I left a screening of Michael Pollan's new film In Defense of Food-based on his 2008 book of the same name and airing on PBS on December 30—feeling overwhelmed.
Pollan's argument is that we don't need to follow every hot diet trend or study every piece of scientific literature: At a biological level, we know what to do (“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants,” is how he sums it up) and we are actually bombarded with misinformation that persuades us to make detrimental choices, often under the guise of health.
But even though every individual has an innate program for healthy eating, the problems are huge and systemic: cultural, corporate, socio-economic, and evolutionary, and they won't be solved in a day (and Pollan says that the food movement in particular needs litigators and community organizers).
Meanwhile, what can we do? What can we do tonight?
We can cook! Cooking at home—using whole, minimally processed ingredients and doing your best to think about what's in season and where they come from—is the best way to support local food systems and eat real food.
But complicated and time-consuming meals are not realistic. These 22 weeknight-ready recipes—full of vegetables, nuts, grains, and the occasional meat/fish/chicken—provide real meals fastso you can do your small part to help (and help yourself in the process).