano’s research at the University of Maryland with the discovery of Zonulin and the fact that bacterial toxins and gluten open holes or doors in the intestinal wall leading to most of our modern chronic diseases… doesn’t this create a paradigm shift in the use of sugars, starches and gluten?

The question of cost is a real concern. I’ve been trying to find a food co-op in the Boston area—I used to belong to one years ago but that one seems to have shut down. I live in the western suburbs and I think that there would be a big market for here for bulk foods that are healthy and unprocessed.

Anyone have a lead on a co-op?

And, to the person that wanted to know which Michael Pollan book to start with: I’d start with “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. Even though it’s one of his larger volume’s, it is fascinating. It’s also on audioboook and probably available at your local library in either format.

Our families have always been “social diners”. I can’t remember last time I took a meal alone! Friends and family seem to be part of our nutritional profile. We have no health or obesity issues among our 6 kids and all of our elder members have lived well past the norm. Some into their late nineties! We are in the deep south and eat a traditional diet most evenings. Perhaps we would feel less hungry as a nation if we fed our souls with better conversation and more laughter around the dinner table!

A couple of years ago, I showed my son how to make his own french fries using our 40 year old potato fries cutter and a Misto to spray canola oil gently on the fries. Then he pops them in to the toaster oven until browned.

He spices them himself and hasn’t eaten any other kind since!

Thanks for the show and the great information.

et

Thank you, Tom… This program is much appreciated.

ONLY us, the consumers, can change the food policy/culture.

Polan’s “In Defense of Food”, enhanced my life. I can’t wait to read the new one.

Hi Tom,

Here in Boston I have Boston Organics Delivered to my house once a week ( by bike) YUM!

Thanks,
Stephan

I love Michael’s books! We don’t take our kids to fast food and made it a rule with any relatives who take them that it is just not allowed. We are not religious and I told my folks they can take them to church before they take them to McDonald’s.

Thanks for this great conversation, Tom and Mike. May I suggest a freezer as an answer to many issues around quality food from scratch. It is useful for cooking meals from scratch ahead of time, buying meat once a month from a quality supplier which may be at some distance and putting away fruit and fresh vegetables in the summer for winter use. I even make fresh bread in 4 loaf batches and freeze it in half loaf packs.

I didn’t get a chance to get this comment on the program, but I overheard someone being asked if he ate snails. He said “No, I like fast food”.

I read Omnivore’s Dilemma and Eater’s Manifesto when they both first came out. I have a daughter who snacks on fruit and foods that have no HFCS as a result. Being on a budget and raising kids doesn’t always mean we can afford to eat 100% local or organic but I’ve found that just knowing what to look for on food labels and what to avoid you can still make smarter choices when buying. My favorite ‘rule’ (which I’m paraphrasing) from Eater’s Manifesto is that real food has 5 or less ingredients on the label and nothing you can’t pronounce. I stick with that and am still able to find snack foods and better versions of processed food that will still appease my daughter.

I heard it once suggested that the government should tax unhealthy food that makes us sick like they do cigarettes because what is the difference? Thanks, Michael, for the great books and thanks, Tom, for a great guest today!

For those that haven’t seen it, here’s the (hysterically implausible) ad with the teen brothers chatting about HFCS that Brian and ThresherK referred to:
http://www.sweetsurprise.com/videos/brothers-tv-spot

We live outside of Boston and are lucky to have access to excellent local farms and also local
supermarkets that are trying to broaden their aisles with healthier food choices.

But what about college food? I have two in college — one in Boston, one in Denver. And the food reports from the dining hall are grim. Huge portions,
lots of fats, questionable meats, heavy dressings and always tons of potatoes. Colleges need to get into the movement. Engage the students. Start gardens. Grow food locally during the season. And at the same time, grow more food to give it away to those in need.

Check out the growing food/growing community model
at Gaining Ground here in Concord, Ma. at http://www.gainingground.org — A non-profit model (no charge)for schools/ communities to consider that shows how to grow nutritious, organic food and give it away to those in need.

Thanks, Michael Pollen, for your great wisdom and to improve our food habits and help change the food supply chain.

