man… tim is real serious about his food. being a foodie myself - he once made me a mean banana shake (must be blended with instant glue) as it refused adamtly to come out of the glass. thumbs up about the fallacies of actually nutritious food. its a pitty that half the food out there are actually processed food.
I agree with a lot of what you say about unhealthiness in our country, and I feel I must expand the reasons WHY we have become this way. You touched upon it yourself talking about always wanting more. That is a foundation of our society, for better or for worse. We are never happy with what we have. If we achieve one level of financial success, we try and get to the next. When does it stop? You lose time to enjoy the simple things in life, such as those you have experienced in your travels. You become so obsessed chasing the American Dream that you forget about your own well being.
And with all that time you spend trying to make money, you lose the time to eat well or to exercise. So someone comes along with the idea of “Fast Food.” And so it begins. Instead of taking the time to eat, we can do it without leaving the car…
This idea of making your life simpler has compounded itself over and over again throughout the past few decades. Microwaves, drive-through windows, tv-dinners, cell phones, computers, PDA’s, etc., all designed to make our lives “easier” when in fact they seem to be doing just the opposite. Now you have no excuses for being late or missing a meeting or deadline. All these mechanisms are in place to eliminate that.
So people become more depressed and less healthy, so what do they do? Why exercise when there is plastic surgery and diet pills? Why spend quality time with people when you can pop a Prozac? It’s the EASY way out, and people in our country continue to choose this path. Our own country continues to put the pressure on us to succeed on so many ways beyond our own limitations, but at the cost of our own health and well being.
I recently have been going to church to find some kind of spiritual guidance in my life, and something they touched upon today hit me hard. Most, if not all, great civilizations come to and end not from being conquered from others, but from within. While I have heard this many times before, the context in which they were speaking gave a new perspective for me. I can see it happening in our own country today, and it scares me.
Perhaps you can see it better, having been out of the country for so long and seeing the US from a whole other side of the world. I would like to hear your thoughts on that.
I have to admit, Tim, I’m surprised to hear that you’ve given up the gouda. We used to go through that stuff by the kilogram. Does this mean you’re not as adventurous with the food choices? No more spiders?
Hi Tim!
Your “health and nutrition” entry brought me back to my first college days during the old hippy 60-70’s, when many in my college were doing the “macrobiotic thing”. We had our own macrobiotic kitchen, apart from the main kitchen.
I wasn’t part of the “macrobiotic clique”, but I often ate with them because I liked the food and MOST of the attitudes (SOME of the Macros were TOO extreem and fundamental for my way of thinking).
My math teacher was a STRICT macrobiotic, and I would eat with him after our tutorials-usually in my dorm kitchen, where we would often cook our meals. We ate mainly brown rice and stir-fried fresh veggies, all cooked in the microbiotic-method and eaten with chopsticks while we were sitting cross-legged on the floor. Eating with him always kept me in mind of the macrobiotic “elements”:
Eat very slowly and savor each second. APPRECIATE the second you are in.
Chew EACH mouthful 60 times before swallowing (that pre-digests the food and makes work easier for the digestive system, enabling the body to absorb ALL the vitamins and minerals in the foods).
Feel the INNER self being nourished along with the body. My math teacher usually “OHM”-ed and meditated throughout his meals. There was very little if any verbal interaction during the meals. The meals took a LONG time….
After the meal, reflect upon what you have eaten. THANK the fruits and vegetables that you have eaten for becoming part of you. Feel the connection of the fruits and vegetables you have eaten with their parent-plants and growing environment, because YOU have become part of THEM.
In those days I wasn’t 100 lbs overweight and through yoga and “personal” meditation I felt a real connection between my body and my “self”. Also, although I wasn’t vegetarian, my inclination towards meat at that time was at a minimum, and usually meat was avoided.
Since then, I have gotten away from my body, which feels TOTALLY unconnected to “me”. Although I enjoy my food while I am eating it, I am usually reading while I eat, so I give little thought to EXACTLY what I am eating. I eat so quickly that I have forgoten what I have eaten, directly after it is gone. Eating is “something I do” rather than a means of connecting with “myself” and the world.
