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Nutrition as Religion
Nutrition | April 30, 2015
Every now and then I’ll post a recipe or a dietary suggestion only to be criticized as ignorant or foolish by someone for promoting a specific type of food or dietary approach. I understand that some of these people may have good intentions, but their criticisms aren’t always very rational.
Diets can really be the equivalent of religious beliefs sometimes. People often advocate and defend their diets with as much screaming and shouting as a religious fanatic. And, of course, everyone thinks they are right. If you happen to dare suggest something that may not be allowed in their current diet or goes against their dietary perspective they sometimes get a bit crazy and break out their pitchforks. Honestly, I’m amazed at how harsh and personal people can get!
There are so many different diets out there, that it can be dizzying. Add to that the various claims and studies that supposedly back up any given diet and it can be enough to literally drive someone crazy. For example, when people argue that such and such diet is ‘most natural’ or what ‘cavemen and women ate’ I have to laugh a little. If we’re really going for genetic ancestry to support our dietary claims why stop at Neanderthal? How about the Chimpanzee Diet or, better yet, The Bigfoot Diet? 🙂
While I think it’s important to always link up studies and research as much as possible, I also try to be cautious about making outrageous claims. I try to share things that have worked for me personally and what I’ve learned through the many years of nutrition education and practice. Ultimately, it comes down to what works for you and what makes you feel the best from the inside out. If a specific diet works for you and you’re seeing results, stick to it! Some people feel better after avoiding gluten, some people avoid coffee because they don’t like the jittery feeling, and of course there are a lot of different food allergies that affect people’s diet too. If you feel like experimenting with your nutrition by trying something different with a recipe or plan then I recommend you go for it and see how it makes you feel. Of course all of your personal nutrition practices should match up with your physical activity level. You can’t just eat like a caveman and expect to get results if you’re not hunting and gathering like the cavemen did.
What just about all of us can agree on is that moderation is essential for any diet to be successful and having a variety of different foods is most beneficial. We can also agree that the less processed the food the better and that refined sugars are usually more harm than good. We may not always agree on the particulars of what exactly to eat, when to eat, or how much calories to eat but we can agree on some basic principles that are applicable whether or not we are following a vegan diet, paleo diet, Atkins diet, raw diet, etc.
What are your thoughts on criticizing other people for their dietary choices? Can’t we all just get along! 🙂
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curitiba, parana, brazil
Yes, we can get along without any criticism. There is no need to criticize others for anything. The world is made of differences. And that is the beauty. We love you and don´t mind for few people that do not know how to handle with others success! 🙂
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People do get a bit on the crazed side about their diet. I personally don’t like the word ‘diet’. In my opinion, if you are changing your eating habits it’s going to be a life change. Just eat well. I’ve seen the criticism to others and even to myself.
“Oh you don’t want to eat a doughnut??? Why not, they are so good.” or if you order a salad for lunch and you get “don’t you want more food? Don’t you ever eat?”
Leave me alone, I’m paying attention to what I put into my body. I eat a lot of food. I’m healthy. Why do you care? Honestly, if someone is criticizing you, that is their baggage. Move on, life is too short to judge others on anything.
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Yep, well said. I recently went 9 months (was shooting for a year but basically had it poured down my throat at my bachelor party) without alcohol or sugar. My choice, trying to be healthy. EVERY time I went out people would freak out and try to pressure me into drinking. It’s like people want company in their misery, so to speak.
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That happens a lot, weird isn’t it? I went out to dinner and another female guest was surprised I’d chosen a cheese course over dessert. I mentioned I was trying to limit my sugar intake (not ban it entirely), and she started picking apart the fact that I’d had alcohol that night which has sugar in, and how if I eat things like honey (I said I did), it meant I wasn’t cutting it out. You can’t win! I also find every time I refuse alcohol, people expect to be told why.
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I’ve ended friendships because people wanted to slam my fitness and diet routine. My fiance and I worked hard for 3 years to figure out what works best for me. I had one person attempt to debate him against what he taught and encouraged me to be successful with- and she personally slammed him when he disproved her points. I ended the friendship with her immediately. She not only got in the way of my relationship but also attempted to bully me and my success. She’s still miserable in her routine now while I flourish. Respect the differences. Provide knowledge- but don’t take offence if it doesn’t interest them. Most of all- don’t take crap from anyone.
