THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF... AND KILLED A GENERATION OF PEOPLE

First off, I am down to less than a month until my first ever 5K on my Rebirthday!!!  Can I get a YEEHAW!!  I am completing 5K on a fairly regular basis and walk a couple of miles on the days I don't do the 3.1.  The only reason I'm not at least walking 3.1 miles every day is because my area has been under an "extreme heat advisory" lately.  Since the Glow Run is held after dark, I try to do my walk/jog at dusk but lately I have been  having to wait until around 10 at night or else it is still in the 90s!  Come race day, if it is in the 90s after dark, I'll be able to do it, I just probably won't be able to run as much as I'd like.  But even if I walk the whole thing and it takes me an hour, I will finish it.  And I call this my "first" 5K because I have no doubt whatever that there will be more to come.  I have my eye on a couple in September and October.

Now on to what is on my mind today.  I just had to make a quick run to the nearest store for a couple of spices I was out of.  I needed them for the soup I just put into the crock pot (navy beans, purple potatos, tomatos and squash).  As I was checking out, I noticed the Woman's World Magazine.  It's a weekly that I used to read all the time.  I bought one for the first time in a long time last week because I suspected the diet touted no the cover might have something to do with juicing or smoothies.  It said "CURE FOOD ADDICTION; END JUNK-FOOD CRAVINGS!  LOSE 24lbs YOUR FIRST WEEK!"  If you aren't familiar with this magazine, it has screaming headlines like that for a different diet every week.  Dr. Oz is featured on a fairly regular basis.  Here's a few recent covers to give you an idea:

 

 
 

You get the idea.  Just about every diet plan out there has been featured at least once in this magazine.  They don't try to "take sides" or decide which is best but today, it just struck me, no wonder people are so skeptical when they hear people like me talking about what I've done!!  We are  bombarded every day with a different "miracle cure" for diabetes and obesity and thyroid problems and blood pressure!  And they are all contradictory!  "Fat is the bad guy; avoid fat!"  NO!  Fat is a healthy part of your diet; avoid sugar!"  NO NO NO! "Moderation is the key!"  And after all the extreme sounding, contradictory, complicated varieties thrown at us, boy does moderation just start to sound like common sense!?  But then we try moderation.  We try to just use portion control and take baby steps and just reduce our calories and increase our exercise and we fail and fail again.  Some of us fail BIG!

So some of us (I'm talking about me here) give up.  We begin to really believe that we are just meant to be fat and miserable all our lives.  When we see it happening to our kids too, it's harder for us to accept that maybe they are meant to be fat and miserable but what else are we to do?  We are hardened into skepticism or downright cynicism because of all the loud claims thrown at us every day.  We are beaten down into hopelessness by all the headlines about how little chance we have statistically of really getting the weight off and keeping it off.  Why bother?

The headline today said something about curing diabetes by drinking red wine on the new "Mediterranean Atkins" diet.  I cringed because I have a pretty good idea of what any version of Atkins is going to do to a diabetic over time and it isn't pretty.  But the thing about Atkins was that he got you some pretty impressive initial results and it just felt like he was thinking outside the box.  Actually, IMHO the first ones in a long while to think outside the box and start really looking at how human beings were meant to thrive were the Paleo people.  I admire them for that and I honestly think they are on the right track.  Haven't reached the station yet but on the right tracke;o)  I've written before about that so I won't go there again but I really do think they at least are headed in the right direction getting off of the processed, packaged food train and looking at lifestyle instead of just a temporary diet change to reach a specific goal.

It really is a big problem in this culture that we are so hardened to claims that dietary changes can have miraculous results.  The "diet industry" has created a boy who cried wolf.  We don't believe in any dietary changes because so many false claims have been thrown around.  And that's a shame.  Because dietary change really is the miracle we've all been looking for.  I really hate to think that others will have to get as desperate and near to losing their battle altogether as I did before they take that one last shot at a miracle cure.  And it just breaks my heart to think of all the people who will never grab hold of this life line and take their life back.

As for me, I am thankful every single day for the every day joys of living a normal life, free of pain and disease.  I will continue to share my story whenever I get the chance because word of mouth, one person at a time is really our only hope for the time being.  Eventually enough people will know someone personally who has experienced this kind of healing that enough doctors will get enough pressure to explain this etc etc.  And eventually, the well-being of the population will become more of a priority than keeping Big Pharma... big.

Juice on ya'll.  We got this.  One person at a time if necessary.

TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES

Lately, I have witnessed some bickering amongst people that I very much respect and admire who disagree about diet.  All of them believe in the power of juicing and plant-based food but some of them also still believe that meat and/or dairy are a healthy part of their diet.  It kind of seems that those who continue to eat meat and dairy end up feeling a bit on the defensive about it because so many juicers end up going vegetarian, vegan or even raw vegan.  Heck I get a bit defensive and snappish myself if I'm around too many vegan purists (ethical vegans) or paleo fanatics who try to tell everyone that their way is the only "right" way.  Anyone would.  Basically none of us has the right or responsibility to tell everyone else what path to choose.  We DO have a right to share what we *believe* to be the healthiest choice.  And, in fact, I believe that we have a responsibility to spread the word about the healing nature of plants because so few people in our world know or understand how tremendous this power is or how much it can change their lives.  I try very hard not to get caught up in defining the details of anyone's path but my own unless specifically asked because the important thing right now, in what is basically the early days of a very important movement, is to get people moving in the right direction and to be a fantastic living example of the power of WFPB eating.  However, and this is a BIG however, I also don't believe that pulling punches or telling people that it will all be okay in the end if they just make a few little changes (baby steps - if I never hear the term baby steps again it will be too soon) because it's a lie.  And people will make those little changes expecting big results and be disappointed and start believing and spreading it around to everyone who will listen that the whole WFPB lifestyle is a lie.  And this will happen very frequently because too often when people try to make small changes, they neglect to consider a few key things about human nature as well as the nature of food.  So here is me giving my opinion on this important issue for anyone that cares to know.  This is a blog.  My blog.  So I can say EXACTLY what I think about the subject without pulling any punches.  It doesn't mean I would be this tactless or blunt with everyone who is genuinely trying to implement positive change in their life.  That will be my only disclaimer for this article.  Read on only if you want my undiluted opinion.

I've been reading "The Pleasure Trap" by Douglas Lisle so what is rolling around in my noggin is colored by that, just so ya know;)  I'm very early on in the book but all the talk in the early chapters about the fundamental motivations of living things got me thinking about Paleo.  Now I have a daughter who believes in Paleo and a lot of friends who do as well so I'm not trying to paint them all as ignoramuses or anything, believe me.  But it just strikes me as a very trendy, "cool kids club" kind of notion.  We'll eat like our ancient ancestors ate.  Now I think looking at how our ancestors ate can definitely have great value and it's fascinating that they can examine the stomach contents of a kagillion year old corpse and tell us what his last meal was.  I think drawing conclusions about the healthiest diet for modern man from that is ludicrous.  Dr. Lisle talks a lot about the primary motivations of pretty much all animals being to "seek pleasure, avoid pain and conserve energy" so as to survive to propagate the species.  If you take a feral human who has not had any "socialization" whatsoever, what will his behavior reflect?  He is going to find food, comfort and safety and, if at all possible, sex.  So our topic today is the food no matter how interesting the others might be;)  With no artificial or refined sugars, salts oils etc to screw with his taste buds, what food is going to be his first choice?  I promise you, sharpening a stick and trying to kill a bear will not be top of his list.  Come on!  He is going for what is easiest to acquire and what tastes nicest, ie, sweet or savory.  Fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, etc.  And let's also consider that what the "paleo" diet consisted of would have been wildly different in every region of the world.  They would have eaten what was most plentiful, tasty and easy to acquire in their particular habitat.  Unfortunately, that pretty well describes what modern man does too.  And what, to our completely raped and tortured taste buds, tastes most savory and is easiest to acquire (so that we may conserve energy to seek pleasure?)  McDonalds.  We also use our limitless human ingenuity to make foods literally addictive in order to make a buck.   So now the unhealthy, easy target foods are also something akin to crack.  Yay.

Let me just say that I knew quite a few "Paleo" advocates who really seem to me to be following a whole, clean food diet with lots and lots of fresh freggies but they just eat meat and dairy as well but they make sure their source for their meat and dairy is more natural and "clean."  No factory farmed, processed, fast-food etc.  Kind of like Joel Salatin promotes.  Love that guy even if we aren't 100% on the same page.  His book, "Folks, This Just Ain't Normal" is very thought provoking and entertaining.  I got the audio book narrated by Joel himself and it is really a fun listen in addition to making you think.  Good combination.  My only advice to people on this version of paleo would be to at least try to keep the percentage of animal protein in your diet down to 20% or less as T. Colin Campbell revealed in his China Study that this was the threshold for promoting cancer growth.