Thank you for this entry, Tim! I realize that I have to return to the old microbiotic-attitudes towards food/body/and the process of eating. I KNOW that I felt “whole” during that time- not separated, as I do now. I will “work” on this- meaning, I will re-direct my attention towards the REAL experience of nourishing oneself through connection …
Nice. I agree that the fat thing is an issue now that we have an “abundance” of food — a situation we have rarely had throughout history for a mass of people. Also that we are programmed to enjoy calorie rich food the most for the obvious historical reasons. I, however, don´t quite know if people in the old days were particularly happy or better nourished. Malnourishment, vitamin deficiencies, and months of the same basic food have been historical norms, and I would say that people are much better nourished today than ever before. How we feel when we are so well nourished is of course another issue, lethargy a natural reaction to to the body dealing with constant energy intensive digestion.
It´s true about dairy and meats though, alot of bad propaganda there. However, you mentioned we are not designed as carnivores, we are not designed as herbivores either. Digestive system is too short to process tough fibers and molecules which is why we have trouble with cow-dairies. We are very much omnivores, designed for light plant and meat digestions including nuts, berries, flowers, insects, birds, fish with a light sampling of the heavier red meats and fibers.
As for competing with the joneses… man has always competed with the joneses.. I don´t think that´s anything new. I think the only thing that has changed is that you can´t just stab jones anymore and take his shit. As i mentioned before, I think the keys to happiness lie in how our minds make everything relative. How could a cancer patient, a poor person, or concentration camp victim ever feel happiness if all our minds did was evaluate our current circumstances. The opposite can be said about those who “have everything” being so sad. It is because happiness and mood has very little to do with the current state of things, but the change in that state. As I said before, our minds are made to struggle (many known mental biases are very useful in dealing with strife) and joy is felt by success. True joy is only felt when things are on the line or truly important to us. Striving to better oneself is quite possibly the meaning of life.. at least as far as our minds are concerned.
Happiness is made on the margin.
What´s the most common expression from a depressed person? “Nothing matters.” When there´s no struggle, we feel that nothing matters even if we already have it all. Struggle, danger, and strife is what we are programmed to pay attention to — if none of those variables are evident, we feel bored. This has resulted in the prevalence of depression, and the reason the masses are so eager for dramatic news and reporting — we try and get our meaning, risk, stress, and danger from somewhere because ít´s what we need.
Great read, bro. I am of course extremely delighted that I could contribute positively in you becoming an exponent of a better lifestyle. In that spirit, I would like to say yr article though thorough on the aspects of food and eating habits, I wish to express a stronger emphasis on the need to work out at least 4-5 times a day. You did make it clear that exercise is a critical component in looking and feeling good (direct correlation) but allow me to explain why exercise is extremely important. Its all about “metabolism” folks! When we go on a diet, or reduce any types of food group in our eating habits, what we are actually doing is depriving our bodies, and as soon as we do that, the body realises that its not gettin enough, so it starts to use some of the stored fat in the body and sure enough u start to lose weight, then the body gets smart and it starts conserving energy coz it realises that its not gettin as much, and it gets better at storing fat. When this occurs, yr metabolism will drop and it takes less food to gain weight faster. This is why working out is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle.
Breathing is also an important factor, i suggest the 1-4-2 technique. Breathe in long and deep, hold for 4 and release at 2. This is great for the lymphatic system which is like the drainage system in yr body.
And of course our spiritual (NOT RELIGIOUS) aspects play a part as well. I suggest we get rid of the anger and hate that consumes us. Learn to forgive people, Mark Twain said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds upon the heels that had crushed it” So, forgive and move on!
Lastly, its not what we do once in awhile that matters, its what we do all the time. So change is constant.
I hope your new found enthusiasm, still permits u the time to take a moment of, and enjoy life with a Heineken and yr friends. And thank you so much for the knowledge u have exchanged with me.
Before I address all of your comments, first let me reiterate the thrust of my argument: good health can facilitate happiness, but poor health can often be the driver of unhappiness. Additionally, I never make the argument that we’re necessarily any less happy than any earlier time; what I do say is that now more than ever many of us are a lot less happy than we should be. But as I have a penchant for digression, I question whether this point was so clear. Ahh it feels nice, though, to know I’m good at something at least…
GELORA: Kong, you know that indigestible shake was revenge for all those nights you took me to ‘Satay’ stands for dinner (serving only grilled meat on a stick with peanut dipping sauce, and glutinous rice squares). I still love ya though bro, even though maybe I might have subconsciously tried to poison you.
PAUL: I couldn’t agree with you more about the Americans’ perpetual search for simplification in their lives. We’re able to do so much more in such a less amount of time now, but does our increasing efficiency lead to qualitatively better lives?