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I would be careful with religious beliefs… 😀 The problem with following a diet based on what our ancestors eat is the picture is far from compete. There very probably will be evidence that grains were eaten in the past!
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You are correct Chris, plants and grains were eaten a lot by our distant ancestors… the reason many believed ancient man lived mostly on animals flesh is the bone remains…. plants do not have bone remains so there was not much evidence. So what they did is the examined the tartar on and around their teeth, and in examining the tartar they found mostly plant matter, very very little animal remains. So the new school of thought is the main staple was a plant based diet with animal supplementation from time to time when plants might have been scarce.
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I agree Zuzka and i appreciate that you share your recipes, i picked what i like and include it in my rotation. I enjoy eating healthy and breaking a sweat, but i also like a beer or wine and sometimes my poutine! I dont need a six pack to be happy, i feel balanced and to me that is most important 🙂
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I enjoy breads, pizza and muffins. As long as I keep my calories on track, I have the freedom of choice. Many in poorer communities have no option but eat what they can source and nutritional facts mean nothing if they can just go to bed at night not hungry. I think we are foolish to think our systems were not created to cope with extremes.
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My only problem is with fads that people know very little about. Not diet fads, but stuff like ‘GMOs are awful’ when very few even know what they are or the fact most people seem to have a ‘gluten allergy’ even though less than one percent of people have celiac disease. Why claim you can’t eat gluten when you can? Why claim you’re ‘eating healthy’ by having a huge burrito and a soda at Chipotle just because it’s non-GMO? That’s the type of stuff that drives me nuts, speaking like a person of great wisdom when one has no real idea what they’re talking about. This little blog post shows more of what I’m talking about: https://ari.aynrand.org/blog/2015/04/28/excuse-me-waiter-there-is-dna-in-my-soup
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Zuzka is quite right regarding the religiosity of the health game. This is primarily a Sport! Ancillary to it is nutrition, and there are a countless ways to go about maintaining your nutrition status. When the religious health police come out, they talk as if somehow their moral high ground is better than everyone elses. I like to remind such people that people in Africa do not have access to their religious mainstream media sources and have no option but to have their system cope with ‘statistical outliers’ because they too damn religious to realise their bodies can cope very well in seemingly adverse conditions.
I like to remind such folks that natural spring water contains cyanide and that is just good for your body, because toxicity is strictly in the dosage. It does not matter how many times you repeat that, their religious cult overides logic, rationale and subsequent common sense.
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la valette-du-var, france
I never let any comments on diet-related articles because I NEVER agree or disagree … so I never really know what to say haha ^^ ! But I do agree on this one :), and I think it should be a guide line for a lot of topics in life ! It goes nowhere to be harsh and critical on anything, especially about diets, and even if science is behind you ! Hearth were supposed to be square at a time and it was a scientific fact … I never pretend to be 100 % right EVER, on any subject : “all I know is that I know nothing”.
For instance, I’ve tried Zuzka’s diet and it didn’t work for me … but I’m not gonna say it’s bullshit ! We are so different from each other. I didn’t followed it thinking “IT’S THE HOLLY GRAIL”, I just tried it thinking “let’s see if it works for me” and I put dedication in it. Founding that it didn’t work was disturbing, obviously, because we’re all expecting a new experience to be the best, but I’ve kept educated myself on nutrition and I’m trying a new lifestyle that is ADAPTED to me and my metabolism ! It’s so personal : it’s depending on SO MUCH THINGS. Plus, it also depends on your beliefs and your state of mind … but I think it has to be an exciting and positive journey 😀 I’m all about trying new things and see how it works, no prejudice, no irrational expectations, just living the moment and enjoying the experience 🙂
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Thats the spirit! Zuzka is a great motivator and that is exactly what I need. How I get there does not matter. I am motivated enough now to know I will get there. If only people would see more than they see.
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My colleagues give me a hard time…
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Dont give up. You are of important here, not your colleagues.
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Yes we can, mam 😉 Agreed; let’s make peace and be wise:D