What To Eat

Two post ago, I mentioned I was reading What to Eat, a book by Marion Nestle. I bought this book simply because I was interested in her take on food allergies. Nestle only skimmed the surface of food allergies, but after all, in 500+ pages, Nestle is trying to tackle quite a beast - the entire supermarket.

Between discussions of American Heart Association endorsements on sugary cereal and the realities of farm raised fish, I have gotten completely distracted in my quest for food allergy information. I only have a few more chapters to go, but already Nestle's status of my new food hero is concrete.

If you are at all confused about the choices that face you when you walk into the grocery store, I strongly recommend this book. It is not a diet book, but rather a well-researched manual to deciphering what marketers want you to think about the health values of their food, and the reality of those claims.

The book covers most sections of the grocery store: produce, dairy, dairy substitutes, meat, fish eggs, frozen foods, processed foods, sugar, cereals, health endorsements on packaged foods, oils, snack food, food marketed to kids, water, beverages, tea, coffee, baby food, supplements, bred and prepared foods.

Nestle isn't shy about her opinions - she will always urge you to buy organic produce, does not recommend artificial sweeteners or margarine, and makes a strong argument for buying Fair Trade coffee. But she presents the information in a way that you will be better informed to make a decision for yourself (and also acknowledges an affinity for Oreos).

The fish chapters really opened my eyes - I had no idea that farm-raised salmon was so full of chemicals (PCBs, mercury, etc) and has less of the omega 3 fatty acids that are so hyped these days. Farm-raised salmon eat fish pellets similar to dog food, but wild salmon get their beautiful pinkish red color from the krill they eat. Without the natural diet of krill, the flesh of farmed fish is grey, so they are fed dyes to get their hue up to a color more acceptable to the consumer.

Fish farmers can literally pick out a shade for the salmon the same you would go to your local hardware store and select a paint color for your kitchen. It's not at all surprising, but I don't know if I'll ever consciously buy farm-raised salmon again.

And I will leave you with that pleasant thought, and the link to the book on Amazon if you're interested. Eat well!