There are things we know and things we don't know about food. But there are certain basic things we do know, and that's what I've tried to build these rules on.

A growing body of research suggests that many of the health problems associated with eating beef are really problems with corn-fed beef.

The issue of snacking is complicated. In principle, "grazing" is probably a good idea. It would even out the insulin spikes and things like that from eating large meals. The problem is it makes it harder for people to control the amount they're eating.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.

Not everyone can afford to eat well in America, which is a literal shame, but most of us can: Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food, less than the citizens of any other nation.

Any kind of food you eat is going to have an impact on the world. If you switch to tofu and get off meat, the soy bean is doing enormous damage in the Amazon and all throughout South America.