Dan Yoder
Contributing Writer
Eating, breathing and sleeping are the pillars of any healthy human life. It puzzles me when people do not place more emphasis on these essentials. However, it’s easy to overlook the importance of the simple things when a term paper is glaring you in the face or significant other “X” has yet to return your telephone call. Furthermore, diet has received so much pop-culture attention, people don’t seem to know whether to embrace their refrigerator inventories or fear them. Food is one of the simplest God-given pleasures, and with a little common sense and education, one can become a professional eater.
Fears of food can be overcome through knowledge about what one is consuming. I know what an apple is, so I eat it. I have no idea what Dimethylpolysiloxane is, so I don’t eat it. While Dexter the lab rat is probably a smart guy, I don’t feel comfortable eating the contents of his latest test tube creation.
Extreme diets like Atkins and South Beach are scarier than a Kiss Christmas special. You can drive yourself crazy trying to understand these trends or what they are supposed to accomplish. Most of them are grounded in reality and quickly move into the realm of insanity. Dr. Atkins’ diet attempted to improve the over-consumption of carbohydrates, which was essentially a good idea regarding things like sugar and processed (bleached) wheat flour items. The unfortunate ramification of this was the deletion of all the good carbs a body needs, such as whole grains. Even worse was the idea that substituting a Polish sausage for a piece of bread was going to get you closer to your ideal body type. But if you like having your arteries look like the 405 freeway at 5 o’clock on a Friday afternoon, perhaps this is the plan for you.
Everyone has different goals with their diets. For some, physical appearance (whether properly pumped or properly starved) is the focus. For others, a healthy cardiovascular system is the aim. I try to shoot for overall health and keeping things simple. Organic foods (like those featured in last week’s Living section) epitomize the simplicity theme because they don’t have preservatives, pesticides, and other chemicals that are supposed to make food taste better or last longer. Even though organic foods are trendy, they really live up to the hype. I started eating them this summer and have had more energy and strength as a result. In Malibu, stores like PC Greens and Ralphs showcase wide varieties of organic foods.
Eating healthy foods can have positive social ramifications too. Central Alternative High School in Appleton, Wisc., used to look like a delinquent-filled, real-life “Dangerous Minds” remake — just without Michelle Pfeifer or Coolio. Then, in 1997, behavioral problems abated when the Feingold Association (a non-profit organization that supports healthy eating for families and educators) and the Natural Ovens Bakery installed a healthy lunch program at the high school. As a result, drop outs, violence, vandalism, and suicide rates at the school all fell to zero. Not to mention cases of ADHD almost entirely disappeared. This is obviously not a concrete connection, but it’s a pretty solid correlation.
It is encouraging to see some people moving in the right direction with their diets. The recent boom in the organic foods market is an encouraging sign. Even McDonald’s, one of the traditionally unhealthy establishments, is incorporating salads onto its menu. Eating healthy doesn’t make you invincible, but it’s like putting good oil in your car — it makes it run better and longer. You literally are what you eat. More information and answers to many organic food-related questions can be found in John Robbin’s excellent and enlightening book, “Food Revolution.”
09-16-2004