Cynthia Ellis

I am a Registered Dietitian, and like many other dietitians were taken in my the diet the American Heart Assoc, along with other organizations, that pushed people into avoiding saturated fats, thereby giving the food manufactures good reason to add even more frustose. I have not heard the AHA or the American Diabetic Assoc. come out and admit their mistakes and take a positive lead to get people to eat a healthier diet. What do you say about their positions. Do you notice any change in their positions?

I think this is a great website– there is a national map and you can find local CSA farms in your area.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

If you are truly interested in changing the eating habits of America, then you must dramatically curb the food advertising on TV or individuals can learn to walk away from watching TV altogether

In reply to the lady in VT with the boys and eating more healthily:

ONLY put out the veggies, like carrots and celery, crunchy lettuce, really fresh stuff first, when they come home from school and are most hungry and likely to go for whatever there is.

Do not buy the bad stuff.

Let them help any time you can, with the cooking.

Put out really healthy snacks like the above and then take time to cook real food.

I have 3 kids and I’m a single mom with a 45-50 hour/week job and I have just “gone with it,” and I start cooking when I can and it’s done when it’s done. If they are hungry they can snack on healthy foods and cereal, toast, etc., and if they are full by the time dinner’s ready, then it’s a healthy lunch or dinner the next night that’s already prepared.

This sounds hectic, but whose life isn’t these days? If we get a couple of sit down together meals per week we are at least at the national average, and then if almost every meal you do turn out, on time, late, early or whatever, is healthy tasty food cooked with love, and as locally as possible, you are really taking care of your children, the local economy, the environment in one of the best ways you can!

Bacteria in our intestine feed on sugars and starches producing toxins that open holes in our once thought to be impermeable intestinal wall exposing our blood stream directly to everything in our gut.

Gluten is the second strongest at opening these holes. If you’ve ever wondered why there is a correlation between the increasing number of chronic diseases and the engineering through hybridization of our wheat, corn, soy and sugar starting at mid 20th century, take a listen to what Dr. Alessio Fasano and others have discovered.

http://www.autism.com/danwebcast/pro_videomp4.asp?mp4=dallas_2009_21_fasano&h=480&w=640&VID=24

It happens to be presented here at a DAN conference but has wide implications beyond this format.

Basically all of the autoimmune diseases and many other things are linked to these holes in our intestine: Diabetes, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Vasculitis, Thryroiditis, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, Celiac Disease, Fibromyalgia, symptoms resembling Autism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Eczema, Ulcerative Colitis, Attention Deficit Disorders, Food Allergies and Intolerances, Joint and Collagen Problems, Compromised liver function, symptoms like Schizophrenia, Malnutrition, Chronic Heart Disease and Cancer to name a few. Our gluten is more glutinous, much more. Our starches are more starchy, much more, this is the intent of the food engineers. Good intentions but with huge unforeseen implications. Our bodies are set up to defend against bacteria, fungi and viruses not our man made modern glutens, starches and sugars. This is arguably the most important discovery concerning human health ever!

[...] from them and been throughly grossed out by them. Michael was the guest on Tom Ashbrook’s On Point radio program this morning (Jan.19th, 2010) and when I turned on the radio, they were discussing [...]

Thanks for the show, “On Point”! I am a huge fan of Michael Pollan’s, have read all of his books! Not only do they convey so much basic information in proposing very sensible paradigm shifts, conceptually, for us as consumers, and they give us a lot of insight into agribusiness (additionally, how it could function better and more sustainably), they are written in a very entertainingly fluid manner. He’s a fine writer and purveyor of important information.

Mr. Pollan,
Your rule about not eating food that changes the color of milk needs to be modified. I suspect you would consider blueberries and red raspberries to be food and they change the color of my milk.

I’m sure, Mr. Pollan was speaking about cereals like “Cocoa Puffs,” “Frankenberry,” “Lucky Charms” and “Fruit Loops.”

great…another food nazi. And here come the coattail nuts warning us about wheat as the cause of all human suffering.

Have fun, but be smart. Eat well, exercise discernment, and if you die as a result of your best efforts be grateful for what you were given.

