Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
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Food Rules: An Eater's Manual Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Michael Pollan (Author, Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,711 ratings
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#1 New York Times Bestseller

"A useful and funny purse-sized manual that could easily replace all the diet books on your bookshelf."—Tara Parker-Pope, The New York Times

A definitive compendium of food wisdom

Eating doesn’t have to be so complicated. In this age of ever-more elaborate diets and conflicting health advice, Food Rules brings welcome simplicity to our daily decisions about food. Written with clarity, concision, and wit that has become bestselling author Michael Pollan’s trademark, this indispensable handbook lays out a set of straightforward, memorable rules for eating wisely, one per page, accompanied by a concise explanation. It’s an easy-to-use guide that draws from a variety of traditions, suggesting how different cultures through the ages have arrived at the same enduring wisdom about food. Whether at the supermarket or an all-you-can-eat buffet, this is the perfect guide for anyone who ever wondered, “What should I eat?”

"In the more than four decades that I have been reading and writing about the findings of nutritional science, I have come across nothing more intelligent, sensible and simple to follow than the 64 principles outlined in a slender, easy-to-digest new book called Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, by Michael Pollan."—Jane Brody, The New York Times

"It doesn't get much easier than this. Each page has a simple rule, sometimes with a short explanation, sometimes without, that promotes Pollan's back-to-the-basics-of-food (and-food-enjoyment) philosophy."—The Los Angeles Times

Previous page
  1. Listening Length
    1 hour and 20 minutes
  2. Author
    Michael Pollan
  3. Narrator
    Michael Pollan
  4. Audible release date
    April 14, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B085FV622C
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 1 hour and 20 minutes
Author Michael Pollan
Narrator Michael Pollan
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 14, 2020
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B085FV622C
Best Sellers Rank #18,005 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#81 in Audiobooks on Hygiene & Healthy Living
#155 in Diets, Nutrition & Healthy Eating
#270 in Nutrition (Books)

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,711 global ratings
Mini Guide Book
5 Stars
Mini Guide Book
Has the essentials on basic knowing for how to be better with dieting away from the western diet.
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Top reviews from the United States

K. Scott Proctor
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Place to Start Learning about Food and Health
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2010
Verified Purchase
Michael Pollan's "Food Rules" offers an excellent reference to begin learning about the relationship between food and health. Not just a beginner's guide, this book also serves as a nice (and brief) compendium of Pollan's writing across a number of his other publications.

There is a great deal of practical wisdom and advice in this short and easy-to-digest book. Pollan offers 64 "rules" for eating. He breaks these rules into three major themes: (1) What should I eat?, (2) What kind of food should I eat?, and (3) How should I eat?. Written in a balanced and easy-to-understand style, this is a great place to start learning about the complex relationship between food and health.

The topic of food in general is a touchy one. As the author Jonathan Safran Foer said in a CNN interview*:

"Even the most political people, the most thoughtful and engaged, tend not to "go there." And for good reason. Going there can be extremely uncomfortable. Food is not just what we put in our mouths to fill up; it is culture and identity. Reason plays some role in our decisions about food, but it's rarely driving the car."

Pollan points out two important facts in the book's Introduction that "are not in dispute" related to the links between diet and health:

"(1) Populations that eat a so-called Western diet -- generally defined as a diet consisting of lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, fruits and whole grains -- invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases: obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Virtually all of the obesity and type 2 diabetes, 80 percent of the cardiovascular disease, and more than a third of all cancers can be linked to this diet.

(2) Populations eating a remarkably wide range of traditional diets generally don't suffer from these chronic diseases."

Pollan notes that these two facts are agreed upon by all the contending parties in the nutrition wars. Moreover, he notes that these facts are "sturdy enough that we can build a sensible diet upon them." This, I think, is a good context with which to explore the relationship between food and health.

I strongly recommend this book to all readers. It is a useful addition to two of Pollan's other books,  The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals  and  In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto , and to two books related to other aspects of food and health,  Fast Food Nation  and  Sugar Shock!: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life-- and How YouCan Get Back on Track .

