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Real Food: What to Eat and Why
by
Nina Planck
Yes, Virginia, you "can" butter your carrots. A farmer's daughter tells the truth about cream, eggs, fish, chicken, chocolate--even lard.
Everyone loves real food, but they're afraid butter and eggs will give them a heart attack--thus the culinary abomination known as the egg-white omelet. Tossing out the yolk, it turns out, isn't smart. "Real Food "rev...more
Everyone loves real food, but they're afraid butter and eggs will give them a heart attack--thus the culinary abomination known as the egg-white omelet. Tossing out the yolk, it turns out, isn't smart. "Real Food "rev...more
Hardcover, 343 pages
Published
June 21st 2006
by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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I teetered between shock and skepticism for the entire 275 pages of this book, and at the end of it all, I've been persuaded. I now stock my fridge with whole milk, and whole-milk yogurt, I threw out my beloved Brummel and Brown, and I bought pancetta at the grocery store yesterday - all because of Nina Planck's book. The basic premise of Real Food is that industrial foods (essentially all processed and factory-farmed foods) are what cause heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and t...more
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I have to admit that I was a pretty skeptical audience. I read this book because I have visted the Plancks' farm and I was curious about what their daughter had to say about food.
I'm a little torn in my opinion--she makes some really good points, but others didn't seem so well considered. The central idea of the book is that humans have been eating animal fats (meat, lard, eggs, dairy) thousands and thousands of years, so we should be eating them rather than industrial imitations...more
I'm a little torn in my opinion--she makes some really good points, but others didn't seem so well considered. The central idea of the book is that humans have been eating animal fats (meat, lard, eggs, dairy) thousands and thousands of years, so we should be eating them rather than industrial imitations...more
I didn't finish this. Here's her thing: the healthy way to eat is to eat what our grandparents did. If you had grandparents who lived on a farm, I guess. I mean, my grandparents ate Spam and those little vienna sausages that come out of a can with a disgusting slurping sound. What she means is 'natural' beef, eggs, cheese, oil, butter, whole milk, lots of fruits and vegetables. All food that she calls 'real.' At first, I was into it. She had been a vegetarian and a vegan and all of that. ...more
i am trying to be more liberal with my 5 star ratings, and this book happens to be the first beneficiary.
the premise of this book is similar to the premise of a lot of books that have come out recently. the most healthy things to eat are real foods, foods that were eaten hundreds of years ago. meat, dairy, real fats, etc... what i liked about it is she went into detail with what the nutritional value of different food items. she explained the nutritional differences between powder...more
the premise of this book is similar to the premise of a lot of books that have come out recently. the most healthy things to eat are real foods, foods that were eaten hundreds of years ago. meat, dairy, real fats, etc... what i liked about it is she went into detail with what the nutritional value of different food items. she explained the nutritional differences between powder...more
I hate to point out the obvious but the book spends a great deal of time discussing the various types of "fats" and without an official nutrition background by the last few chapters I found myself dog paddling a bit in the explanations of the HDL LDL ratios monosaccharides, disaccharides saturated monosaturated...I slightly coasted in general towards the end as the list grew longer in the various terms and explanations being used to get the message across to the reader.
The ...more
The ...more
My Acupuncturist suggested I read this (after being very happy that I was already "on board" with Micheal Pollen and Barbara King Solver). Very good read, a lot of the exact same information you find in The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal Vegetable Miracle, but then Planck follows up with very specific nutrient information and fascinating accounts of how and why the body absorbs and processes them.
In a nutshell: Eat the way your grandparents ate, and more importantly make sur...more
In a nutshell: Eat the way your grandparents ate, and more importantly make sur...more
I have read a lot of books about food lately to seek guidance about what and how to eat for optimal health. This book provides strong arguments with supporting documentation for something that I have suspected for awhile: rather than focusing on fat/low fat, good carbs/bad carbs, being carnivorous or vegetarian, it really comes down to the quality of the food you eat.
Nina Planck illustrates how mass-produced, industrialized, and processed food has caused poor health more than eating...more
Nina Planck illustrates how mass-produced, industrialized, and processed food has caused poor health more than eating...more
This book changed the way I look at food and affirmed something I have felt instinctively for a long time: real foods are the best foods.
I was worried I wouldn't like this book because I am a vegetarian and had heard it was very anti-vegetarian and vegan. I will say this book is staunchly anti-vegan, but us veggies have nothing to fear (but the book did influence my decision to eat fish again, so now I'm just avoiding poultry and beef).
The emphasis on eating foods that ar...more
I was worried I wouldn't like this book because I am a vegetarian and had heard it was very anti-vegetarian and vegan. I will say this book is staunchly anti-vegan, but us veggies have nothing to fear (but the book did influence my decision to eat fish again, so now I'm just avoiding poultry and beef).
