From the award-winning champion of culinary simplicity who gave us the bestselling "How to Cook Everything" and "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"...
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Jan 11, 2009
Bob
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Many readers will, no doubt, be tempted to turn this into a 'diet book'. It's not and the author makes it clear that it's not his intention. It is nothing more than a call to sanity in regards the way we eat and the contents of our meals.
It's refreshing to hear someone make so much sense when it comes to food. The message is simple and logical: eat less animal products, more plant products and cut out pseudo-foods. This will lead to better health, lost weight, money savings, and More...
It's refreshing to hear someone make so much sense when it comes to food. The message is simple and logical: eat less animal products, more plant products and cut out pseudo-foods. This will lead to better health, lost weight, money savings, and More...
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Mar 13, 2009
Mindy
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If Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, and Mark Bittman all invited me to a dinner party on the same evening and I could only accept one invitation, I'd take Bittman's. This book doesn't offer many new insights, but Bittman comes across as less dogmatic and self-righteous than the other two. He seems like someone I could enjoy a meal and a conversation with. And his cookbooks taught me how to cook.
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Jan 25, 2009
Emily
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The things this book says will come as no surprise to readers of Omnivore's Dilemma or Animal Vegetable Miracle. Well written, but framed more as a diet book. Helpful for someone looking to overhaul their diet.
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Apr 23, 2011
Zelda
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Update: Ooooh. Recipes! Automatic four stars!
I kind of can't believe I'm reading instead of using it as kindling for burning my recyclable plastics but it was sitting there on the library shelf and before I knew what was happening I was attacked by a pack of ninjas. In the chaos of the ensuing ninja bloodbath the book ended up in my bag. I was feeling peckish by the time I got home so the subject of food, even heavily spiked with all manner of eco-nonsense, appealed to me and I star More...
I kind of can't believe I'm reading instead of using it as kindling for burning my recyclable plastics but it was sitting there on the library shelf and before I knew what was happening I was attacked by a pack of ninjas. In the chaos of the ensuing ninja bloodbath the book ended up in my bag. I was feeling peckish by the time I got home so the subject of food, even heavily spiked with all manner of eco-nonsense, appealed to me and I star More...
Feb 12, 2009
Two years ago, Bittman, an admitted foodie, was overweight. Over the course of one month, however, his cholesterol and blood sugar were down. His sleep apnea was gone and he was fifteen pounds lighter. Major changes all by eating healthier, the details of which Bittman discusses at length in the book.
Food Matters is broken up in two sections. The first looks at food consumption and how that impacts global warning (factory farming, yes, but mass produced baked goods are one of the More...
Food Matters is broken up in two sections. The first looks at food consumption and how that impacts global warning (factory farming, yes, but mass produced baked goods are one of the More...
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Mar 16, 2009
Adela (Lita)
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This is a good alternative to Pollan's books if you're too busy to read them and want a shortcut to start eating healthy, earth-friendly, affordable food. But you will not get the intellectual pay off that Pollan's books give you. Bittman is smart and concise. His book is about giving people the short story about industrialized farming and a practical approach to everyday eating.
Jan 20, 2009
Marie
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Michael Pollan's books are much more informative, but I still liked Mark Bittman's easy, straight forward presentation and his recipes are always reliable. I think this book is most suitable for someone who is interested in the most basic explanations of a healthy diet and the problems with our food supply chain.
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Mar 07, 2009
Paula
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Mark Bittman makes so much sense! His plan to add more veggies and grains to your diet is entirely doable. His recipes are delicious and uncomplicated. His is a healthy eating plan I seem able to actually follow. (Of course Jim has lost weight, sigh.)
Jan 18, 2009
GraceAnne
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I have loved Bittman's recipes in the NYTimes for years. I have taken him as my guru in the quest for a way of eating suitable to the various difficulties being in one's 60s places one.
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Mar 10, 2009
Colleen
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This is largely redundant with Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food, is written with more invective and fewer sources. However, I liked the fact that he pointed out that the treatment of animals in the meat industry is cruel (at best) and that anyone w/ an ounce of compassion should be able to recognized that (especially all the pet owners out there). He also emphasizes the huge effect that meat production has global warming, which is massive beyond belief. The best part of the book thoug
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Feb 28, 2009
Molly
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A perfect companion to Michael Pollan's 'In Defense of Food.'
In the first half of the book, Bittman details the many horrifying ways that agribusiness, junk food, marketing, and complicit government agencies pose very real threats to our health and our world. In the second part, he lays out his plan for how individuals can counter the trend by changing the way they eat.
Fans of Pollan won't be surprised by the facts and figures Bittman presents (though it's impossible no More...
