Food Rules

I am not sure if you’ve heard of it but there is a new book out called, Food Rules, an eater’s manual. The book is a book of, um, well rules, 64 to be exact of how we should, could and probably would, like to eat. I have yet to read the book but it has been ordered on Amazon so more will come I’m sure. I have however read a few of the more important rules and I have to say I am hooked. I am not normally the kind of gal who falls for food rules as I think that even in the making of a food rule we somehow manage to make ourselves believe that if we don’t break the rule we will surely die an unhappy death.

Take for instance when I tell myself that I am not allowed to eat gelato. That little rule comes slamming back in my face when for some reason I am forced by power much stronger than I to pull the car over to the side of the road and run (not walk) to Holy Gelato (my gelato of choice) to eat that which I have so solemnly sworn will never grace my lips again. What do you call that? I think it’s called the white bear.

If I say to you, “don’t think of a white bear!” What are all of you thinking about right now? Yep. Just what I thought, you are thinking about the one thing I told you not to think about. It’s the exact same thing as me saying to myself,

“Sarah, you are not going to eat gelato I mean it. No gelato for at least two weeks.”

What do I want more than life itself the very moment I say that? Copa mista gelato.

This principle/idea/psychology is why I am not always a fan of food rules. I do however think that this Michael Pollen is onto something and his rules do actually make sense. The trick is just to figure out how to make it seem like less of a rule and more of a decision.

Let’s take a look at one of my favorites:

“Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients.”

Ok, this is a tricky one. This means that I am not allowed to eat salad dressing or Yoplait yogurt or almost anything that is sealed in a package.

Many of you may be thinking, “but Sarah, that sounds like the kind of rule that would make me begging for Yoplait?” Yes, you are right, it does. And that is why I am only half endorsing it.

I thought about this rule for a while. How can I incorporate this into my life? How could this be something I did, because believe me I would love, love, love to be the kind of person who only ate food with less than 5, I just don’t think it’s very realistic.

That is why I have switched the rules around a bit. Here is Sarah’s new and (I think) improved rule number 65:

Every time you are about to eat something that comes from a package, say out-loud or read loudly in your head the entire ingredients list.

You think this sounds so easy my friends? Well please; I invite you to join me. All I am asking is that you read them all. All of them. Even the ones you can’t pronounce, sound them out.

Often times I will look at the nutrition label on the back of my food and I will start to read it, then get bored, upset, annoyed or whatever and not actually read it. So I am going to actually read it and I want you to too. Read every single ingredient and think about eating it, then eat it. By all means, please. I am not a maniac and I am not suggesting you cut foods out this early in the game of rules. I just want you to pay attention to what you eat. I mean, don’t you want to know what you put in your body?

So, everybody clear? This week we are going to read more. Pay attention to what you put in your body and then maybe after you know a little bit more about your diet will you be able to make an informed decision about it. How can I expect you to stop eating something when neither one of us even know what it is?

My hope is that paying attention to what you eat will be like inviting the white bear over for tea. You will then have the power to choose whether the bear will stay or go.

Be Good to your Body, it’s where you Live