04/10/2018
Let's get one thing straight: A Man, A Pan, A Plan is NOT a diet book. In fact, "diet" is actually a four-letter word around the offices of Men’s Health. That’s because at the heart of "diet" is the word "die," which is what the vast majority of diets do given the appropriate amount of time, especially diets based on shaky pseudo-scientific claims. It’s also what most diets make you want to do when you’re into your third week of consuming nothing but gluten-free rice crackers and smoothies the color of toxic sludge.
The best way to approach food is not “I really need to go on a diet,” but instead “I really need a healthful lifestyle that includes nutritious food.” Note that “lifestyle” incorporates food but also makes room for sleeping well, exercising, managing stress, and generally being a nice person. Diets, on the other hand, make The Solution to All of Life’s Problems all about food.
See why diets deserve to die?
So while A Man, A Pan, A Plan isn’t a panacea, it can serve as a way to incorporate healthful, home-cooked meals into your life. Many of the recipes are nutritious. Many of the recipes contain the protein you need to build muscle and stay full until your next meal. None of the recipes include the weirdo chem-lab-type ingredients that you’ll likely find in pre-made meals. Many of the recipes include sizable portions of disease-fighting fruits and vegetables. And if they don’t, you’ll find a section of this book devoted to vegetable-based side dishes that cook up fast (check out the photo evidence attached).
It’s practical, not prescriptive.
Go get it: rodalebooks.com/man-pan-plan
