One of the best things about the Christmas/New Year period is the downtime you get. For me, this has let me catch up on my reading list which has been growing for a while. One of the most significant books that I’ve read this year is Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. I think that everyone should read this book, particularly if you are looking at being more healthy.

The book title sounds strange, yet when you read about his definition of food and the strange things the food industry giants have done, it makes a whole lot of sense. Admittedly it talks about problems more prevalent in the US, yet it is wholly applicable to all other nations as more and more drift in their direction. What is so great about this book is that it uncovers how very little we understand about food science and the complexities surrounding food and its benefits on health. Pollan exposes all the marketing tricks and misleading facts that lead to industries providing empty, nutritionless calories only serving to feed the modern diseases of obesity and type II diabetes.

The best part about this book is that it provides some simple advice that you can follow that leads you away from the manufactured artificial constructs you find on shelves towards real food. Simple rules such as don’t buy anything that contains more than five ingredients you don’t recognise, or eat meals not snacks and eat mostly plants, especially leaves. I don’t the UK or Australia suffers as much from the weird chemical contents of food as much as the US, but these rules still apply.

A highly recommended reading that will definitely affect the way that I shop, and the way that I eat.