Food writer shares simple 'third grader rule' that can make healthy eating much easier for anyone

The world has become a genius in cheating its consumers with ultra-processed foods that are instant and easier, but that secretly exhaust our internal systems. Food writer Michael Pollan shared in an interview with 60 Minutes that he follows, among many others, a rather peculiar rule to maintain safe and healthy eating. He revealed that the rule he follows is one a “third grader” would use when it came to picking what to eat. Pollan went on to state that one needs to ask a very simple question before deciding what to consume. Can a third grader pronounce the food ingredients you are eating? In 2009, the author wrote a book, “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual,” where he offered tips that people could use to maintain their eating habits, according to CBS News.

Pollan agreed that ultra-processed foods are among the major elements that have been ruining people’s health over the last few decades. "You know, 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese… so it seems pretty clear there's something wrong with the way we eat," he explained. That pushed him to share a rule. “If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don't eat it,” the rule suggests. Pollan explained that if the ingredients in the food item include something “a third grader can’t pronounce, it’s not food.” These big names are often what we’ve traded for natural ingredients, and we don’t even realize it. So if you can't pronounce it, do a deeper check.

The writer mentioned that a lot of ultra-processed foods have ingredients that are not safe and carry a lot of risks. While initially ingredients were natural and safe, they are today loaded with preservatives, chemicals, and ingredients that common people have no idea about. The writer even mentioned how many “cheap” alternatives used in products are stripped of fiber, making consumers feel less full after a meal and increasing the urge to eat more. “Sugar is a great example… as long as it was rare and special, it wasn't a problem. But with the ubiquity of sweeteners now, many of them derived from corn, sugar is, like, the cheapest commodity going,” he remarked.

Pollan studied research done by the National Institutes of Health, which suggested that “Ultra-Processed Diets cause calorie intake,” thus adding to the obesity problem in America. The study done on 20 weight-stable adults included exposing them to a diet of ultra-processed foods and non-processed foods for 14 days each. "After two weeks, the people on the ultra-processed food… they were eating 500 more calories a day," Pollan learned. The people were taking in more calories in the form of carbohydrates and energy when on an ultra-processed diet. “Limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment,” the study concluded.

Pollan then explained that the best thing to do is to shop outside of supermarkets. “That's where the produce is. That's where the fresh food, the dairy is,” he noted, adding that the pre-packaged stuff has a mix-up somewhere that we need to avoid. And the very next thing to do is prioritize home-cooked meals. “If you don't do it ever, do it once a week. If you do it once a week, do it twice a week," he recommended. Ja JaGee wrote, “I've experienced a healthy recovery after changing my diet to what he is talking about.” Sandy Collins added, “You will be surprised at how much better you will feel when you ditch processed foods and cook your meals.”

More on Scoop Upworthy

Doctor switched to an 80% ultra-processed diet for 30 days and the results left him stunned

Farmer explains food expiration so people don't throw away items that haven't gone bad

Cardiac surgeon reveals four types of food he avoids because they 'actively poison' the body