John B. Marek is a writer, farmer, outdoorsman and recovering economic developer. You can find his books at johnbmarek.com.
The window on the mountain is open an inch or two today, letting in the last of the brisk fall air before we are plunged into the deep freeze tonight. The prognosticators are calling for overnight lows in the teens with gusty winds. I can already hear the rustle of the last of the leaves holding fast to their branches in the trees up the hill. Folks unfamiliar with the North Carolina mountains often think of them as coniferous, but the trees on my little parcel are probably 70 percent deciduous, mostly oak and hickory. That makes for lots of falling leaves and the ghostly bones of a winter forest.
I was in the ‘Ville last week for my annual checkup. My doctor pronounced me “fit as a fiddle” but noted that I could stand to lose a few pounds and eat a little healthier. I guess it’s just standard advice physicians dispense when there’s not a whole lot else to say, but that eating healthy thing can go sideways in a hurry.
When most people begin eating healthier, they swap out a side salad for fries and apples for snack cakes; maybe they start eating kale and toss a few chia seeds on their morning yogurt. They lose a pound or two and call it mission accomplished.
But some people aren’t satisfied with that. They begin listening to healthy eating podcasts and reading blog posts by nutrition “experts,” many of whom (what are the odds?) tout products they sell. And that’s where the slippery slope starts to lube up.
Before long, they’re drinking avocado-turmeric smoothies, popping supplements and seeking out quinoa ice cream. They replace cow milk with soy or almond and exorcise that demon, gluten, from their pantry. Twenty years ago, I saw a bizarre movie called “Death to Smoochy,” in which the main character, a children’s show host dressed like a purple rhino, denounces the evils of gluten. At the time, I thought it was just a silly joke.*
From gluten-free, it’s a short leap to Paleo and Keto diets, the culinary time machines that have them digging for their caveman roots and avoiding carbs like they’re the plague. Trying to eat like a Paleolithic warrior is all fun and games until they find themselves in the produce section, arguing with a sweet potato about whether it’s too modern for their plate. And Keto, the diet that turns their bodies into a “full-fledged fat-burning machine,” is like the diet version of convincing your car to run on vegetable oil. Soon, they’re explaining to their friends that, no, they can’t join them for pizza night because their body is in a state of ketosis, and having a slice might trigger an existential crisis or diabetic coma.
Once you enter the realm of psycho-healthy eating, it’s just a hop, skip and jump to food conspiracy theories. Many of these theories revolve around processing methods, and let me be clear: Raw food was, is and always will be better for you than highly processed foods, but the idea that Pringles and Mtn Dew are intentionally designed to harm human health as a form of population control seems a bit extreme.
But the absolute pinnacle of the healthy eating conspiracy pyramid has nothing to do with food at all, but rather the utensils used to prepare and eat it. Plastic, silicone, Teflon and aluminum are all considered toxic by one fringe group or another. To be entirely fair, there are legitimate considerations related to certain chemicals, but it’s essential to differentiate between evidence-based concerns and speculative conspiracy theories.
There are claims that Teflon, a non-stick coating used on cookware, releases toxic fumes when heated, causing health problems such as cancer and other respiratory issues, and that using aluminum cookware contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. It’s essential to approach these concerns critically and rely on scientific research and credible health organizations for information, not “Jo-Jo’s Healthy Eating Blog.”
In the grand buffet of life, it’s no secret that most of us could use a few more greens on our plates and a little less sugar in our cups. A sprinkle of mindfulness when it comes to what we eat isn’t just a passing trend; it’s a recipe for a healthier, happier existence. However, like a well-balanced dish, moderation is the key. While diving headfirst into extreme diets might seem tempting, it’s important to remember that the joy of food is as much about savoring the flavors as it is about nurturing our bodies. So, let’s all aim for a touch more kale and a tad less processed indulgence without turning mealtime into a battlefield. After all, life is too short to deprive ourselves of the occasional guilty pleasure or that slice of cake at a celebration. It’s about finding a sustainable, satisfying rhythm that allows us to relish both the nutritious and the indulgent aspects of the culinary journey.
*I understand that there are legitimate medical conditions that require people to avoid lactose or gluten. This post targets people who give it up because it’s trendy or because they are misinformed.