Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes by Mark Bittman is the second non-fiction book I’ve ever considered to be a page turner.
The first half of the book (the non-recipe part) talks about how and why Americans eat the way they do and the environmental impact of that approach to food. Some points that really struck me are:
- global livestock production is responsible for about 1/5th of all greenhouse gases, more than transportation
- to reduce our impact, we should depend on foods that require little or no processing, packaging, or transportation
- most health claims on food packages are borderline nonsense
- basic four food groups (milk, meat, fruit and vegetables, and grains) were arbitrary; assured all farmers interests were promoted; USDA also added 50 percent to what it believed was an average requirement for normal adult maintenance
- choose nonorganic conscientiously raised local food over corporate organic
The overall gist of the book is eat more plants, eat less animals. The book also suggests that anyone can do this and no change is too small to make a difference when Mark Bittman writes “the aggregate of even the smallest changes equals big changes”.
Here’s what I got out of the book, which is clearly different that what other reviewers have gotten out of it. It’s so jam packed full of information and with a variety of options that can be tailored to fit anyone’s needs that it is a must read.
Goals after reading this book:
- Reduce to eating closer to 3 ounces of meat per day
- Make sure I eat good quality meat that I enjoy to maximize the value of the resources used to produce it
- Buy only foods with 5 ingredients or less
- Eat at least one clearly recognizable plant at every meal
- Continue to try to like more fruits and vegetables
- Try to like more fish
Here’s my list of things to stock up on for more conscious eating based on what I’m sure I’ll eat out of the book’s recommendations. It’s interesting to note that it is strikingly similar to the Real Simple “time to get…” magnetic shopping list pad I got at Target and love.
- Produce (fruit): apples, lemons, limes
- Produce (vegetables): onions, garlic, shallots, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery, winter squash
- Meat: bacon
- Refrigerated: butter, eggs, parmesan cheese
- Frozen: peas, brussels sprouts, corn, spinach
- Dry Goods (general): honey, maple syrup, coffee, tea, olive oil, vegetable oils, vinegar, herbs, spices, soy sauce
- Dry Goods (grains): rice
- Dry Goods (canned): beans, tomatoes
- Dry Goods (snacks): nuts, dried fruit
- Dry Goods (baking): cornmeal, whole grain flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, yeast
Featured in All Things Eco.
Shared in Fight Back Friday, Food on Fridays, Food Roots.
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- Wasting Less Food
- Blog Action Day: Climate Change and Food Choices
- Review: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
- Are Fish Really a Greener Food Option?
- Review: Gorgeously Green
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{ 6 comments }
Thanks, another book worth reading is Fast Food Nation – a very compelling look at fast food franchises (think golden arches) and their impact on the consumer, workers and environment.
The web is helping to green up the environment. Online retailing has been found to result in over 30% less carbon dioxide emissions versus brick and mortar retailing. Best
.-= Rae´s last blog ..Buy Green =-.
Quality meats are the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. While I agree that it can help the environment to reduce the amount of meat we eat (particularly beef), Bittman didn’t say what we could replace beef with. What about goat? Lamb? Pork?Chicken? Duck? Geese? These can all be quite sustainably raised and have a smaller ecological footprint than cows.
Also, his advice isn’t entirely nutritionally sound. If you eat less meats, you DEFINITELY want to eat more fats! (I’m talking quality traditional fats like lard & tallow from pastured/foraged/wild animals, butter from grass-fed cows, coconut oil, olive oil.) Otherwise, you’ll find yourself on the high-carbohydrates squirrel wheel.
Eating a diet heavy in grains & legumes is okay if you’re dirt poor and have no other choice. But it wreaks havoc on our endocrine system, causing us to become ever more resistant to the insulin our bodies pump out to adequately use all that fast-burning carb energy. Insulin resistance, of course, is a precursor to diabetes, obesity, & heart disease.
If you are active enough to use all those carbs, you might be okay. But most people aren’t, and they find themselves gaining an average of 5 lbs a year!
All this to say, I take Bittman’s recommendations with a grain of salt. I’m glad he’s inspiring people to be more conscious eaters! But, he’s not well studied in nutrition.
Thanks for sharing this in today’s Fight Back Fridays carnival.
Cheers,
KristenM
(AKA FoodRenegade)
.-= FoodRenegade´s last blog ..Fight Back Fridays June 19th =-.
I saw this guy on one of the morning shows not long ago–thanks for writing your review of the book.
I just saw a neat interview of the guy who started Chipotle, too. I had read about him through Slow Foods, and appreciate his attempts to at least increase humane treatment of the animals he purchases for their chain. It’s a very fresh, simple, healthy approach/alternative to typical fast food.
Have a great weekend!
oh yeah! i love chipotle!
Thanks for your input. This is the first time I have heard of this book and it really does sound interesting. I am much happier when I eat less meat and more plants- I feel better too. I am sure there is a reason for this. I think I will have to look for a copy to read. Thanks for sharing with us at Food on Fridays.
I have to agree with Kristen. I read this a while back and thought the encouragement towards more mindful eating was good, but that the nutritional foundation was lacking.
Thanks so much for participating in Food Roots. I hope to see you there again this Thursday!
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