In the first half of the book, Bittman details the many horrifying ways that agribusiness, junk food, marketing, and complicit government agencies pose very real threats to our health and our world. In the second part, he lays out his plan for how individuals can counter the trend by changing the way they eat.
Fans of Pollan won't be surprised by the facts and figures Bittman presents (though it's impossible no More...
Jan 13, 2012
Monika
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Not too much to this book. The basic premise is eat less meat, dairy and junk food, eat more vegetables and whole grains. So nothing new here. What I liked about this book is that Bittman describes how our government has played a role in the obesity epidemic and how big food corporations play a role in our food options. He believes it is up to the individual to change his/her eating habits in order to reduce demand for junk food and meat, which will in turn then change the activity of the Big Fo
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Jun 02, 2011
Mary
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This book is basically a guide to eating better rather than a weight-loss diet. He suggests eating about 3 times as many vegetables and fruit than we currently do, and 1/4 as much meat. This guideline will usually result in weight loss and is beneficial to the environment (through decreased reliance on large-scale meat production) as well. He also suggests cutting down on processed grains such as bread (he notes that "multi-grain" might just be more than one processed grain) and pasta.
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Feb 28, 2010
Melanie
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Another New York Times author, Mark Bittman is on the same page as Michael Pollan. Perhaps because I am very familiar with Pollan I didn't find much value in reading this book (although I am still browsing through the 75 recipes included in this book). I did appreciate Bittman's focus on the "green" aspect of healthy eating because I tend to forget about the energy required to produce and package items when grocery shopping. And it did make me want to focus even more diligently on e
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Apr 21, 2009
Joan
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Having read Bittman's New York Times articles for years, I felt like Food Matters was Bittman for Dummies. Maybe not everyone is interested in reading about study after study, but that is what I am interested in, and what I had expected from this book. (I may be a little out of the norm... I also read Livestock's Long Shadow... the report). Instead, in Food Matters, he summarizes all of the studies about the environment, glosses over basics of nutrition, and explains the history of farm polic
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Feb 06, 2009
Bruce
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I found this a very helpful book for someone who has read Kinsolver and Pollan and wants to find a way to put their ideas into practice, but who has to cook for a family, and can't turn everything upside down all at once.
Bittman starts with an overview of the key concepts that Pollan addresses in The Omnivore's Dilemna, but then moves into very practical suggestions. Essentially, he is putting his own spin on Pollan's "Eat food, mostly plants".
His own appro More...
Bittman starts with an overview of the key concepts that Pollan addresses in The Omnivore's Dilemna, but then moves into very practical suggestions. Essentially, he is putting his own spin on Pollan's "Eat food, mostly plants".
His own appro More...
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Apr 18, 2010
John
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I really like Bittman's column "The Minimalist" in the NYTimes because almost all his recipes have simplicity as a component.
Myself, I'm into simplicity expecially with food. Sometimes that simplicity is peanut butter and jelly, sometimes it is a good bottle of wine, a crusty loaf of bread, some garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan Cheese (salt & pepper) -- although, Bittman's recipes are often more sophisticated than my staples. At other times, simplicity for me means, " More...
Myself, I'm into simplicity expecially with food. Sometimes that simplicity is peanut butter and jelly, sometimes it is a good bottle of wine, a crusty loaf of bread, some garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan Cheese (salt & pepper) -- although, Bittman's recipes are often more sophisticated than my staples. At other times, simplicity for me means, " More...
Jun 19, 2009
Tommy
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I enjoyed this book even though I'm not sure it had a lot of unique advice to give. I did think the 77 or so recipes at the back was a super bonus.
Bittman does a good job at setting the historical record straight on certain matters. Basically, humans have historically eaten meat (and other foods that have a high number of calories per gram) as often as they could. The trick being is that for most of human history it was harder (or too expensive) to get so we ate it in reasonable amou More...
Bittman does a good job at setting the historical record straight on certain matters. Basically, humans have historically eaten meat (and other foods that have a high number of calories per gram) as often as they could. The trick being is that for most of human history it was harder (or too expensive) to get so we ate it in reasonable amou More...
