Rules...rules....rules

When a person is told he or she has diabetes, that person is immediately dunked into a pool of rules. There are medication rules, exercise rules, and of course, food rules. There are so many misconceptions and confusing tidbits of information out there, and how is the average Joe or Jill supposed to make sense of it all?

For the record, I'm not a fan of diet fads or diet books. If they worked, why are there new diets coming out every single day? It sickens me when someone claims to have the answers.

I'm a strong believer in people (diabetes or not) eating real foods, enjoying food, and balancing the enjoyment of food with exercise. I have some sub-beliefs, like eating organic, avoiding too much meat (or for me, no meat), etc....but what I have learned from nearly four years with diabetes is this: eating healthy is simple, when you really get down to it.

For weeks I've been anticipating the call from my library, the one that would tell me that FINALLY Michael Pollan's book Food Rules was waiting for me. The day I got the call, I was at the library. I was giddy with excitement, ready to hear more from the guy who took part in my current favorite documentary, Food Inc.

I adore this book for many reasons:

• It's only $11.00---so affordable.
• It's small and lightweight. This is no textbook.
• The cover is as clean and simple as the "rules."
• The tips are clever, practical, and sometimes even funny.

Some of my favorite rules include:

• "Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce."
• "Avoid food products that make health claims." (Because it means they are hiding something naughty by printing something appealing on the packaging).
• "Eat only foods that will eventually rot." (Think what a non-rotting food does in your body---eeeeeekkkkk!)
• "Don't ingest foods made in places where everyone is required to wear a surgical cap."
• "It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car." (But oh how I love Chick-Fil-A!)
• "Eat your colors."
• "Sweeten and salt food yourself." (Love this tip!)
• "Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of your milk." (MY FAVORITE TIP---because as a mom, advertisers are begging me to buy Lucky Charms....and even "season" the deal with added fiber...but I SHALL NOT BE MOVED!)
• "Eat slowly." (I REALLY need to work on this.....)
• "Don't get your fuel at the same place your car does." (Funny)
• The last tip in the book is, "Break the rules once in a while."

Pollan's advice is realistic, if you are willing to change instead of surrendering to advertisers who want nothing more than for you to become addicted to bad foods so you'll buy more bad foods and feed your family bad foods.