Food Rules #56-60

We are almost at the end of "Food Rules"...these last couple of entries are from section 3 of the book, which is subtitled "HOW should I eat?" . To this question Pollan answers "Not too much". Here are the next 4 rules to consider:

56. Limit snacks to Unprocessed plant foods (vegetables, fruits & nuts)
57. Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does - I didn't realize this (although it does make sense) but gas stations sell way more snacks and 20oz bottles of sugary drinks than they ever do gas. I'd like to think that it's because we are using public transit, carpooling & biking more - but I think it's more likely that we're just eating in our car more - reaching for the cheap stuff to tide us over because we don't have the time to sit and eat a meal.
58. Do all your eating at a table. See Rule 57.
59. Try not to eat alone. We eat less around a communal table, when conversation and other distraction is involved and we're more prone to overeat when we are alone.
60. Treat treats as Treats. Pollan suggests going by the "S Policy" - no snacks, no seconds, no sweets except on days that begin with the letter 'S'. This rule is harder for me to follow, not becuase I love sweets but because I like to snack. I'm just trying to keep my snacking to more healthy foods like nuts, yogurt & dried fruits.

So there you have it! We'll have the last 4 rules from this book before year end, I promise! Then onto a new blog series in 2011.

Food Rules #51-55

Here are the next 5 Rules in part 3 (How Should I Eat?) of Pollan's book Food Rules, along with some of my comments on said rules:

Food Rules #51: Spend as much time preparing the meal as you took to prepare it. One of the big reasons why I enjoy dining out is because I can often make the mealtime last longer, lingering over each course and savoring each plate. However, eating out gets expensive, so I'm cooking a lot more at home. Cooking for me is cathartic, so I enjoy the ritual of it. Now I'm challenging myself to enjoy the eating part of it just as much, in terms of the time it takes to eat meals I prepare. Still working on that, especially since eating more slowly makes me eat less because I'm more aware of when I'm getting full.

Food Rules #52: Buy smaller plates & glasses. This works! I have started to use a salad plate at home for my meals instead of the larger dinner plates and I do eat less. I will often choose the larger wine glass though. Don't know if that will ever change...

Food Rules #53: Serve a proper portion and don't go back for seconds. I am getting better at this and it's easier to do so following the 2 rules above. Pollan suggests if you are going to go for 2nds, wait a few minutes before doing so because you may find you are not as hungry as you thought and you may actually eat less that way.

Food Rules #54: "Breakfast like a king. Lunch like a prince. Dinner like a pauper". This is a REALLY hard rule for me to follow, since I am usually getting ready in the mornings with little time to get to work and because I have so much to do before actually opening the shop. And because I skip meals and eat dinner late at night. I do find that eating breakfast, even if it's a smoothie, puts me less hungry later in the day than if I don't. If I had a lunch hour I might be able to follow this more easily. And I'm going to try, as Pollan says front-loading eating early in the day helps us consume fewer calories over the course of the day.

Food Rules #55: Eat meals. Ah yes, mealtime. What's that? One study showed 20% of American's eating took place in a car. We are stretched for time, plain & simple. Even on road trips, we're encouraged more to eat in the car as opposed to dining in somewhere. But getting further and further away from the Big Three (breakfast, lunch & dinner) pushes us more towards unnecessary snacking, drinking (sodas, etc)...usually on the unhealthy side of things.

These rules sound so simple and there was once a time, in my life at least, that they were very easy to follow. But we're busy, cash-strapped and we don't make time, quite honestly. I try to make up for it for cooking well later in the day, but again, it's usually a late dinner.

What about you? Do you make sure you take the hour for lunch? Do you always have time to eat a good breakfast? What about dinner - mostly take out or cooking at home? Do you make a big batch of something early in the week and freeze it or have leftovers the rest of the week? And what are any tricks you can share?

December Staff Selection

Oleum Vitae Olive Oils 10% off All Month Long!

The Oleum Vitae olive oils from Spain are very unique, very flavorful and very fun stocking stuffers! We currently carry the Chive, the Tomato and the Coffee versions and I love them all for different reasons. The chive oil adds a nice bit of herbaceous acidity to dishes like risotto, or for dressings & marinades. A drizzle over creamy risotto adds a nice fresh flavor. The tomato is fabulous drizzled over pizza or fresh ricotta gnocchi. My favorite? The oil infused with Kenyan Coffee was amazing over Chocolate Almond Ice Cream - it added depth and another layer of flavor that was surprisingly good. I also think it works well with Jamon Serrano or a coffee-rubbed steak. These oils are a steal at $9.99 each and, through the month of December, they are 10% off!


Here are some recipe ideas (just substitute the Oleum Vitae oils for those mentioned):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/White-Onion-Soup-with-Chive-Oil-15102

http://foodandpaper.blogspot.com/2007/03/spring-fever-tagliatelle-with-chive-oil.html

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000523763

http://www.food52.com/recipes/2007_cowboy_rubbed_rib_eye_with_chocolate_stout_pan_sauce