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So as of today 2/4/2010 - the old habits of eating as Derek Kan will end. I am going to impose new rules, an experiment if you will, on myself. I am going to become a more conscious, educated, healthy eater. Now since I am a rookie with being a "better" eater I will start by adhering to a few basic rules that are not too out there so I can ease into this new life style. You take doses of medicine right - not chug the whole bottle (thanks harvey penick)

A quick background of my dietary habits - I eat pretty healthy. I typically follow the 85% rule, eat healthy 85% of the time 15% I let myself go. With that said I've been slipping as of late. The problem with a 15% slack is that you really have to allow yourself a 5% slack, the deviation is just too high. Essentially I went from 85% to roughly just under 50%. Recently as I've been doing research on what healthy eating is - you start to realize this concept: Eating healthy shouldn't only be for yourself.

I want to vote with my dietary choices! What's better for me should be better for the environment and better for the community. Hey, why not kill as many birds with that one stone as possible. If you really think about it's very Lion King-ish. The circle of life, in urban NYC.

First Set of Rules (all stolen from Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food): 1. Don't eat anything your great grand mother wouldn't recognize as food 2. Avoid food products containing ingredients that are a) unfamiliar b) unpronounceable c)more than 5 in number or that include d) high-fructose corn syrup 3. Avoid food products that make health claims 4. Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle 5. Get out of the supermarket whenever possible 6. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves 7. You are what what you eat eats too 8. If you have the space, buy a freezer 9. Eat like an omnivore 10. Eat well grown food from healthy soils 11. Eat wild foods when you can 12. Be the kind of person that take supplements 13. Regard nontraditional foods with skepticism 14. Don't look for the magic bullet in the traditional diet 15. Pay more, Eat less 16. Eat meals 17. Do all your eating at a table 18. Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does 19. Try not to eat alone 20. Consult your gut 21. Eat slowly 22. Cook and, if you can plant a garden

There we go, the 22 rules that Michael Pollan suggests in In Defense of Food. I will use this as a starting point in my quest to be a smarter, healthier, more socially and environmentally conscious eater. Here goes nothing.