My question is what qualities do people who care about the type of food they are eating possess?
I am trying to think so hard since income level often has impact on what types of food people purchase… but often people jump this hurdle anyhow in favor of healthy organic foods.
I have heard that generation can have impact on how people have been introduced to modern ‘convenience foods’ and sometimes people can’t change their habits. But obviously there are many differing perspectives within any given generation. Perhaps even us in a more informed, knowledgeable generation on the effects of toxic pesticides on food and health food movements etc. are the worst in terms of obesity and other health problems.
My first thought was that education is the major influence on how people choose what to eat… but this might not necessarily be so.
What factors do people who have opted for a healthier diet have in common? What opens peoples eyes and will make a change for a larger population shift?

Natural, whole foods like berries change the color of the milk. There are locally owned organic burger stands in my town that will hand you actual food through your car window (let’s hope that’s a trend that’s spreading).

It would be nice if this movement were perceived differently. I shop regularly at a co-op and it is no suprise to me to find comments here saying that new shoppers feel unwelcome. There’s something almost sinister in that, and I hope it doesn’t continue.

Until Americans change their priorities about what they spend their money on, fresh, nutritious, whole foods will be perceived as being too expensive. What’s more important? Your electronics and the kind of car you drive or your health?

It is probably all correct, but it still comes off to many people as the latest incarnation of sanctimonious puritanism. You’ve got to do better at marketing this to people because you’re up against marketing masters, and so far you’re not competing with them very effectively.

[...] and on point, tom ashbrook, and michael pollan. Leave a Comment No Comments Yet so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Click here to cancel reply. Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong> [...]

It is safe to say that nearly everything about managing customer specific requirements is a hassle. If you’re an auditor, how do you know what customer specific requirements exist so that you can audit against them? If you’re the customer, how do you distribute them efficiently? If you’re a supplier, how do you get them? How do you know if you have the latest version?

Customerspecifics.com was founded as a way of improving the management of customer specific requirements for registrars and quality personnel. The idea started when a member was surprised to find that his revision of a customer specific requirement had become obsolete just days before his audit, resulting in a finding.

Really?
This person wasn’t notified of the release of a new revision. If suppliers are required to notify their customers of changes to processes, shouldn’t customers return the favor and notify their suppliers of changes to requirements? If something is important enough to be a requirement for a supplier, it’s just good business practice to make sure that your suppliers are aware of these requirements.

These are the issues that customerspecifics.com is attempting to solve. We thank each of our users for your valuable document submissions and welcome any and all feedback. We look forward to hearing from you!

D. Matthew Morris

Always found it odd that recipes one encounters seem to want to advertise how “easy” and “fast” they are. I mean, if you don’t enjoy cooking, what are you doing hanging around the kitchen or looking up recipes? If it’s so easy and quick, what’s the point do doing it at all, and does it require any culinary skills or knowledge?

It is like “hey, here’s a great movie, and it’s so short it’s over before you even get into it!”

Or, “this concerto is great, it’s easy to listen to and only lasts 30 seconds!!!”

[...] on food and changing your eating habits. Michael Pollan is a great writer and interesting speaker. Listen:Michael Pollan ’Food Rules’ Possibly related posts: (automatically [...]

Suggested Rule #65
Drink Milk if your ancestor did.
•Make sure it is pasteurized unless you have your own cow. We cannot trust the current system to be safe.
•If it is ultra-pasteurized or UHT, save your money and drink water. Nutrients are lost in the high heat processing.
•Never drink homogenized milk. Your body does not recognize it. The molecular structure is changed in the processing. This maybe one of the biggest mistakes of the last century!
My definition today of good safe milk is from healthy cows, and sold in glass bottles so I do not need to concern myself with chemicals leaching from plastics. It is pasteurized at the lowest possible temperature, and does not need to be fortified with anything. It is a natural way to get vitamins, minerals, enzymes. Try it!
You will feel the difference.

Ken,
Good points. What I know as flash pasteurization (what you are calling UHT) kills pretty much all nutrients in the milk. I get my dairy products from a friend who is a local farmer, and she has just a few cows and goats (who feed on grass and get to roam a lot); I haven’t had homogenized milk/yogurt for years. Anyway, I didn’t know about the homogenized dairy products not being broken down properly by our bodies…

[...] husband recently sent me a link from NPR of Tom Ashbrook interviewing Michael Pollan about his new book. They talk for nearly 46 minutes, but don’t be put off by the length, the [...]