Review: Rich Food Poor Food

I just finished reading Rich Food Poor Food, The Ultimate Grocery Purchasing Sysytem (GPS) and I, absolutely, loved this book. I kept thinking how overdo a book like this is for the real food junkies. We all have seen these “Eat This Not That” books all over the market and all they do is advocate eating GMO, processed junk food while leaving out important information.
However, the authors, Jason & Mira Calton, have put together a very practical book, leaving nothing uncovered!  The first 40 pages talk about all the harmful ingredients that are allowed by the FDA to put into our food. I was amazed how many things are actually banned in other countries, yet they are allowed in our food here in the US. The one that scared me the most was Azodicarbonamide. This bad boy is banned in Australia, the UK, and most European countries. In Singapore, you can get up to 15 years in prison if you use it as an ingredient. But, here in the USA, this chemical is put into BLEACHED FLOUR!!! WTF?!?! While other countries have to wait a whole week for flour to naturally whiten, the USA just puts Azodicarbonamide in the flour. You can find this ingredient roaming around in Stroehmann’s Breads, Betty Crocker Suddenly Salads, Country Hearth Breads, Hungry Man Dinners, and Entenmann’s Baked Goods. 

Is this book Paleo or Primal? Actually, Rich Food Poor Food suggest you eating a Primal/Paleo diet but then goes on to recommend the best whole grains, rice, legumes, and beans available. I actually kind of liked that they did this because so many people who switch to Paleo do better off easily transitioning into it.  Jumping into being completely Paleo is VERY difficult, and even more difficult with families. And, also, so many Paleo families, like mine, are not even 100% Paleo. So, for me, I liked seeing the healthiest rice options, and the healthiest wheat options because we do enjoy rice on occasion. Rich Food Poor Food taught me that brown rice isn’t always better than white…and when at a restaurant, it’s best to pick the white rice. Why? Well, you will just have to get the book and find out. 🙂

Rich Food Poor Food dummies down the supermarket for you. Gosh, I remember the first time I shopped Paleo at the supermarket. I must have looked like a lost duck. This book would have saved me a ton of time…time spent reading ingredients, googling ingredients, and getting frustrated at all the ingredients on a package. This book tells you flat out which hot dogs, fish, condiments, dressings, spices, nuts, drinks, meats, eggs, and dairy products to buy (and so much more). Over 350 individual brand products are included in this book. This is the “Eat This Not That” book for the Paleo, Primal, or Real Foodie!!!

The Grocery Purchasing System (GPS) guide is great because it recommends brands that are clean, organic, and manufactured with the healthiest standards. It teaches you how to avoid misleading packaging by suggesting the top quality brands with the top quality ingredients

If you have been eating Paleo/Primal/Real Food for years and years, you will still learn a lot of useful information from this book. I learned that Gouda cheese has the third-highest source of elusive vitamin K2, supplying nearly 100% of your daily requirement in a mere 3.5-ounce serving. Only natto, a Japanese fermented soybean dish, and goose liver pate’ surpass it! So, I learned to reach for the Gouda if we are going to indulge in cheese!

In conclusion, Rich Food Poor Food by the Calton’s is a gem to ANYONE! It’s more than just a book, it’s a guide that you will want to keep around for a long time. There will be many times when you will need to pull out this guide to see if something is questionable or not. It’s nice to have a real food guide that I can trust, a guide that takes my concerns into question, and a guide that knows the best foods I can give to my family.

Thank you Jayson and Mira Calton for writing such an informative book!

Buy this book today!!!