It should, theoretically at least, as now–all else being equal–we would have more time to do what we like and to spend with our loved ones. But, we see this is often not the case, as a lot of people are having trouble adjusting to the manic pace of change. Additionally, it’s difficult to remove oneself from this viscous cycle of producing to consume and consuming to produce that keeps us always yearning for more and never to be just content with what we have. Sure, stuff is great, but when its preoccupation gets in the way with our social relationships, then we’ve got to take a step back. I get the feeling a lot of us need to take a step back.
In “Life in the Fast Lane”, I propose a potential solution to this problem inflicting all of us: that we routinely undergo temporary self-inflicted deprivation of some form. This would help us appreciate all that stuff we have and would make it clear to see that we have all the tools to a very satisfying and fulfilling life right in front of us.
Regarding your last issue, I think the world is following the lead of the US in striving for the ‘easy way’—it’s the natural progression of capitalism when you think about it—so I don’t believe America is any more in danger of ‘crumbling from the inside’ than any other place. As I will get to in my last entry in the not too distant future, I am quite optimistic on the future of humanity; the POTENTIAL for a full satisfying life is greater now than ever in my opinion—especially here in the US.
CALEB: Naa, I’ll still join ya for a little Gouda man—if you’re serving that is. If I’m preparing my own food, I choose a largely vegetarian and non-dairy diet because I prefer how I feel afterwards—immediately after as well as mid and long term after. If I’m a guest though, and someone is serving a meat/dairy dish, yea sure I’ll have some–otherwise I feel it would be rude to the host. I’ll probably just have a little taste, however, as now my body rejects large portions of meat/dairy–I get a queasy feeling. This could be due to a change in how I internally represent the food, or more likely the result of an increased awareness to how my body–not just my taste buds–reacts to different types of foods. It’s as if my body is saying: “You want me to consume what? You’ve been fueling me with the premium high-octane high-performance stuff for the past half-year, and now you want to give me that toxic shit again? Sorry dude, ain’t havin’ none of that.”
NITA: Wow, that old Professor of yours seems a tad extreme in his method to me, but hey, if it works for him, rock on!
ICELAND—Some very good points Rob, and I agree with much of what you say. A few areas of dispute however.
I do believe a large potion of the US population is much less healthy than anytime before. I also believe a somewhat large—and increasing—part of the population is significantly healthier than any other time as well. The problem is the huge divide in the two, often dictated by income. And I think when you look at many of the diets of this poor health group, you’re seeing people who are living almost completely off the fuel from sugars and fat, where the only vegetables they receive are from the lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup in their hamburgers, and the only exercise they receive is the walk to their cars. If you look at the numbers, people that live this lifestyle—or some variation of it—are certainly not that insignificant a proportion of the population. In many of these cases, I believe a lot of problems (depression, violent outbursts, inability to focus, etc.) are DICRECT products of their lifestyles.
When you talk about happiness being relative (as well as any other state), I couldn’t agree with you more. Like that old couplet:
“Once I had the blues…Because I had no shoes…Until upon the street…I met a man with no feet…”
You say, however, that ‘Keeping up with the Jones’s’ complex has always been a part of society. Of course, I agree that it has always had its place, but the difference is that today its effects are amplified exponentially. This is a natural manifestation of capitalism and its stellar marketing campaigns.
In the old days, due to the fact that mostly everyone was dirt poor and only a few where societal elites, we would compare what we had to what everyone else had around us—not much materialistically speaking. Now however, everyone is a lot wealthier in real terms but inequality is also a lot higher. Instead of our neighbors just being defined around us, our neighbors also consist of all those beautiful faces in our popular magazines, those celebrities on MTV ‘Cribs’, and all those advertisements making us aware of how happy we could be if only we just…
We are surrounded by Joness’ now, and they often determine our notions of success and happiness, and these ideals that our culture preaches I believe are not conducive towards our personal peace and harmony. But, if you don’t agree with the culture that you’re immersed in, you can always create your own culture; and to me, that’s where the real opportunities and keys to fulfillment lie in this world.
MATT–Yes, of course I would be happy to join you for a Heineken or two–or too many. Thanks for the insightful comment, and give Priss and Shane a big hug from me!
