Planck, Nina 1971-

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Planck, Nina 1971-

PERSONAL:

Born 1971; children: Julian Charles.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Writer, entrepreneur, consultant, and public speaker. London Farmers' Markets, founder and director, 1999—; Greenmarket (nationwide network of farmers' markets), New York, NY, director; Real Food, founder and director; owner and operator of several food markets, including Mt. Pleasant Food Market, Washington, DC, and two Real Food Markets, both New York, NY; previously hosted a thirteen-part series on farmers' markets for British television. Has worked as a congressional staffer, reporter for Time magazine, and speechwriter for a U.S. ambassador to Britain.

WRITINGS:

Real Food: What to Eat and Why, Bloomsbury (New York, NY), 2006.

Also author of The Farmers' Market Cookbook, published in England.

SIDELIGHTS:

An expert on farmers' markets and local foods, Nina Planck, who has also worked as a journalist and speechwriter, is the author of Real Food: What to Eat and Why. In the book, Planck presents her own ideas about what makes up a nutritious diet, emphasizing fresh foods from local farms and meats and fish sold by individual farmers. She discusses such nutrition topics as the difference between good fats, such as those found in vegetables, fish, and meat, and bad fats, primarily those produced by industry in the preparation of their foods. Planck also presents the very basics of her philosophy that eating natural foods much the way our ancestors ate should be the basic foundation for a healthy diet. Mark Bittman, writing in Publishers Weekly, noted that the author "is far from dogmatic, making her case casually, gently, persuasively." Bittman also called Planck "a good, stylish writer and a dogged researcher who writes directly, forthrightly and with an edge." Noting that Planck holds a "contrarian view" of what a healthy diet should include, Booklist contributor Mark Knoblauch added that that the author "links good nutrition to sensible enjoyment of food in all its variety."