The hard part is the follow through. We hear all the time about the dangers of processed foods, and many of us have experienced first hand the benefits of a healthy diet, at least a healthy meal or two, and the satisfaction of real food. I feel better physically if I eat my vegetables and my conscience is soothed by naturally raised meats. But at this point, I have a modern life: I do my shopping at a supermarket, and have little time to cook. The best part of Micheal Pollan’s book is the last chapter, where he expounds on a set of simple rules to guide our food choices.

Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.

This is great advice, and not hard to remember. Don’t eat things when you can’t recognize the ingredients on the label, don’t eat products processed and packaged beyond recognition. He goes on to suggest several other rules:

Shop on the edges of the supermarket, stay away from the center.

The real foods in the market are on the periphery. The dairy and meat, the produce, the bakery. Everything in the middle is unrefrigerated and packed in cardboard or plastic. I found myself thinking about this the last time I shopped, and consciously stayed out of the aisles I didn’t need. The rest of the book is heavy with research and history on the economy and evolution of the food industry; an interesting read if you’re interested in all that, but if you just want a few good ideas about how to eat smarter, skip to the last chapter, read twenty pages, and change your experience buying food. Plus he gives you permission to have butter and wine. Great book.