Are we all Aborigines? « Simple Living Book Club

Simple Living Book Club » In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan » Part II, 1&2: The Aborigine in All of Us; The Elephant in the Room

Are we all Aborigines?

(11 posts)

Tsh
Lead Reader
Thinking Reader

I'll just ask his question here:

"To what extent are we all Aborigines? When you consider that two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, that fully a quarter of us have metabolic syndrome, that fifty-four million have prediabetes, and that the incidence of type 2 diabetes has risen 5 percent annually since 1990, going from 4 percent to 7.7 percent of the adult population (that's more than twenty million Americans), the question is not nearly as silly as it sounds." -pg. 89

So... To what extent are we all Aborigines?

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Posted 3 months ago #
cscott
Member
Thinking Reader

I was amazed to read about the health improvements in the Aborigines after just seven weeks in their traditional homelands. I am beginning to believe that rethinking my western diet could be the single best thing I can do for my family's health. I could quit worrying about all of the little things (nutrient labels, health claims, the latest studies, etc.) and as the researcher did in the Aborigine study, just focus on our larger dietary pattern.

Posted 3 months ago #

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FruggieHippie
Member
Thinking Reader

I used to always check labels religiously before as well. I still do, just to see what type of non-food add-on are included or what not, although we buy little process food so I don't have to do too often. But I strongly believe in just "overall eating". What you eat in the long run, as opposed to daily or even meal by meal. I think that's much more reliable than focusing on each individual parts of a meal - not to mention much less stressful. :)

I found it interesting to read about the Aboriginal study. In a way, it kind of proved the point, that you don't need to focus on every single elements, but rather on the whole picture - eating patterns, as Pollan called them. I think we cold all learn from it.

Posted 3 months ago #
loreejo
Member
Reader

Thanks for pointing that out FruggieHippie....eating patterns. I'm really trying to break the habits I have of analyzing nutrients of each food/meal and trust my instincts more. Thanks to studying nutrition in college and then years as a Weight Watchers member (and leader), I still tend to "count" things in my head subconsciously. ugh My eating patterns, overall, are pretty good and I should just rest in that. We are just like the Aborigines aren't we? It's so encouraging to read of their health improvements in just seven weeks! Yay!

Posted 3 months ago #
Cheri
Member
Reader

I have never been one to pay too much attention to which nutrients I am getting from foods. I always felt a little guilty that I didn't know every up to date thing about which foods we should be eating now. My goal was to always try to have a varied array of food and try to cook as fresh as possible. I can't believe that the food industry made me feel guilty about that, now that we learn that, that's how we should have been cooking all along. Granted, I haven't always made the best choices about what we eat but I'm so glad that this book is able to free us from those nutritional chains and make cooking/eating fun again.

I think a lot more people would enjoy making food if it didn't feel like such a scientific experiment trying to make sure your getting the most nutritional punch. That's just plain stressful. I think we are like the Aborigines because (I think) we would all enjoy cooking more if we just brought it back to the basics of real food and stopped worrying so much if we're doing it right.

Posted 3 months ago #
FruggieHippie
Member
Thinking Reader

@Cheri, last paragraph - very well said!

Posted 3 months ago #
Tsh
Lead Reader
Thinking Reader

"I can't believe that the food industry made me feel guilty about that, now that we learn that, that's how we should have been cooking all along."

@Cheri - I agree completely. Since I've started reading this, I'm astounded how this eating-nutrients-and-not-food way of thinking is everywhere. It's on the news, it's in our magazines, it's in our conversations. We assign guilt and innocence to food, and we are trained to feel guilty when we eat the wrong foods. I listed to my parents talk about food, and it really is amazing.

I used to feel like I was a responsible adult if I ate in this nutritional way, and that by not caring, I wasn't caring for my health. It's almost the opposite now, in fact. I would go crazy living the rest of my life assigning good and evil to real, whole, normal foods that we're eating anyway. It's an exhausting way to live.

Posted 3 months ago #
loreejo
Member
Reader

It's so interesting the "guilt" associated with "bad" foods. I find myself saying, "IT'S JUST FOOOOOOD!" But, I think feeling guilty for consuming it is feeding into the idea we have a perfect diet. This is "good" (perfection), this is "bad" (guilt). And the recognition of this altered way of thinking, perpetuated by ourselves and the media, is very enlightening. Like Tsh said, "it's an exhausting way to live", and I, for one, am TIRED of it. Reading this as part of the book club is helping me parlay the ideas directly into my life and habits. Thanks all!

Posted 3 months ago #
tab190
Member
Reader

I don't read the labels for all the nutritional info. I read to make sure that there is no high fructose corn syrup, et al., in it. I have been trying to keep nutrients in my daughter, though. I have a big list of different foods and their nutrients (ala, the Super Baby Food book). I look at it as a reference, but if she doesn't get all of her vitamin A veggies for the day does it really matter?

Posted 3 months ago #

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LisaByrne
Member
Reader

I completely agree with the sentiments in this post. Food has gotten so mental for us in Western society and I don't think it ever was meant to occupy so much of our mental energy.

The only time we need to concern ourselves with eating something is when it is processed. I was just talking to my mother the other day (she does weight watchers) and I offered her some avocado to taste (it was divine:: seasoned with garlic powder and sea salt...mmmm).
She said no thanks because she couldn't quickly figure out how many points that was - and it struck me as insane to think that way (I tried very hard not to communicate that thought judgingly to her :) :) ) But so many folks have that tight, odd relationship with foods because that is how we are taught to relate to foods.

We have lost all wisdom as a culture to pass on a right relationship with what we eat.

Posted 3 months ago #
FruggieHippie
Member
Thinking Reader

:( I find that sad too - it's so easy to view it that way, but how enjoyable is it then?
Yes, avocado is highly caloric. That's because it's full of fat - but very GOOD fat (without going back to the whole fat debate at the beginning of the book hahah). You might not want to eat it everyday, but then again, if we follow Pollan, how bad might that be, if the rest of your diet is also healthy and very leafy..?

Posted 3 months ago #