Since I'm living at the fringes of fashion, a book that tries to integrate fashion sense with food style sounded like a stretch to me. In "The Food That Fits -- a guide to mastering your food style", author Lori Reamer, RD , makes the case that the food-challenged-but-fashion-savvy person can apply fashion rules to building a healthier food wardrobe.
Consider one of Reamer's catch phrases: Are you wearing cashmere and eating acrylic? Any fashion-conscious person immediately understands what that says about certain food choices. If you value quality in clothes, why are you settling for low standards in food? The next step would be recognizing the "cashmere" in food, and Reamer has plenty of advice on specific foods, along with ways to mix 'n match foods to create a variety of healthy meals, just as you mix 'n match your clothes to create new looks.
The Food That Fits doesn't rely on a lot of scientific jargon to get the message across. Readers aren't expected to absorb a lot of complex nutrition and medical information. The food advice is strictly practical, focused on making healthier choices. Rather than turn readers into mini-nutrition experts, Reamer's goal is to help readers develop a code of food ethics, just as they may have a code of personal fashion ethics.
The fashion analogies lend support to current food and nutrition recommendations. For example, the recommendation to choose fruit and vegetables in season ties in to Reamer's thoughts on the fashion rule "No white after Labor Day". In other words, we base our clothing choices on seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, no one would wear a heavy wool coat in July, or a skimpy white sun dress in December. Applying similar rules to food choices results in eating foods that are fresh and in season: fresh peaches in July, not January.
The Food That Fits is not about weight loss, and as such is not a diet book. It's definitely aimed at the fashion-conscious female reader, who needs some help making healthier food choices. It's an easy read, but you're sure to come away with useful advice.
I had the opportunity to chat with Lori Reamer about her food-fashion philosophy, and a podcast of our interview is available here. You can also find interactive tools on the book's website to help you formulate your healthier food wardrobe.
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