Mark Bittman has a gift for words and food. Specifically, Bittman makes complex questions around our current diet and our environment, not only easy to grasp, but also easy to do something about.
Here’s the Problem…
The average North American eats half a pound of meat each day and the raising of meat contributes a fifth of all greenhouse emissions globally though methane gas. If that’s not enough, our current meat-heavy system of food production is unsustainable, it wastes resources and is a source of pollution in the form of pesticides and hormones.

His solution is quite simple, “Eat less of certain foods, specifically animal products, refined carbs, and junk food; and more of others, specifically plants, in close to their natural state.

‘Food Matters’ is part manifesto, part cookbook, is informative and extremely practical. Bittman espouses a “lessmeatarian” (his word) approach to eating well and putting less pressure on the planet. Oh, one shouldn’t forget, eating less is easy on the pocketbook too!

While Bittman presents hard evidence to the problems inherent in our food system his solutions are not extreme. He devised a plan called “vegan until six”. During the day, he ate almost no animal products at all, no white flour, sugar and no junk food. After Six, he ate as he had before. In a matter of months he’d lost 35 pounds, lowered his cholesterol and blood sugar, and cured his trouble sleeping!