Wow . . . that was a lot . . . . a few editorial comments:
1. From the biochemistry corner: Milk and osteoporosis is true if one ignores the effect of vitamin D in the absorbtion of calcium. This is why vitamin D is added to commercial milk worldwide. One may argue that vitamin D is not really necessary because 15-20 minutes of exposure to the sun on the hands and face is enough for the human body to produce all the vitamin D needed, but it is still added as a preventive. Calcium found in milk is actually easier for the body to absorb because it is bonded to organic maolecules that are readily absorbed by the body. Elemental calcium is only only 60-7-% as useful as organically bonded calcium.
2. There is absolutely no doubt that “Better living through science” has engineered foods that are more desirable and higher in demand by appealing to evolutionary desires for fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates and salt. There is also no doubt that the human body was not designed to handle an abundance of these nutrients. Unforunately, due to supply and demand, bad food is often cheaper than healthy food (for example generic twinkies and doughnuts are cheaper than apples and oranges). Education and self-discipline don’t seem to be effective in mitigating this problem. I have often thought that perhaps we should put warning labels on junk food.
3. The point of lifespan and animal feeding habits is also interesting. Want to live longer? Eat less. Eating 10%-20% less calories than one needs tends to extend the lifespan of animals by as much as 30%. The science still isn’t well understood . . . but some theorize that slowing down the metabolism by eating less keeps the body from “wearing out” as fast. I know that’s a very qualitative explanation . . . the observations are repeatable, but the causes aren’t well known yet. Some theorize that this is why some monks that live in the Himalayas have consistently long lifespans.
3. I’m not sure that I agree that humans aren’t omnivourous. The useless appendix is an organ that is used in ruminants (horses, etc.) to help digest plants. Humans have evolved away from using the appendix for anything. Additionally, our teeth are designed for for vegetables and meats (we have canines and other cusped teeth). However, I would agree that generally people in developed countries eat way too much meat.
Thata’s all I can think of off the top of my head, but this is a can of worms that I could talk about for days. I agree that this is a problem of epidemic proportion. Last week’s issue of the Economist mentioned that the incidence rate of diabetes in the USA has doubled since 1980. The cause . . . poor eating habits and obesity.
February 19th, 2007 at 12:08 am
man… tim is real serious about his food. being a foodie myself - he once made me a mean banana shake (must be blended with instant glue) as it refused adamtly to come out of the glass. thumbs up about the fallacies of actually nutritious food. its a pitty that half the food out there are actually processed food.
February 19th, 2007 at 4:10 am
I agree with a lot of what you say about unhealthiness in our country, and I feel I must expand the reasons WHY we have become this way. You touched upon it yourself talking about always wanting more. That is a foundation of our society, for better or for worse. We are never happy with what we have. If we achieve one level of financial success, we try and get to the next. When does it stop? You lose time to enjoy the simple things in life, such as those you have experienced in your travels. You become so obsessed chasing the American Dream that you forget about your own well being.
And with all that time you spend trying to make money, you lose the time to eat well or to exercise. So someone comes along with the idea of “Fast Food.” And so it begins. Instead of taking the time to eat, we can do it without leaving the car…
This idea of making your life simpler has compounded itself over and over again throughout the past few decades. Microwaves, drive-through windows, tv-dinners, cell phones, computers, PDA’s, etc., all designed to make our lives “easier” when in fact they seem to be doing just the opposite. Now you have no excuses for being late or missing a meeting or deadline. All these mechanisms are in place to eliminate that.
So people become more depressed and less healthy, so what do they do? Why exercise when there is plastic surgery and diet pills? Why spend quality time with people when you can pop a Prozac? It’s the EASY way out, and people in our country continue to choose this path. Our own country continues to put the pressure on us to succeed on so many ways beyond our own limitations, but at the cost of our own health and well being.
I recently have been going to church to find some kind of spiritual guidance in my life, and something they touched upon today hit me hard. Most, if not all, great civilizations come to and end not from being conquered from others, but from within. While I have heard this many times before, the context in which they were speaking gave a new perspective for me. I can see it happening in our own country today, and it scares me.
Perhaps you can see it better, having been out of the country for so long and seeing the US from a whole other side of the world. I would like to hear your thoughts on that.
February 23rd, 2007 at 1:16 am
I have to admit, Tim, I’m surprised to hear that you’ve given up the gouda. We used to go through that stuff by the kilogram. Does this mean you’re not as adventurous with the food choices? No more spiders?
February 24th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Hi Tim!
