Two Absolute Must Read Books

I read a lot and since I decided to open the restaurant and start this blog, I spend most of my time reading food and health related books, blogs, magazines etc. There is an abundance of information out there, and depending on the source some of it is contradictory.

Two books that I have read recently and love, are Food Rules, by Michael Pollan and Organic Manifesto by Maria Rodale. Both books are easy reads and inspiring. Both have suggestions for simple things we can all do to be healthier.

Food Rules is written as guide book and is broken down in to three sections and a total of sixty-four points or "Rules" of what and how to eat.  You can read this book in any order. I have randomly chosen pages to read. All of the "Rules" are easy to try and are pretty common sense, but I think a lot of us have forgotten as we move though our busy days. Two of my favorites are Rule #21 "It's not food if it is called by the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles.)" and Rule #27 "Eat animals that have themselves eaten well." Number 27 really hits home for me. Why would I want to eat something that was sick or diseased? That grosses me out.

In Organic Manifesto, Maria Rodale makes the case for organic farming. She shares how chemical farming came in to existence, what happens to the soil, animals, and humans when this method is used and after years of research at the Rodale Institute she shares how organic farming beats, yes that's beats, chemical farming.

I hope you will check both books out. Gain more knowledge about how your food is produced. The only way we can change the system is by what we buy.

12 Fish You Shouldn't Eat

 Many of you have asked about what fish are ok to eat and what is better, farmed or wild caught. Click on the link to read about 12 fish that you should think twice about before buying. I liked this list because it also makes suggestions as to what fish are safe to eat and/or not endangered.

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/12-fish-you-shouldnt-eat/#comment-3745

Healthy, Easy Dinner Salad

We haven't had summer squash or zucchini since the zucchini cakes about a month ago, but I saw this recipe from Clean Eating and had to try it. The local zucchini/summer squash season is pretty much over, but I was lucky to find a few at my favorite farmers market. I added mushrooms and substituted the champagne vinegar for rice vinegar and fresh mozzarella for the feta, because I forgot to pick up feta at the farmers market. The feta would only make this dish even better than it was.

http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/recipes/downloads/ce32_harvest_salad.pdf

enjoy and eat real!

Fixing the Planet

http://foodfreedom.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/organic-can-heal-our-planet-feed-the-world-and-keep-us-safe/
Maria Rodale of  Rodale Inc. has a new book, Organic Manifesto, out. In it she discusses organic farming vs industrial farming and how organic farming can produce higher yields than industrial while sequestering carbon and potentially slow global warming. The link above has excerpts from her book and as a summary, it really puts the pieces together as far as how hunger, pesticide usage, cancer and other diseases all fit together.

The Rodale Insititute has conducted a study called the Farm System Trial which was started in 1981. It compares organic farming methods to industrial farming methods. I have not read all of the findings yet, however the evidence shows that organic farming methods can compete and possibly beat industrial farming method. 

My copy of her book will arrive Friday. I'll let you know what I think, of coarse. In the mean time click on the link above.