If you want to change your life, consider this: In Defense of Food An Eater’s Manifesto.

Well, I love eating. I never had a manifesto before, given that it brings all things Unabomber to mind. But it’s safe to say I probably needed one. Thanks to Michael Pollan, now I have a delicious one.

How’s this for fascinating: Back when margarine was first put on the market, the government tried to force the manufacturers to dye it pink. Pink! Can you imagine? Who would want to eat something that was supposed to be like butter–and wasn’t even yellow?

Well, that was kind of the point. Pink, so as not to confuse the consumer who might mistakenly believe he was actually eating butter. (Said consumer must have been deprived of butter all his life in order to be confused, but that’s beside the point.)  And surprisingly, the margarine manufacturers mounted a vigorous defense–successful.

You have to read this to believe what’s been going on in the U.S. all these years, and even after you read it, you still won’t want to believe it, but let me just put it this way. Here’s what’s changed in my life in the week after I read Pollan’s book:

1) An infernal cheapskate — a woman who studied the Tightwad Gazette as if she could find salvation in its pages — is now paying $2.59 for a dozen eggs. That’s right, and they’re awesome. And the chickens don’t mind either.

2) Said cheapskate also logged onto localharvest.org, found herself a CSA near her, and shelled out over $400 to buy a share of a farm. We’re going to pick up our share of the harvest once a week all summer. And learn how to prepare vegetables we’ve never brought into the house before.

3) She tossed all her coupons for fruit rollups. And bought actual fruit instead for the three money suckers to eat.

4) Learned how to make yogurt. It’s actually easy. And everyone loves it.

Here’s the scary part: The CDC reported in 2003 that one third of children born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetimes. 39% if your child born that year happens to be a daughter. Do you remember hearing about that? Do you believe they said will develop not could develop diabetes?

Read this book. I’m serious. If you don’t have time to read it, get the audio version– check your library to see if they have digital checkouts of such things– and listen to it. And don’t believe anything you hear from experts about food again.

And then eat something. It’ll be yummy. And one day your kids may look at an ingredients list and protest: “That’s not food.”