There’s a new diet fad based upon the writings of Michael Pollan. Pollan is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food, and Food Rules. (Michael Pollan is a smart dude but someday maybe I’ll post why I, as a vegetarian, had some big problems with The Omnivore’s Dilemma.)
The 100-Days-of-Real-Food diet website is here: 100DaysOfRealFood.com
The rules of the diet are pretty straightforward:
Stick to fruit, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, meat, and “whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry.” Abstain from refined ingredients, artificial sweeteners, processed food, fast food, and fried food.
The three trickiest rules, quoted directly from the 100-Days website, are these:
- No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
- No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
- Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
Seems simple enough, right?
Not for me! I decided to give the diet a 5 day trial. It was an abysmal failure. But I learned some interesting lessons. My day-by-day experience and conclusion about the diet are below the fold.