Food Books / Clean Eating

[Wings5]

We've been changing our diets slightly and reading up on food. Anyone else?

I just downloaded a copy of Real Food / Fake Food by Larry Olmstead. It was free on Amazon Prime. Has anyone else read the book? Are there any similar books you've read that have changed the way you buy food or cook for yourself?

It's something of a culinary guidebook with interesting details about certain sectors of the food industry. For example, the seafood industry has plenty of mislabeled fish and false advertising. I don't eat much fish but it was rather eye-opening. He discusses the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's healthy ocean guide to seafood www.seafoodwatch.org, which I thought was interesting. We're going to take the list to our local supermarket and see what we can find.

[grantmeaname]

Everything Michael Pollan writes is golden but you have to start with An Omnivore’s Dilemma first - that’s a classic.

Cooked is good too. There’s a Netflix documentary version of it which is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Most of the actual content is repeated from Omnivore, though.

[Cordivae]

I've read a number of books over the last 3 years:
The Blue Zones
The China Study
Culprit and the Cure

I tried reading a couple of books on Paleo, the 'science' in them was pretty lacking. 

My favorite however is:
Eat Drink and Be Healthy.  The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating

With diet, it feels like there is so much misinformation and pseudo science floating around.   And everyone with a 6-pack is talking about how they got it.  Eat Drink and Be Healthy discusses the state of our understanding and has a handful of simple principles that are easy to apply.

Notably:
No fat / no carb both miss the point.  There are good and bad fats, and likewise good and bad carbs. 
No one diet will work for everyone.  We have different genetics / temperaments.  The best diet is one that is sustainable, healthy, and that you enjoy.
More fruits and vegetables of a variety of types are better for you. 

None of this is rocket science.  In fact there is a great deal of overlap between all of the books.  :)

Also, a bump for my favorite food blogger.  Cookie and Kate has some amazing and delicious food at cookieandkate.com

[mm1970]

Salt, Sugar, Fat
Death by Food Pyramid
Wheat Belly (but read critically, some sections are BS)
What to Eat (Luise Light)
What to Eat (Marion Nestle)

I got a bunch more on my shelf...should look them up later.

[Forever Wednesday]

I tried reading a couple of books on Paleo, the 'science' in them was pretty lacking.

If you were interested, the sanest case for the Paleo diet I have read thus far is Paul & Shou-Ching Jaminet's "Perfect Health Diet" (if you can stomach the grandiose title). They have a blog if you don't fancy shelling out for the book. It basically boils down to Paleo but with a higher ratio of carbs. I'm afraid it's a bit of a dry read.

Honestly though, everything I have read (Paleo or otherwise) could be reduced to a few simple rules:

- Stay away from sugar and processed foods.
- Eat mostly plants and meats (if you're an omnivore).
- Drink lots of water.
- If you have chronic health issues, try eliminating wheat / beans / etc. See what happens.
 
I don't think diet needs to be complicated. In fact, it seems most people are in agreement as to what the bulk of a healthy diet consists of. The areas of disagreement are comparatively small ("Are saturated fats bad?", "Should I shop organic?", "What should my macro-nutrient profile be?", etc).

As dietary knowledge is mostly common sense, the most important thing in my mind is learning how to cook efficiently. This cuts down on the temptation to buy the quick takeaway junk food, thus improving your nutrition (and savings rate).