Eat Food

James Beard was one of the first food celebrities I followed.  He was a giant in more ways than one, but he was finally told if he wanted to live he must diet.  He said it was a sensual experience, but I never believed him.  His body shrunk faster than his skin, which hung from him like the hide of the Saggy Baggy Elephant.  I of course only saw him on television, but he looked unhappy.  Then he died anyway. I resolved never to be cowed by the food police and to hold fast to the good life.  Now I have accepted the eater’s manifesto of Michael Pollan, who famously said, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” 

From the time I came home from the hospital, Annette has worked hard creating tasty heart-healthy food.   Tonight we supped on slices of fresh tomato (red and yellow) lightly salted, with fresh mozzarella and basil leaves dressed with a lovely California olive oil.  There was a second salad of locally grown cucumber with chopped tomato dressed with wine vinegar and a light sprinkling of sugar.  We ate corn on the cob picked this day and roasted in the oven.  Dessert was fresh local raspberries a little sugar and a dab of the first real ice cream I’ve eaten in two months.  The flavors stood out clean and pure. 

Of course September is the ideal time for fruits and vegetables.  Annette marveled how much she paid for the yellow tomato, but eating less meat is good for the budget, and we don’t go to restaurants much any more.  A modest lunch for two can run forty bucks, which will go quite a way in the farmer’s market. 

One thing I like about Pollan’s succinct philosophy is its not confining.  I am not forbidden the flesh of every creature.  I like the “Eat food” part.  I have taken a vow against fake food.  Fat free sour cream is an impossibility.  Cream is fat.  I’m willing to eat it seldom if at all, but I won’t settle for some laboratory concoction badly simulating the real thing. 

I’m trying to follow the “Not too much,” part.  There’s nothing like hunger for making food taste good.  I don’t suffer all the time, but I don’t need a watch to tell me it’s mealtime. This is no fancy diet, just don’t eat too much.  I hear that it takes one to three years to really change your habits, but so far it’s working.

Nutrition is a young science, and research is difficult.  Everyone notices that proscriptions change.  No one doubts that in ten years the advice will have altered again.  Meanwhile, if we want to eat healthily, we have to decide how.  I like Pollan’s way.  It seems sensible that Americans should eat less.  We should get our fruits and veggies, and avoid fake food.  Common sense is an uncommon thing, but I’m finding it a health plan I can follow.