Dietitians read...
Saturday, March 1, 2008 
Image credit: bookshelf spectrum, revisited
Yesterday I received reading recommendations from two discerning sources: CBC Radio and Planet Green. One book is about hockey, one is about food. As a Canadian dietitian I suppose I am obligated to read both, but there is no contest as to which I will read first.
The convergence of the Canada Reads competition, Michael Pollan's latest bestseller and Nutrition Month got my mental wheels turning this Saturday morning and made me wonder:
As dietitians, foodies, and/or advocates for green living (can I use the term "greenie" for this ?) what book(s) about healthy, enjoyable eating would you recommend to your colleagues, friends and family?
Would it be Michael Pollan's eater's manifesto or Marion Nestle's indispensible guide to food shopping and eating? Or perhaps a classic cookbook , a memoir or a culinary travel tale? Maybe you would also include a story for the young and the young-at-heart? I'd love to read your recommendations in the comments.
Reader Comments (3)
I unfortunately don't have the time to get a lot of extracurricular reading done, but out of the books that I have read, I would definitely recommend Marion Nestle's What to Eat: I like how it's straightforward and to-the-point and overall Nestle recommends a lot of things that I agree with, and where there's a grey area, she gives people options. I'm working on Omnivore's Dilemma right now (and by working on I mean I read the first section in January and haven't touched it since) and it's striking how different the writing style of a journalist (Pollan) is from a nutritionist (Nestle). They're trying to send the same message, but Pollan is definitely more of a storyteller.
I'm looking forward to have the chance to read In Defense of Food (Pollan) and Food Politics (Nestle). I've read a bit of the latter in the past (one of my dorm-mates had a copy) and I think it's something that all dietitians to read so that they are aware of the power that industry has over nutrition policy.
I also really enjoyed The 100 Mile Diet. Like Pollan, the authors are journalists and even though the book has "diet" in the title, I liked how it was not just about the food; they talked about the struggles in their lives, not just within the diet and in the grand scheme of things I think that's another thing that dietitians have to remember: food and nutrition is important to us, but to everyone else, there's so much going on and you can't necessarily expect everyone to have the same priorities.
My vote would be for "The 100 Mile Diet". It truly speaks of building a sustainable community, starting with our food choices. I think this book has inspired thousands of people to change their habits and try to find food that is more local. In general, local food will be more nutritious, as we can't grow Oreo cookies or Big Mac's in our gardens!
Thanks for the suggestions, Vincci and Judy. I agree all belong on the reading list.