Now, as for me and my own particular diet.... where does the rubber meet the road for Natshell?  Yes, I occasionally eat animal protein.  Usually it is fish or sea food.  That's my particular weakness.  I also occasionally add a BIT of feta cheese to a salad because my family loves it.  And once in a while, that is a good enough reason.  I also occasionally have a greek yogurt if I can't find any soy yogurt.  The sum total of these indulgences is maybe 5 or 6 times per MONTH.  And here is a key for me; these are *indulgences*.  I do not try to kid myself that they are a necessity or even a part of the solution for me health and weight-wise.  Some peope indulge in a bit of dark chocolate or (hello Joe Cross) ice cream or even a burger (ewwww) but me, I indulge in sushi or a boiled egg (from a local farmer only - NO factory farm crap for me.) I recognize it as a treat.  I enjoy it and then move on to my wfpb diet that IS the solution.  But these are very much occasional treats.  I've said it before and I'll say it again; if you are having something every week or multiple times per week, it isn't a treat it's a regular part of your diet.

Lately, when this subject comes up amongst those of us who are into juice fasting, I am likely to hear someone (or a few someones) say, "Well, I still eat burgers sometimes because Joe Cross said it's okay." I knew the first time I heard Joe say this that it would become a big, ugly snowball rolling downhill.  People LOVE to hear good news about their bad habits.  Joe says it's okay to eat a burger so nobody get between me and the nearest drive-thru!  Petal to the metal baby!  I LOVE Joe Cross with a deep purple passion.  He. Saved. My. Life.  I respect him for his foresight, wisdom, strength and pragmatism.  Do I think it's terrible that he has a burger or chocolate ice cream once in a while?  Heck no!  Do I wish he had kept it to himself?  OH YES!  Did your mama ever accuse you when you were a child of "If I give you an inch, you'll take a mile?"  I suspect Joe's burgers are fairly rare occurrences.  I also suspect (no solid proof but I'm pretty sure) that he also is human and puts his pants on one leg at a time just like you and me.  If he has them more than a couple times a month, he is not doing himself any favors long term. That's my honest opinion. I doubt they happen more often than that truthfully.  And I suspect that the quality of the meat on his burger isnt even from the same universe as the @#^% that McDonalds calls beef.  But Joe says burgers are "the good stuff" and suddenly ten thousand people put McDonald's right back on the menu.  And they may start with, "Well, we'll have it once a week."  And it just sort of schmerges right into 2 or 3 times a week and before you know it they are saying, "Hey, why isn't this working?!"

So, bottom line for me (and any time I talk about subjects like this you will see/hear me say that a lot because that is all I have a right to - *for me*) meat/dairy is not going to promote my health or help me get to a healthy weight.  Getting it OUT of my diet was the first thing in my life that got that ball truly rolling.  If I have it, I recognize it as a treat and move on.  If others ask me about my beliefs I tell them to get the meat and dairy out of their life if they want to see the big, dramatic changes I've experienced and if they want optimum health.

I really think that a lot of people who have experienced the incredible healing properties of juice fasting and wfpb diet really say the PC thing about meat/dairy out of a misguided attempt to attract more people to the lifestyle.  In some instances, I am sure it is more likely to attract people if you don't try to tell them to give up the things they love all at once.  I do understand that.  But there are millions of sources out there telling people that they can have it all.  That they can lose weight and be healthy without giving up any type of food.  It's the party line these days.  "Portion control, exercise your brains out and take a diet pill or supplement."  Have cheesecake and cheese burgers!  Just have chemically altered versions or wee little small servings and you too can starve your cells.  I just don't care to try to promote BS anymore.  I believe there are a LOT of people out there who can and would make huge, fundamental changes if they really understood the difference it would make for them.  The end of fear of so many diseases that most of us have come to think of as inevitable.  Weight coming off naturally and effortlessly and (SHOCK OF ALL SHOCKS) enjoying the foods that were put on this earth to sustain and heal us in their natural state.  Finding out how exquisitely fine tuned our taste buds are when they aren't assaulted hourly with chemical additives.  Finding out just how sweet and enjoyable a carrot is when you haven't deadened your tongue with high-fructose corn syrup every day.  Getting off the 15-medical-specialists-and-a-surgeon merry-go-round and forgetting how to find the local pharmacy.  A year ago I would have never believed I would have made the changes that I have.  But I did because Joe Cross and Phil Staples as well as Dr. Esselstyn and T. Colin Campbell made it clear to me just how much better my life could be if I did.  When we act as if our friends and family "could NEVER" make these changes, we are underestimating and insulting their intelligence.  Those who won't make those changes need to come to that decision with ALL the information, all the truth, not more palatable half-truths.

JUICE ON YA'LL!  WE GOT THIS!!!!