Your “health and nutrition” entry brought me back to my first college days during the old hippy 60-70’s, when many in my college were doing the “macrobiotic thing”. We had our own macrobiotic kitchen, apart from the main kitchen.
I wasn’t part of the “macrobiotic clique”, but I often ate with them because I liked the food and MOST of the attitudes (SOME of the Macros were TOO extreem and fundamental for my way of thinking).
My math teacher was a STRICT macrobiotic, and I would eat with him after our tutorials-usually in my dorm kitchen, where we would often cook our meals. We ate mainly brown rice and stir-fried fresh veggies, all cooked in the microbiotic-method and eaten with chopsticks while we were sitting cross-legged on the floor. Eating with him always kept me in mind of the macrobiotic “elements”:
Eat very slowly and savor each second. APPRECIATE the second you are in.
Chew EACH mouthful 60 times before swallowing (that pre-digests the food and makes work easier for the digestive system, enabling the body to absorb ALL the vitamins and minerals in the foods).
Feel the INNER self being nourished along with the body. My math teacher usually “OHM”-ed and meditated throughout his meals. There was very little if any verbal interaction during the meals. The meals took a LONG time….
After the meal, reflect upon what you have eaten. THANK the fruits and vegetables that you have eaten for becoming part of you. Feel the connection of the fruits and vegetables you have eaten with their parent-plants and growing environment, because YOU have become part of THEM.
In those days I wasn’t 100 lbs overweight and through yoga and “personal” meditation I felt a real connection between my body and my “self”. Also, although I wasn’t vegetarian, my inclination towards meat at that time was at a minimum, and usually meat was avoided.
Since then, I have gotten away from my body, which feels TOTALLY unconnected to “me”. Although I enjoy my food while I am eating it, I am usually reading while I eat, so I give little thought to EXACTLY what I am eating. I eat so quickly that I have forgoten what I have eaten, directly after it is gone. Eating is “something I do” rather than a means of connecting with “myself” and the world.
Thank you for this entry, Tim! I realize that I have to return to the old microbiotic-attitudes towards food/body/and the process of eating. I KNOW that I felt “whole” during that time- not separated, as I do now. I will “work” on this- meaning, I will re-direct my attention towards the REAL experience of nourishing oneself through connection …
Love from Nita
February 25th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
Nice. I agree that the fat thing is an issue now that we have an “abundance” of food — a situation we have rarely had throughout history for a mass of people. Also that we are programmed to enjoy calorie rich food the most for the obvious historical reasons. I, however, don´t quite know if people in the old days were particularly happy or better nourished. Malnourishment, vitamin deficiencies, and months of the same basic food have been historical norms, and I would say that people are much better nourished today than ever before. How we feel when we are so well nourished is of course another issue, lethargy a natural reaction to to the body dealing with constant energy intensive digestion.
It´s true about dairy and meats though, alot of bad propaganda there. However, you mentioned we are not designed as carnivores, we are not designed as herbivores either. Digestive system is too short to process tough fibers and molecules which is why we have trouble with cow-dairies. We are very much omnivores, designed for light plant and meat digestions including nuts, berries, flowers, insects, birds, fish with a light sampling of the heavier red meats and fibers.
As for competing with the joneses… man has always competed with the joneses.. I don´t think that´s anything new. I think the only thing that has changed is that you can´t just stab jones anymore and take his shit. As i mentioned before, I think the keys to happiness lie in how our minds make everything relative. How could a cancer patient, a poor person, or concentration camp victim ever feel happiness if all our minds did was evaluate our current circumstances. The opposite can be said about those who “have everything” being so sad. It is because happiness and mood has very little to do with the current state of things, but the change in that state. As I said before, our minds are made to struggle (many known mental biases are very useful in dealing with strife) and joy is felt by success. True joy is only felt when things are on the line or truly important to us. Striving to better oneself is quite possibly the meaning of life.. at least as far as our minds are concerned.
Happiness is made on the margin.
What´s the most common expression from a depressed person? “Nothing matters.” When there´s no struggle, we feel that nothing matters even if we already have it all. Struggle, danger, and strife is what we are programmed to pay attention to — if none of those variables are evident, we feel bored. This has resulted in the prevalence of depression, and the reason the masses are so eager for dramatic news and reporting — we try and get our meaning, risk, stress, and danger from somewhere because ít´s what we need.