Apr 14, 2009
Gail
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I'm so annoyed that I bought this book in hardcover. What a waste of money. I believed the hype. Don't read this book. Just read The Omnivore's Dilemna and enjoy some good writing and investigative journalism. This book is just a weak distillation of what I have already read in other books. I think he was just jumping on the bandwagon. The book is set up like a typical diet book, even though it clams not to be. First comes the personal testimony, then the persuasive bit, then the meal pl
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Aug 21, 2011
Kim
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I like food. I like reading about food. But I get cranky when authors wax self-righteous and tell me about all the terrible things that will happen to me if I keep eating the way I'm eating and explain that if I will only limit my diet to twigs gathered within a block of my house, I will achieve enlightenment. Mark Bittman manages to educate about food without being preachy, contribute to the ongoing dialogue about how the global economy and capitalism influence the way we eat (and why we're f
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Feb 10, 2009
Andi
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I think I heard about this book from Salon, and I probably found it on Salon because I was looking for information the illustrious Michael Pollan, who I adore. But when I read this Salon review, I knew I had to get a hold of this book - here would be a book that would help me put into practice, practically (like that?), what Pollan has told me in The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Here I would finally figure out how to eat healthily and responsibly. . . you can see I had high hopes f
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Oct 19, 2009
Sarah
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Eddie and I love watching the "Minimalist" cooking shows on the New York Times website. The recipes are interesting, delicious, and are simple: his cooking philosophy is good ingredients cooked well. I figured I'd check out Mark Bittman's book, Food Matters, since we like the videos so well.
I can summarize the entire book in just one sentence: It is better for the environment, your health, and your weight to eat fewer animal products like meat, milk, and cheese and more pla More...
I can summarize the entire book in just one sentence: It is better for the environment, your health, and your weight to eat fewer animal products like meat, milk, and cheese and more pla More...
Jan 30, 2009
Patrick
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Like Charles Foster Kane, I have my declaration of principles. Part of which includes my love of meat. I love a great steak. A well made hamburger can send me into fits of rapture. From time to time I pick up a ‘food’ book, usually because one has skyrocketed into the public consciousness for a few months acquiring a coveted ‘must read’ status. Then the book vanishes like a poorly remembered dream and I go about eating the same way I always have—whatever the marketing monsters tell me. I don’t c
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Jul 29, 2011
This is a late comer to this genre of writing--he even tips his hat to a number of things that Pollan says, and notes Alice Water's involvement but doesn't date it back to the 1970;'s. to be fair, he is taking a slightly different bent--he is taking the philosophy of eat less, mostly vegetables, less processed food, less meat, and giving some very specific ideas about how exactly to do that. he recommends not eating meat until after dark. He gives a month's worth of menus so that you can see
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May 27, 2009
Gena
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I liked this book and thought the argument for 'sane' eating was compelling based on information Bittman provides about the modern food industry. Basically the argument is eat more plants, less meat. You don't have to be a genius to figure that out. The author doesn't bash meat eaters, though. He suggest ways to get healthier meats (meaning both that the meat has more nutrients and the animals were raised humanely and without medications) and says that by reducing our intake we make the planet h
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Feb 27, 2010
nicole
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I have no problem with the simplicity of this book (that's one of the things that's so crazy about all these books about health and weight loss... as if it isn't simple: Eat less. Eat better. Maybe exercise a little. That's it. That's what you have to do. Now having the discipline to actually DO that is another story, but there should be no mystery as to HOW, at least.), but the repetitiveness made me feel like the book, already quite short, was about twice as long as it needed to be. And the re
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Jul 09, 2009
Dalene
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I should probably start this review by letting you know that I am a vegetarian. I don't tend to try to convince other people that they should be vegetarians. I consider it a personal choice. I read "Diet for a Small Planet" many years ago and was convinced then that changing my diet could help the planet.
While he's not a vegetarian, Mark Bittman seems to be on a crusade to convince people to reduce the amount of meat they consume. I have a copy of Bittman's "How More...
While he's not a vegetarian, Mark Bittman seems to be on a crusade to convince people to reduce the amount of meat they consume. I have a copy of Bittman's "How More...
Jun 12, 2011
Steve
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This book probably isn't for everyone, but I found it compelling, and I think that we all could benefit from Bittman's advice. It's funny, because I was already trying to do many of the things he recommends (long story short: eat more plants, enjoy meat and dairy in moderation, avoid processed foods as much as possible), but I didn't really know why I was doing those things other than a vague sense of what constitutes "healthy eating". I also wasn't really on board with the whole "
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Jun 16, 2010
Ashley
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This food lover, cook, and baker is not one to diet. Ever. I eat what I want to eat when I want to eat it, sometimes to excess. And yet, Mark Bittman challenged me to do what I knew I should: consume more beneficial foods, less sugar, meat, and dairy. His method was simple: vegan (and sugar free)until six. I could do it! I could eat salads and grains and fruit and vegetables until six! Then, I could nibble a piece of chocolate and have a glass of wine if I wanted, maybe even a little bit
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Jan 21, 2011
Natalie
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This book didn't contain a lot of new information for me. In fact, it was a lot like the book "Original Fast Foods" that I have. I do like how he just tells the facts but doesn't believe in cutting yourself off as far as eating goes. He pretty much says to eat more healthy foods, which he defines in the book, and cut down or cut out the bad ones as much as you personally feel comfortable with. It looks like he has some great recipes in the back (easy to make) and he also has a 1 mo
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