The emphasis on eating foods that ar...more
I recently got into a very interesting conversation with one of my smarter (wink) friends about what humans eat and she brought up a great point, essentially, the heart of this dilemma: she said, "humans have no idea what to eat, I mean, look at us!" And my friend is exactly right, we are a species that doesn't know when to say when and we readily accept "industrial food" in place of "real food," and Planck successfully conveys this fact. This book made so much se...more
if i could give this 2.5 stars, i would. the basic thesis makes intuitive sense to me and is supported in the scientific literature - "real" food is better for us than "industrial" food. fear not the butter nor the meat nor the duck fat. planck is very inconsistent about citing the scientific literature, and her monotone writing style presents JAMA articles with the same weight & merit as her mom's cholesterol story and some book she got on the sale rack at the health food st...more
I like this book in its healthy, informed research on human's historical diet, and the reasons so many Americans still suffer from obesity and chronic diseases that barely existed 60 years ago. It draws from research around the world with certain isolated cultures' diets, the similarities and differences, and what constitutes healthy vitamins from certain foods. It isn't "anti vegan", but it does point out why certain elements can only be derived only from fish or animal oils/fats. Sci...more
Even if you are a vegetarian, there is some great advice in this book. Eating whole foods -eat full (good) fat, eat less or eliminate sugar, and eat more whole grains - just some of it. Low-fat diets don't work, as proof from the surge in obesity and diabetes rates in the US; because all we're doing is adding more sugar and simple carbs when you take out the fat. Also, it has been scientifically proven over and over that animals feeding on what they ate 100s of years ago is much better for no...more
Amy
rated it
I read her book on "Real Food" for fertility, pregnancy and nursing before reading this book, and found it has a lot of overlap. For me, as a young woman who definitely plans to have kids within the next decade I found the other book to be more immediately practical.
This book is still a great resource though - especially if you are NOT a young woman who plans to have kids in the near future. It lays out reasons for a "Real Food" diet for people of all ages and gende...more
This book is still a great resource though - especially if you are NOT a young woman who plans to have kids in the near future. It lays out reasons for a "Real Food" diet for people of all ages and gende...more
I really enjoyed reading this book but could only take it in small doses. At first I was completely intrigued and wanted to change everything about our family's diet, but then slowly came back around to the other side of the spectrum and took what she was saying with a grain of salt. I really like the concept she is introducing (or reinforcing) here, that our bodies recognize real food and will respond much better to real food than anything that is processed.
I quickly became frustr...more
I quickly became frustr...more
Nina Planck gets right to the bone of the problem with vegetarian/vegan diets with a layman's survey of the statistical research, dating back to Weston Price's seminal 500-page work from the 1930s (which is available to read online and was what I was reading first, then was directed to this book).
Price was a dentist appalled at the condition of his patient's teeth and overall health, so he looked at other cultures to see what was going on. Refined flour, sugar, and lack of long-chai...more
Price was a dentist appalled at the condition of his patient's teeth and overall health, so he looked at other cultures to see what was going on. Refined flour, sugar, and lack of long-chai...more
Stephanie
added it
You have to love anyone who writes a book arguing the soundness of a diet with plenty of butter, eggs, meat, and cream--even if any book in which someone tells you what to eat, using herself as a model, is going to be a bit smug. Planck is strongly opposed to vegetarianism, and vegans are in for a serious scold. The child of parents who dropped out of academia to buy a farm in Virginia, Planck is an impressive entrepreneur who started farmers' markets in London, and briefly served as director of...more
Why I liked this book....I have been reading things like Michale Pollan and William Harris, so something a little lighter was nice. She has a happy take on things which I have read people find grateing, as diet is a sirious topic, but I found it nice to not get bogged down in all that is wrong with our food system. I know things are bad but its nice to read a book that focuses more on what we as individuals can do rather than what we as a socity need to change. After all I don't really influince...more
I'm mixed about this book. My issue is that as an educated reader (I've read a lot on nutrition, academic journals included and taken a university chemistry course specifically on food) I can pick through the info and note what's sound and what's a stretch. I hated reading a sound and reasoned paragraph that suddenly ended in a throw-away intended to impress the nutrition novice. Even when the info is basically correct it can be deceitful when presented out of context and interpreted to mean som...more
Real food is better for you than industrial food. Old, traditional fats like butter, lard, and coconut oil aren't to blame for heart disease, obesity and all the other Western diseases that plague us; new, plant-based fats like canola oil and safflower oil are suspect. Whole milk is good for you; skim milk is not. Etc.
I went back and forth on 2 or 3 stars for this, and settled on 3 only because 2.5 isn't an option. While I agree with Planck's premise that we're demonizing the wrong fo...more
I went back and forth on 2 or 3 stars for this, and settled on 3 only because 2.5 isn't an option. While I agree with Planck's premise that we're demonizing the wrong fo...more
After the tradition of Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, Nina Planck writes about the benefits of grass-fed animal products, including raw milk, as well as eating copious amounts of fruits and vegetables. She also recommends real bread. She alone eats two heads of lettuce a day! Wow. She relies a lot on her experience, but it does peak your interest. More food for thought, and encouragement for purchasing the pricey milk and eggs from my neighbor! Planck cites studies that appear valid but ...more
Ok, so I love this. Please ask me to borrow it. I picked it up at a friend's house and started reading it and immediately went out and bought it. I am partial to food and nutrition writing as it is, and nutrition trends, but reading this, something just clicked.
