The Art of Eating

This summer I have been reading about a subject matter that I'm increasingly more interested if not passionate about. Ive been reading about where my food comes from and the choices I can make which are not only beneficial to me but the planet as well. I started with In defense of food by Michael Pollen. He begins with these simple words,"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Pollen discusses the American diet and the influence of corporate organizations. the food and drug administration and agricultural standards for farming complicated by nutritional scientist promotion of various minerals and vitamins at certain times during the evolution of the American diet. His basic message to eat food rather than processed, artificial or genetically altered materials got me looking in my own kitchen. As I took a peak I realized to my astonishment there's not a lot ( if any) real food sitting on those shelves. My focus and attitude has seriously changed and I grocery shop with a new awareness. I consider myself a healthy eater but I see we have a long way to go in our house so I next I picked up Cleaving by Julie Powell. This book received a huge amount of criticism but if you look past her personal story she tells the reader something they probably don't know and never thought about. The book is dedicated to the art of butchery. If you read beyond her marriage and affair you get an introduction to how meat is processed before you pick it up at the butcher ( if your lucky enough to have a butcher in your area) My latest book which I am re-reading immediately because it left such an huge impact on me is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Again this book is focused on where your food comes from but in this case the writer is asking the reader to consider purchasing food locally and eat seasonally. This message struck home in such a profound manner I have completely rearranged my thinking, my kitchen, my culinary goals and completely altered my attitude toward what I put on the table.

Have you read a book that changed your eating patterns, altered your eating lifestyle or just left you with that oohhh! AH! moment. I'd love to know. Please share