Healthy Monday: Prophet, apologist, prankster – Michael Pollan goes meatless

From our friends at Healthy Monday…

“If we went a day without meat we would rediscover vegetables!” These are the words of best-selling author and food activist, Michael Pollan, on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate show.

Pollan has lately been championing the virtues of going meatless. On the Earth Day episode of the Oprah Show, he said the easiest way to shrink your carbon footprint is to go meatless on Mondays – just as his family does. On the Leonard Lopate show, Pollan explained that if people stopped eating meat altogether, our nation’s carbon emissions would be cut by a quarter. If they abstained just one day a week, it would be like taking 20 million mid-sized sedans off the road. Listen to this wonderfully informative and inspiring interview here.

The environmental benefits of going meatless on Monday are clear, but Pollan is equally committed to what we eat and why. His particular passion is “real food” (versus processed). Pollan is deeply suspicious of food products that boast more than five ingredients. Further, he’s outraged by foods that make bogus health or nutrition claims. Our nation’s obsession with nutrients over food has not made us healthier, he argues.

This notion of spurious health claims was thrown into sharp relief last week with the FDA’s crackdown on Cheerios. The FDA took exception to General Mills’ assertion that eating Cheerios “will reduce your cholesterol by 4% in six weeks.” Even if this were true – Marion Nestle points out that would necessitate a diet almost solely of Cheerios – the FDA stipulates that a food product can’t declare that it’s lowering cholesterol unless it’s a drug, and regulated accordingly.

On a similar note, Frito-Lay took some heavy criticism for rolling out a new Lay’s potato chip campaign highlighting the 80 “local” farmers growing their potatoes. “Local” is a hot buzz-word right now; it’s no surprise to see Frito-Lay jumping on the bandwagon. Even so, there may be value to getting the public to start thinking about the environmental effects of their food choices, as this article in Greenbiz.com points out.

Which brings us back to Michael Pollan, and his core mandate: “eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” Focus on real food, not its constituent nutrients, nor its erroneous labels; try not to overeat; and, when possible, forego meat protein for plant-based protein.

Pollan has spoken out in favor of Meatless Monday and its campaign of moderation. It makes sense in our health conscious, environmentally-aware age. And it’s easy to follow. Just one day a week, cut out meat. Substitute vegetables and legumes and grains and fruits. Discover a wide range of delicious recipes for every situation or season. Your body will thank you, and so will the planet.