February 27th, 2007 at 4:27 am
Great read, bro. I am of course extremely delighted that I could contribute positively in you becoming an exponent of a better lifestyle. In that spirit, I would like to say yr article though thorough on the aspects of food and eating habits, I wish to express a stronger emphasis on the need to work out at least 4-5 times a day. You did make it clear that exercise is a critical component in looking and feeling good (direct correlation) but allow me to explain why exercise is extremely important. Its all about “metabolism” folks! When we go on a diet, or reduce any types of food group in our eating habits, what we are actually doing is depriving our bodies, and as soon as we do that, the body realises that its not gettin enough, so it starts to use some of the stored fat in the body and sure enough u start to lose weight, then the body gets smart and it starts conserving energy coz it realises that its not gettin as much, and it gets better at storing fat. When this occurs, yr metabolism will drop and it takes less food to gain weight faster. This is why working out is a critical part of a healthy lifestyle.
Breathing is also an important factor, i suggest the 1-4-2 technique. Breathe in long and deep, hold for 4 and release at 2. This is great for the lymphatic system which is like the drainage system in yr body.
And of course our spiritual (NOT RELIGIOUS) aspects play a part as well. I suggest we get rid of the anger and hate that consumes us. Learn to forgive people, Mark Twain said, “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds upon the heels that had crushed it” So, forgive and move on!
Lastly, its not what we do once in awhile that matters, its what we do all the time. So change is constant.
I hope your new found enthusiasm, still permits u the time to take a moment of, and enjoy life with a Heineken and yr friends. And thank you so much for the knowledge u have exchanged with me.
Love ya, bro!
Matt
March 1st, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Before I address all of your comments, first let me reiterate the thrust of my argument: good health can facilitate happiness, but poor health can often be the driver of unhappiness. Additionally, I never make the argument that we’re necessarily any less happy than any earlier time; what I do say is that now more than ever many of us are a lot less happy than we should be. But as I have a penchant for digression, I question whether this point was so clear. Ahh it feels nice, though, to know I’m good at something at least…
GELORA: Kong, you know that indigestible shake was revenge for all those nights you took me to ‘Satay’ stands for dinner (serving only grilled meat on a stick with peanut dipping sauce, and glutinous rice squares). I still love ya though bro, even though maybe I might have subconsciously tried to poison you.
PAUL: I couldn’t agree with you more about the Americans’ perpetual search for simplification in their lives. We’re able to do so much more in such a less amount of time now, but does our increasing efficiency lead to qualitatively better lives?
It should, theoretically at least, as now–all else being equal–we would have more time to do what we like and to spend with our loved ones. But, we see this is often not the case, as a lot of people are having trouble adjusting to the manic pace of change. Additionally, it’s difficult to remove oneself from this viscous cycle of producing to consume and consuming to produce that keeps us always yearning for more and never to be just content with what we have. Sure, stuff is great, but when its preoccupation gets in the way with our social relationships, then we’ve got to take a step back. I get the feeling a lot of us need to take a step back.
In “Life in the Fast Lane”, I propose a potential solution to this problem inflicting all of us: that we routinely undergo temporary self-inflicted deprivation of some form. This would help us appreciate all that stuff we have and would make it clear to see that we have all the tools to a very satisfying and fulfilling life right in front of us.
Regarding your last issue, I think the world is following the lead of the US in striving for the ‘easy way’—it’s the natural progression of capitalism when you think about it—so I don’t believe America is any more in danger of ‘crumbling from the inside’ than any other place. As I will get to in my last entry in the not too distant future, I am quite optimistic on the future of humanity; the POTENTIAL for a full satisfying life is greater now than ever in my opinion—especially here in the US.
CALEB: Naa, I’ll still join ya for a little Gouda man—if you’re serving that is. If I’m preparing my own food, I choose a largely vegetarian and non-dairy diet because I prefer how I feel afterwards—immediately after as well as mid and long term after. If I’m a guest though, and someone is serving a meat/dairy dish, yea sure I’ll have some–otherwise I feel it would be rude to the host. I’ll probably just have a little taste, however, as now my body rejects large portions of meat/dairy–I get a queasy feeling. This could be due to a change in how I internally represent the food, or more likely the result of an increased awareness to how my body–not just my taste buds–reacts to different types of foods. It’s as if my body is saying: “You want me to consume what? You’ve been fueling me with the premium high-octane high-performance stuff for the past half-year, and now you want to give me that toxic shit again? Sorry dude, ain’t havin’ none of that.”
