This is a book that's going to help me with developing more variety in my pursuit of healthy eating. Food Matters is well-known cookbook author Bittman's attempt to adopt an eating philosophy that is better for our own health and for the planet. It's not a weight loss book at all, but naturally, turning to a healthier eating style will help with weight loss if that's a goal.

The first part explains the author's philosophy (in great and repetitive detail). The book then moves on to provide very general guidelines on how to incorporate these principles into one's diet. The last half or so is devoted to cooking and recipes.

There's a companion volume (Food Matters Cookbook) with less philosophy and more recipes if you'd prefer that. You don't need both of them. ( )

We could call this The Omnivore's Dilemma for Dummies. Bittman covers in a rather shallow way the issues of the livestock industry that Pollan covers in-depth. But it's a good intro for people who just want to know why he's prescribing the eating style that is in the book, rather than all of the nasty details of The Omnivore's Dilemma. I do think it's a good book, don't get me wrong, but go to Pollan and others for the details if you want them.

The recipes in the second part of the book look good, but nothing new to people who are accustomed to cooking healthfully. ( )

This particular book I picked up after reading an article about the ending of Mark Bittman’s weekly column for the New York Times. Subtitled “A Guide to Conscious Eating,” it does not jump on the organic bandwagon, but instead examines what it would look like if Americans were more conscious about their food choices. Bittman begins by focusing on the environmental effects of industrialized farming and meat production. He examines the eating of meat and its evolution from being a luxury to becoming a staple of daily meals. He argues the inefficiency of converting plants into meat, and compares the greenhouse gas emissions of meat production to automobile pollution. After discussing factory farming and industrialization, Bittman takes a look at the effects of marketing and advertising on the food industry, as well as the role of the USDA in the misinformation of Americans.

Like a textbook, important statements are pulled out of the text and highlighted in the margins, which is great for skimming. One major fault of this book is that, although a list of sources is included in back, there are no annotations or references listed for most of the numbers and statistics quoted in the text. Many of the tables and charts have sources listed, but others do not, leaving the reader to wonder where the numbers came from, and how they were calculated. Overall, this is a highly readable approach to the nutrition and food issues which are prevalent today, but readers wanting solid evidence and citations may find this particular work lacking. ( )

A guide to conscious eating

I love all of Mark Bittman's books. ( )