Eat What You Want (And Save the Earth While Doing It)

If a simple lifestyle change could help you lose weight, reduce your risk of long-term and chronic diseases, and cut your grocery bills, would you do it?  Would it help to know that, by making this simple lifestyle change, you would be helping to slow the rate of global warming?  If so, Food Matters:  A Guide to Conscious Eating, might be your next favorite book.

A few years ago, author and food columnist Mark Bittman realized he was pretty unhealthy.  The extra pounds he had put on over the years left him with bad knees and sleep apnea, among other physical ailments.  Realizing he need to lose some weight and get healthier, he started eating less meat and more plants.  No calorie counting, no strict rules.  Bittman simply replaced most of the meat and dairy in his diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, and the results were dramatic.  Just by making this simple change in his eating habits, Bittman lost 35 pounds and remarkably improved his health. 

If you are not familiar with Mark Bittman, you should be (full disclaimer: I'm a huge fan).  Author of the weekly New York Times food column, The Minimalist, Bittman has a keen sense for simple but delicious recipes that rely on just a few fresh ingredients.  He has also written a number of excellent cookbooks, including How to Cook Everything: 2000 Simple Recipes for Great Food.  Food Matters can also be considered a cookbook, but only partially so.  As the subtitle suggests, Bittman provides (along with some recipes) guidelines for making food choices that are not only good for you, but good for the environment as well.  What I really appreciate about this book is that, even though it is based on hard science*, it is still very readable and never feels preachy.  Instead, Bittman provides enough information to let the reader make his or her own decisions about what and how to eat.  It's informative, enlightening, and remarkably simple.  With a month's worth of recipes and menu suggestions, there's no excuse not to try.

*Get ready for some horrifying statistics: the average American eats the equivalent of a cup of sugar per day.  A cup of sugar!  EVERY DAY!