Page 65 - Fall2020

All Thumbs Book Reviews

Beyond Labels: A Doctor and a Farmer The book prefaces the seventy-two bites
Conquer Food Confusion One Bite at a Time with a section that encourages readers to set
By Sina McCullough, PhD and goals and develop a picture of what they want
Joel Salatin, Farmer their relationship with food and life to look like.
Chelsea Green Publishing This includes thinking about questions such as
“What is your ideal meal?” and “Where does it
What happens when you combine two come from?” This section emphasizes taking
unique individuals with a unique mission and responsibility but also giving yourself grace to
book format? You get Beyond Labels. First, let’s learn and grow during what can be a difficult
start with the mission: “This book is dedicated journey. Those with longstanding real-food ex-
to anyone who wants to eat better and doesn’t perience need to remember what it is like to have
know how.” Sina McCullough and Joel Salatin never dealt with real food before. I remember
are primarily hoping to reach individuals who years ago when people joined our buying club
are interested in eating better but are unsure what who had never seen a whole chicken! They
that means or how to make it happen. In other needed encouragement, not condemnation. We
words, the book is for people like McCullough need to remember that they walked through the
herself, who once “spent more time looking up door because they realized there was something
movie and book reviews than I did looking up wrong with their food choices, and they wanted
what’s in my food.” to change the situation.
Next let’s look at why McCullough and Because Beyond Labels is written for in-
Salatin are unique. Often when people write dividuals who are not yet deeply “into” real
and speak, they stick with their “lane” or area of and local foods, the book takes an interesting
expertise. Only on occasion do they get to inter- approach to some touchy subjects. Take soda.
act with others in related fields. Beyond Labels Almost everyone knows that soda isn’t good for
represents the rare book that brings together the you, but instead of telling readers outright that
experiences and expertise of both authors. soda is bad, Salatin and McCullough try to help
Beyond Labels also follows a unique for- them realize it for themselves. They do this by
mat. A question is posed to the two authors, first suggesting that people notice how they feel
and they talk through it—at times mentioning with and without soda and then give the reader
surprising or unexpected things in relation to a number of alternatives. They also help people
the original question. Although the questions understand the history, health effects and other The book
are wide-ranging—covering everything from factors (such as government subsidies) that stand
reading labels to keeping chickens to making behind the topic of soda. encourages
compost—they all support the goal of helping The dietary advice in Beyond Labels is basic readers to set
people make the transition to eating more real, but sound. “Don’t fear the fat label!” (#15). “Eat
locally-produced food. real salt” (#25). “Say yes to wild-caught fish” goals and
The book is organized around seventy-two (#26). “Eat a daily helping of microbes from develop a
pieces of advice—or “bites.” Each “bite” is ferments” (#44). The two authors even cover picture of
introduced with a “how” followed by a “why,” the importance of clean, high-quality structured
and the “why” is where Salatin and McCullough water (#19) and recommend Dr. Tom Cowan’s what they
discuss all sorts of things that help people under- recent book on the subject (Cancer and the New want their
stand the importance and practice of the “how.” Biology of Water). Beyond Labels is also pep-
Even though this book harkens back more to the pered with good advice (and warnings) about relationship
days when our family first began our real-food food additives (including artificial and natural with food
journey than where we find ourselves today, I flavors), non-stick cookware and dozens of and life to
learned a number of new things in the “whys,” other topics.
which is something I appreciated. Continued on page 66. look like.

FALL 2020 Wise Traditions 63