As everyone else has said, this book is basically about how industrial fats and refined foods, especially sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated vegetable oils, are what is causing Americans to have a high rate of heart attacks...more
As everyone else has said, this book is basically about how industrial fats and refined foods, especially sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated vegetable oils, are what is causing Americans to have a high rate of heart attacks...more
I have mixed feelings about this book. Planck says she set out to find out more about the science of "real food," and in many instances she does. There was valuable information in this book about nutrition and diets (in the sense of the whole of what one eats, rather than a diet plan). However, I felt the author undermined herself in a number of ways, and I ended up doubting some of the claims she makes. Some examples include:
- Planck frequently uses anecdotes in place of data (f...more
- Planck frequently uses anecdotes in place of data (f...more
Engaging, informative, revolutionary -- this is a MUST READ / MUST OWN!!!!
Nina's upwardly mobile parents abandoned their promising career track in the northeast to move to Virginia and raise vegetables. She fleshes out the whys and wherefores with summaries of nutritional studies. As a young adult Nina opted for the vegetarian and then vegan lifestyle. Puzzled that her healthy lifestyle was neither producing robust health nor slimness for her, she began reading and researching the hist...more
Nina's upwardly mobile parents abandoned their promising career track in the northeast to move to Virginia and raise vegetables. She fleshes out the whys and wherefores with summaries of nutritional studies. As a young adult Nina opted for the vegetarian and then vegan lifestyle. Puzzled that her healthy lifestyle was neither producing robust health nor slimness for her, she began reading and researching the hist...more
A must read for anyone who wants to know more about nutrition or what exactly is in our food nowadays and how did we get here. The science is changing and Planck is on the forefront of this movement along w/Michael Pollan and others. The information she provides has really blown my mind and I think we're only beginning to hear what she has to say. I think there will be more converts. This is in conjunction with my being a lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I now have to re-think all that I...more
I enjoyed and agree with the basic premise of this book - eat traditional foods, not processed/industrial "foods". Even traditional fats like butter and certain oils are good for you, eaten in moderation, obviously.
The thing that bugged me most of the time was the author's tone and random charts, quotes or statements with no reference to back it up - the "fact" that we turned into "thinking apes" thousands of years ago because our brains preferred rich ...more
The thing that bugged me most of the time was the author's tone and random charts, quotes or statements with no reference to back it up - the "fact" that we turned into "thinking apes" thousands of years ago because our brains preferred rich ...more
I loved this book. It is full of so much research and common sense. So much of the American diet consists of foods that are relatively new: canola oil, soy milk, genetically modified foods, boneless skinless chicken breasts, lowfat milk, corn syrup, etc. Nina Planck believes that our diet should consist of foods that have been eaten by humans traditionally for thousands of years. It should also be in its purest, most natural form. She is an advocate of the liberal use of animal fats (from a...more
I don't understand why "real food" must be so joyless, and preachy. The author grew up on what she considers a perfect family farm, strayed from her roots as a young adult, and has since returned to her family's traditional ways--just like the parable of the prodigal son.
If you want to read yet another self-righteous rant about how terrible the American food industry is, you'll find a friend in Planck's book. However, if you want to read an actual handbook on "real foo...more
If you want to read yet another self-righteous rant about how terrible the American food industry is, you'll find a friend in Planck's book. However, if you want to read an actual handbook on "real foo...more
I have studied nutrition and hatural healthas a hobby for the last 10+ years. I loved this book it fills in a lot of gaps i have found in other books and is simple to read and understand. I have also incorporated into my diet "real milk and milk products" and many other things she suggests and that i have found through "Nourishing Traditions cookbook". To me "eating what your Grandparents ate" isn't quite accurate.......It is eating Non-meddled with food. If the...more
I'd really love to be able to believe everything in this book, but as someone who takes medicine every day for high this and that, I probably shouldn't. There has been a plethora of books lately about what one should eat, and I've read a good many of them: Marion Nestle's What to Eat, Michael Pollan's Food Rules, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle and Marc Bittman's Food Matters. They agree on many things, disagree on some, and each has different emphases. (There are also a number of ...more
I loved this book! Although it sent me into sort of a mind-trip for awhile seeking perfection in my food. I considered raw milk, started eating raw cheese, and I actually drove forty minutes once to an organic chicken farm for eggs and a whole chicken. The chicken ended up still being kind of "hairy" and had the long neck still attached that I couldn't figure out how to cut it off and it wouldn't fit in my stew pot. I ended up cooking it and then it was stringy and tasteless and tough....more
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Nina Planck, author of Real Food and the Farmer's Market Cookbook, is an expert on local and traditional food. In 1999, she created the first farmers' markets in London, England. In New York City, she ran the legendary Greenmarkets. Nina lives in Greenwich Village with cheesemonger Rob Kaufelt and their son, Julian."
More about Nina Planck...
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