Another good book about food: "The Omnivore's Dilemma"

[allanq]

Here's another good book about the food we eat:

"The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," by Michael Pollan

This book isn't about nutrition or HIV per se. It's about the food we eat and how it gets from the farm to our table. The author is a journalist, not a medical professional. The most interesting part of the book for me was his description of industrial farming and the major role that corn has come to play in our diets, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup. Ever wonder why fast food joints serve super-sized 32 oz. soft drinks? This book explains why.

Reading this book has changed the way I eat. It's well written and often very entertaining. Highly recommended.

Here's a link to the book on amazon.com: The Omnivore's Dilemma

 Allan

[BT65]

There's also a good movie called Super-Size Me. 

[catwoman]

The Michael Pollan book is sooo great.  I read it last year and I loved it.  I also saw Super Size Me.  Such a good film.

[allanq]

I used to think that "corn-fed" beef was the very best beef. One thing I learned from this book is that corn is one of the worst things to feed cattle. Their digestive systems evolved to process grass, not grain. Corn makes them sick, which is one reason why they're plied with antibiotics in huge feedlots. In California, you can see them as you drive on Interstate 5 through the Central Valley between the Bay Area and L.A.

Since reading this book, I've switched over to grass-fed beef. I think it tastes better, and I don't have to deal with images of cattle crowded together and mucking around in their own waste in huge industrial feed lots. I'm lucky that there's a market near me that sells grass-fed beef for only a little more than the corn-fed variety. I made a pot roast the other night, and it was great!

Allan