Book Messages

After reading all these books and watching some movies about food and health, I think it’s important to take it all with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that they are constantly changing their message, and they never agree on everything. Indeed, they often completely contradict one another, leaving the public to sift through all the disparate information.

The messages I am taking to heart involve a bit of common sense and a lot of cynicism regarding government standards and big industry. First off, minimize or eliminate the use of plastics for heating food and carrying beverages. Avoid non-stick cookware at all costs, which is something I’ve been embracing ever since the kids were born. We’re cast iron people over here, Teflon is nasty stuff. We’ll avoid white foods as much as possible, which means no potatoes, no white bread, and no sugar, which is the real killer. I think we can do without white bread because wheat and whole grain breads are a good substitute. Potatoes are a bit harder, especially as a vegetarian side dish. Sugar is the toughest, because we sure do love our sugar, and it’s in everything. We’ll do our best.

The other messages are, again, common sense. Move more, spend less time sitting around doing nothing, and don’t over-eat. Less stress, more fun, and plenty of quality time with friends and family. It’s not unlike our lives, anyway, so it’s not a complete stretch. Besides, in one of the books I read, Drop Dead Healthy, the author’s aunt is a hardcore vegan/health nut who avoids everything even marginally unhealthy, and she died young of cancer. I’m not saying in any way that her lifestyle contributed to her illness, but on the other hand, her healthy lifestyle choices didn’t protect her, either. Also, one of the caloric restriction guys died young of a heart attack, and I always come back to Julia Child, who lived on butter and smoked cigarettes, and lived past 90. Maybe it’s really about just enjoying life and not worrying too much about it.

We’ll see. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to henry… for the pic.