* [...]
4 people found this helpful
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Live Outside
5.0 out of 5 stars Great layout and words of wisdom that is easy to remember
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017
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This was a short novel but I enjoyed all the little bits of information that was inside. The book’s sole purpose is to give you some guidelines for eating.

The links between diet and health according to this novel is that individuals who eat a Western diet (lots of processed food, food with added sugar and fat, and lots of refined grains) will suffer from Western diseases such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardio diseases. That totally makes sense to me but I didn’t know it was known as a Western diet. The second link is that if you eat a traditional diet (a lot of different varieties here) you will not suffer from these diseases. Which basically means, no one diet is perfect but as humans we have adapted to different diets to make them work for us. The Western diet, as it stands now, is the diet which makes everyone ill. Inside this novel, there are 64 rules to live by to eat a healthy diet. These rules are explained further with a brief explanation, if needed.

Some of these rules I had heard about before but about half of them were new to me. There are three parts to the novel: What to eat? What kinds of food should I eat? And How should I eat? Each of these parts have different rules to follow. I liked that these rules are, for the most part, something I could memorize on my own and therefore, I could recall when need be. There is the rule about not eating food that you cannot say, rule about eating a variety of colors, and a rule about eating at a table, these are a few of the rules I already knew.
Here are a few of the rules that I really enjoyed:
Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
So, cellulose, thiamine mononitrate is not something I would have on hand, therefore this product should not be in my house.
Avoid food products that contain more than 5 ingredients.
Wow, that would eliminate a lot of the processed foods I have on hand.
Avoid food products that contain ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
Again cellulose, thiamine mononitrate are out and I need to start thinking simple.
Cook food that has only been cooked by humans.
Again, lots of preservatives, added sugar, and other interesting items are added which we don’t need.
Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself.
This one is a killer. I have literally cut down on the number of French fries I eat as I think this rule says it all. I’m not physically making French fries out of potatoes every time I want them, it’s too time consuming and too much work. The novel says there is nothing wrong with sweets, soda and other sweet snacks as long as you prepare them yourself. If I had to prepare potato chips, snack crackers, or cookies as much as I consume them, my consumption would really go down.
Spend as much time enjoying your meal as it took to prepare it.
Amen!

I think this book has a lot to offer, things you might know and things that you should know. I like the short and sweet aspect of the novel, it’s not a wordy or a complex read, the author gives his readers just the facts in an easy way to think about them and how to apply them to their own lives. I’m ready to jump on board and I know it will take some time, strength and willpower to incorporate these rules but I know the benefits will be worth it.
58 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dee
5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense information
Reviewed in Canada on January 22, 2024
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I enjoyed this book. It was much smaller than I expected, and I read it in an hour. I recommend it because it is information that we need to keep in mind for our daily eating habits and can refer back to often when feeling like our eating is starting to get out of control. It is an easy, fun, read!
One person found this helpful
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Emma
5.0 out of 5 stars Piacevole
Reviewed in Italy on April 1, 2024
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Librino prezioso, semplice nell'esposizione ma curato. Inglese facilmente comprensibile. Utile proprio perché una premessa che spinge ad altri approfindimenti.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book short read (in a good way)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2023
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While some elements of the book will tell you what I am sure you already know. Other aspects cover thing i wish I had been told earlier. While you don't have to follow all the rules and some seem to be repetative. Its an easy little read that can have a big impact on diet.
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Spatty55
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente libro
Reviewed in Mexico on November 27, 2019
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Generalmente muchos libros de nutrición tienden a ser muy radicales. Lo bueno de este libro es que es consecuente, y realista. Proporciona recomendaciones generales fáciles de llevar a cabo, con buena filosofía.
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Krupa Chirravoori
5.0 out of 5 stars Short and succinct - but very useful
Reviewed in India on February 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
I feel the book condenses a lot of confusing advice into short, clear, 'do this' kind of sentences that stuck to my mind.

I now feel I don't have to bother as much about the exact nutritional content of some food - as much as noticing how close to the source that food is. Definitely recommend this book to anyone looking at some simple, irrefutable, and quick rules to eat healthily minus the jargon.
2 people found this helpful
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