A lot of people seem obsessed with trendy foodstuff. As Tower of Power once sang, “What is hip?” Well, nowadays, protein is all the rage, as it’s being added to everything from water to snack foods. Yes, just can’t get enough of H²O protein!
It wasn’t long ago that we were into a low-carb fad or the low-fat craze. Remember the Cabbage Soup Diet, Scarsdale Diet, Beverly Hills Diet and whatever-the latest-craze-is shake diets? How about the Atkins Nutritional Approach, Zone Diet, Blood Type Diet, South Beach Diet, Raw Food Diet, Master Cleanse, and Sugar Busters Diet? More recently? The Keto Diet, Paleo Diet, Gluten-Free, Juice Cleanses, Whole30, Carnivore Diet, and intermittent fasting; tofu, salmon, leafy greens- but then came some warnings.
Don’t feel bad or incapable if you’ve tried a diet yet seen little in the way of lasting results. In the 1920s, cigarette smoking was marketed as a weight loss program! And then we had “mother’s little helpers” (as the Rolling Stones sang in the mid-1960s) – amphetamines- for appetite suppression.
Now we have GLP-1 inhibitor injections and/or pills which also seem to provide additional side benefits. It’s enough to make you go on an eating binge just trying to keep up with what works, what’s healthy, and what’s merely trendy. Much like clothes… except that food choices matter more than what slacks are chic this week. Hint: stick with jeans; I know, certain jeans work better with certain genes.
Eat kale, spinach, lean chicken, walnuts, beans, broccoli, olive oil, and blueberries. Everything else is apparently superfluous. Sure, some plain Greek yogurt and with turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and/or garlic… and you’re set. I guess. I’m not here to judge. I’m here to snack; responsibly.
But what about our mental health food needs? A steaming malassada or pork hash can absolutely help the blues slip away. Arugula doesn’t do that. A double cheeseburger (occasionally) can provide sunshine on a rainy day. Kefir can’t compete, sorry. Please don’t get me wrong. Some diets and sensible eat-right concepts absolutely make a difference, if you can just hang on… for years… with exercise.
The Mediterranean Diet has gained gravitas in our weight-weary world, and perhaps a simplified, non-obsessive, practical diet will truly help. Heck, if fast food joints offered carrot and celery sticks instead of fries, I’d eat ‘em up; but they don’t. And the alluring food marketing battles continue.
Think about it…