NITA: Wow, that old Professor of yours seems a tad extreme in his method to me, but hey, if it works for him, rock on!
ICELAND—Some very good points Rob, and I agree with much of what you say. A few areas of dispute however.
I do believe a large potion of the US population is much less healthy than anytime before. I also believe a somewhat large—and increasing—part of the population is significantly healthier than any other time as well. The problem is the huge divide in the two, often dictated by income. And I think when you look at many of the diets of this poor health group, you’re seeing people who are living almost completely off the fuel from sugars and fat, where the only vegetables they receive are from the lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup in their hamburgers, and the only exercise they receive is the walk to their cars. If you look at the numbers, people that live this lifestyle—or some variation of it—are certainly not that insignificant a proportion of the population. In many of these cases, I believe a lot of problems (depression, violent outbursts, inability to focus, etc.) are DICRECT products of their lifestyles.
When you talk about happiness being relative (as well as any other state), I couldn’t agree with you more. Like that old couplet:
“Once I had the blues…Because I had no shoes…Until upon the street…I met a man with no feet…”
You say, however, that ‘Keeping up with the Jones’s’ complex has always been a part of society. Of course, I agree that it has always had its place, but the difference is that today its effects are amplified exponentially. This is a natural manifestation of capitalism and its stellar marketing campaigns.
In the old days, due to the fact that mostly everyone was dirt poor and only a few where societal elites, we would compare what we had to what everyone else had around us—not much materialistically speaking. Now however, everyone is a lot wealthier in real terms but inequality is also a lot higher. Instead of our neighbors just being defined around us, our neighbors also consist of all those beautiful faces in our popular magazines, those celebrities on MTV ‘Cribs’, and all those advertisements making us aware of how happy we could be if only we just…
We are surrounded by Joness’ now, and they often determine our notions of success and happiness, and these ideals that our culture preaches I believe are not conducive towards our personal peace and harmony. But, if you don’t agree with the culture that you’re immersed in, you can always create your own culture; and to me, that’s where the real opportunities and keys to fulfillment lie in this world.
MATT–Yes, of course I would be happy to join you for a Heineken or two–or too many. Thanks for the insightful comment, and give Priss and Shane a big hug from me!
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:30 am
Where are you, Tim? NY? Talk to us.
March 7th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Wow . . . that was a lot . . . . a few editorial comments:
1. From the biochemistry corner: Milk and osteoporosis is true if one ignores the effect of vitamin D in the absorbtion of calcium. This is why vitamin D is added to commercial milk worldwide. One may argue that vitamin D is not really necessary because 15-20 minutes of exposure to the sun on the hands and face is enough for the human body to produce all the vitamin D needed, but it is still added as a preventive. Calcium found in milk is actually easier for the body to absorb because it is bonded to organic maolecules that are readily absorbed by the body. Elemental calcium is only only 60-7-% as useful as organically bonded calcium.
2. There is absolutely no doubt that “Better living through science” has engineered foods that are more desirable and higher in demand by appealing to evolutionary desires for fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates and salt. There is also no doubt that the human body was not designed to handle an abundance of these nutrients. Unforunately, due to supply and demand, bad food is often cheaper than healthy food (for example generic twinkies and doughnuts are cheaper than apples and oranges). Education and self-discipline don’t seem to be effective in mitigating this problem. I have often thought that perhaps we should put warning labels on junk food.
3. The point of lifespan and animal feeding habits is also interesting. Want to live longer? Eat less. Eating 10%-20% less calories than one needs tends to extend the lifespan of animals by as much as 30%. The science still isn’t well understood . . . but some theorize that slowing down the metabolism by eating less keeps the body from “wearing out” as fast. I know that’s a very qualitative explanation . . . the observations are repeatable, but the causes aren’t well known yet. Some theorize that this is why some monks that live in the Himalayas have consistently long lifespans.
3. I’m not sure that I agree that humans aren’t omnivourous. The useless appendix is an organ that is used in ruminants (horses, etc.) to help digest plants. Humans have evolved away from using the appendix for anything. Additionally, our teeth are designed for for vegetables and meats (we have canines and other cusped teeth). However, I would agree that generally people in developed countries eat way too much meat.
Thata’s all I can think of off the top of my head, but this is a can of worms that I could talk about for days. I agree that this is a problem of epidemic proportion. Last week’s issue of the Economist mentioned that the incidence rate of diabetes in the USA has doubled since 1980. The cause . . . poor eating habits and obesity.