Food Rules by Michael Pollan brings us: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.”
Rabbi Celso Cukiercorn says it this way: “You have a choice. You can continue eating the foods manufacturers want you to buy that <make> you unhealthy. Or you can return to eating the foods God provided for you, already magnificently packaged in their own skins, rinds, pods and shells.”
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Fluffer-nutter years
Picture this: a five-year-old watching TV happily munching a fluffer-nutter sandwich on something manufacturers alleged was white bread. That was me, more than 60 years ago (OMG!).
I enjoyed fluffer-nutters and many other American favorites for the next 15 years. Then in 1968, my Fort Smith, Arkansas, grandmother died of colon cancer at 65 years of age. It occurred to me that her disease was what some call “a foodborne illness.”
No fancy diets, just “real food”
And so I began a lifelong research project with a consistent theme: “real food.” I campaigned to bring real food back to the center of my table. My family was raised on real food, much of which got its start in my organic garden. I even owned and operated a five-star vegetarian cafe featuring real food. I never ate another fluffer-nutter.
What is real food? Michael Pollan said it perfectly in Food Rules: “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.” The food choices I make for myself, my family, and my cafe are guided by the real food principle. I cook my own food and choose the least processed ingredients — plant food, and organic when possible. I stick to the produce section of the supermarket.
Healthy vegetarian foods can be a tough sell, but easier in recent years as research supports what was anecdotal 40 years ago. Finally, though, healthy eating has to taste good and satisfy. I believe that is most likely to happen with real food, prepared by hand from whole, fresh ingredients.