From the award-winning champion of culinary simplicity who gave us the bestselling How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian comes Food Matters, a plan for responsible eating that's as good for the planet as it is for your weight and your health.
We are finally starting to acknowledge the threat carbon emissions pose to our ozone layer, but few people have focused on the extent to which our consumption of meat contributes to global warming. Think about it this way: In terms of energy consumption, serving a typical family-of-four steak dinner is the rough equivalent of driving around in an SUV for three hours while leaving all the lights on at home.
Bittman offers a no-nonsense rundown on how government policy, big business marketing, and global economics influence what we choose to put on the table each evening. He demystifies buzzwords like "organic," "sustainable," and "local" and offers straightforward, budget-conscious advice that will help you make small changes that will shrink your carbon footprint -- and your waistline.
Flexible, simple, and non-doctrinaire, the plan is based on hard science but gives you plenty of leeway to tailor your food choices to your lifestyle, schedule, and level of commitment. Bittman, a food writer who loves to eat and eats out frequently, lost thirty-five pounds and saw marked improvement in his blood levels by simply cutting meat and processed foods out of two of his three daily meals. But the simple truth, as he points out, is that as long as you eat more vegetables and whole grains, the result will be better health for you and for the world in which we live.
Unlike most things that are virtuous and healthful, Bittman's plan doesn't involve sacrifice. From Spinach and Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing to Breakfast Bread Pudding, the recipes in Food Matters are flavorful and sophisticated. A month's worth of meal plans shows you how Bittman chooses to eat and offers proof of how satisfying a mindful and responsible diet can be. Cheaper, healthier, and socially sound, Food Matters represents the future of American eating.
I liked this book for many reasons. First I want to say that I am not familiar with any of Mark Bittman's books, so this is the first one I have read. I noticed in a lot of other reviews that he has written other books that people feel are better then this one. Without comparing this book with any other book he has written, this is a BIG eye opener for the average person. I am not a vegetarian or certainly never planned on being one. I have a sister that just recently converted to being a vegetarian, me and other people in my family kind of made a joke about it because she is always into the latest fads.
Well after reading this book, and reading about the effects on the environment my eating habits have on it, I have a whole different outlook on the way me and my family eat. Now I have been buying organic products for a very long time. Certain things like milk and eggs were top on my organic list, and although I do buy a lot of organic food, I would still buy certain sale items from my local grocery store, like high grade steak and hamburger meat. Of course without knowing what I know now. I would have never thought of the amount of land and food it takes to breed the animals we eat on a daily basis, and how it will double or even triple in the coming years. Not to mention the horrific treatment these animals endure during their lives. As well as the effects it has on our own bodies.
All the facts that he mentions in this book almost brought tears to my eyes regarding how the manufacturing of cattle and other animals are done. The recipes in this book seem pretty good. The only one's I've tried are the Stir Fried Beans with Asparagus or Broccoli and Noodles with Mushrooms. I tried the stir fry with broccoli instead of Asparagus, and both recipes were very good. My teenage kids even enjoyed them. I have not yet tried all the recipes in the book, but I will be cooking very differently from now on. I also found myself consulting with my vegetarian sister on what the best vegetarian meals are to cook as well. All I can say after reading this book is if you know someone who is a big beef eater, then maybe you should buy this book for them, just so they understand the process involved in the making and manufacturing of what their favorite meals are, and I think they may have a whole different outlook on what they put in their bodies. This book has had a huge impact on me, and I think it's important to spread the word of my new found knowledge.
Using "How to cook Everything" on a fequent basis in my kitchen, I am familiar with Bittman and his writing style. I like the recipes that he come up with and the way in which he can explain some esotheric concepts so that they make sense to laypeople.
This book serves up more of the same style, some great recipes (75 if you are counting) and a nice commentary on the way that we as Americans and other developing countries are consuming the food resources that we say we so desperatly "need."
By taking the concepts that are usually way out in the stratosphere, he explains them in a way they make sense, and with a frankness that will make them stick. I look at food differently now, and try to think about the total cost of things involved, not just the monetary value placed on a juicy Big Mac.
While not calling people to vegan and raw lifestyles, Bittman does a good job of showing us how to eat more consciously and how the impact of our eating can and does effect the ecosystem, infrastructure, and health of the places where it is raised.
I usually detest the whiny "fact" filled books on global warming, human overpopulation, and rants about how humans are killing everything we touch. While this book encourages us to take a "big-picture" view of the world and how it applies to us, it does so in a way that is easy to digest and not at all preachy. A nice book to have around if you are a fan of Bittman, and a good one to read as well if you arent.
Filled with practical examples and an easy to follow narrative, "Food Matters" is an essential new way to look at food, how it is produced, and its overall impact on the Earth today. Eye-opening and satisfying all at the same time.
I used to be a vegetarian. I have read most of this information before. However, Mark takes a fresh approach by offering a solution that doesn't idealistically scream for all the world to convert to vegetarianism. Lets get real, it's not going to happen any time soon. When I used to read books by Vegetarian Times and various authors such as Francis Moore Lappe, I thoughts, "It's a great concept, but how are you going to implement it?" Mark does that. He does an impressive job of presenting the facts without preaching. The information would be compelling even to someone who wasn't already on his side. He is non-judgemental and uses plain common-sense in his approach. He gives simple guidelines rather than a "diet" and states in less than 2 pages exactly how it worked for him, practically. I have already started to implement his suggestions. They are ideas that you can run with right now. They don't require weeks of planning and researching recipes or setting up a "diet plan". I haven't tried the recipes yet, but am certain that they will be as delectable as those in his previous publications. Mark has always been good at simple, unpretentious food. Nothing's changed here. I highly recommend this book and its ideas for world change and health change. Good job, Mark!
