In Defense Of Food

When Henry was born my mom gave me a baby food maker and storage trays. I am so excited that Henry is old enough that I finally can start using them! I'm a baby food making machine.
Growing up my mom made all of our baby food, and I even remember helping her out by grinding up fruits and vegetables for my younger sister and brothers. But now that I have my own little prodigy to take care of, it just makes sense to make his food. And it’s so easy, it took me maybe 10 minutes to cook, grind and package about 3 sweet potatoes. So easy and so healthy.

Looking back at my childhood, compared to the way most children eat today, it is amazing how much food has changed in the last 25 years. My mom (and Dad) had their own garden. My mom would can everything from peaches to pickles. I remember the tedious job of making homemade grape juice, and I wasn’t even the one making it! My mom would make bread and noodles. And we even would get canned and/or frozen deer and elk that my grandpa and uncles would get on their hunts. We did get the occasional treat and sweet, and that was usually soda and chocolate from my Grandma Williams.

Maybe I am bringing all of this up because are just finishing reading, “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan.

It is a great book that I strongly suggest reading. It really makes you think about is any of the “food” that we are consuming on a daily basis the same food that our grandmother ate. And if it is not, is our “food” really “food” or is it some industrialized modified form of food like substance?

With that said, I have had a few people ask me about some of the books that I have read on health and nutrition. Now of course you have to take what you want from each book, because ultimately it is up to you to have a lifestyle change and as proven in “In Defense of Food,” it is not easy to escape the Westernized diet that we have dug ourselves into.

Here is the listing and a quick synopsis of each.

Disease Proof your Child: Feeding Kids Right

Dr. Joel Fuhrman

This is an excellent book about the foods our children should and shouldn’t be eating. If you need a good place to start this book is it. Although the author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, is most likely vegan, he does not offer that as the only solution. Dr. Fuhrman suggests that parents and their children adapt a near-vegetarian diet. I agree that a vegetarian lifestyle may not be for everyone; however every family should be eating near-vegetarian like Dr. Fuhrman suggests.

Food For Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life

Dr. Neal D. Barnard

This is one of the first books that I read while recovering from cancer, which eventually lead me to eat the plant based diet I eat today. Dr. Barnard reveals why a diet based on the new four food groups (grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits) will sharply decrease the risk of cancer and heart disease and dramatically increase life expectancy. Dr. Barnard has also written books specifically about reversing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Ultraprevention

Dr. Mark Hyman

This book describes the “Five Forces of Illness” -- Sludge (malnutrition), Burnout (impaired metabolism), Heat (inflammation), Waste (impaired detoxification), and Rust (oxidative stress). The book shows you how to stop these forces and create a lifetime of good health by removing allergens, infections, and toxins from the body and environment; repairing the body through personalizing nutrition, boosting the immune system, and balancing hormones; and recharging with stress management, sleep restoration, and gentle movement.

Is God A Vegetarian?

Richard Alan Young

This book, through Bible passages, examines how we went from the Peaceable Kingdom to the way we eat and live today. Is God A Vegetarian? focuses on animal rights and our own personal gluttony.

Mormon Wisdom and Health: A Medical Review of Mormon Doctrine

Dr. Kenneth E. Johnson

(this is the older version-I couldn't find an image of the updated version.)

We have just started reading this book, so I can’t give a complete summary. Here is an expert from the sleeve; “Mormons are well known and admired for their stand on the use of tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol. The Word of Wisdom revelation is much more than that. It also gives explicit instruction about nutrition.”

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

Eric Schlosser

This book examines the local and global effect of the fast food industry. This book only touches briefly on the effects that the fast food industry has on health, but it really will make you think of the economical effects of a Happy Meal.

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food

Gene Baur

We spoke about Farm Sanctuary in a previous post, but still we really enjoyed this book about animal rescue and rights and think it’s a great book to read.

Regardless of which book you read, they all come down to the basic slogan of “In Defense of Food,”

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.