My Low Density Thoughts

One of the things I'd like to say is how we have in our power to do even better than these long lived peoples in the previous post. The great benefit about caloric density is instead of looking to cut calories, or eat less food, one may look at eating the same or actually even more food, but food that has a lower caloric density. Here's an exaggerated example, but I believe celery has 20 calories per pound, oil has 4200. What would be more filling, eating (drinking) one pound of oil or eating 210 pounds of celery? This is the magic of eating foods low in caloric density.

Often I've been eating my low dense foods feeling sorry for myself while smelling the smoke coming from the exhaust of burger joints. I've been a meat eater my whole life and to make this transition has been arduous. But it has been worth it. I would say it's one of the most wonderful things I have ever done in my life. And I'm very thankful to people like Nathan Pritiken, Dr McDougall, Jeff Novick, Dr Esselstyn, Dr Campbell and Dr Furhman.

But with this knowledge and discipline to eat foods that are high in nutrition, in our rich country the possibilities become dizzying.

Imagine, as you see in a previous post, a chart how obesity is on this terrible march upward. Imagine if the trend turns around. And if it does turn around, it will turn around for good. For we'll have the knowledge and that cannot be taken away from us.

Now I can rest in the knowledge that I'm doing what is best for my health. Yesterday I was admonished by a friend that I'm getting too thin. Before I go farther, let me say that I am thin by today's American standards, but if one were to look at a BMI chart, I'm smack dab in the middle of what is considered normal weight. I'm 6 feet tall and I weigh 158 pounds. Again I say, to many that is too thin, but what is considered normal in US is deceptively skewed.

So as my friend is telling me how I'm not healthy, he himself is obese. And as we know, being obese one has a greater predilection to heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and myriad other health problems. But I do as I always do, I keep my mouth shut.

During Thanksgiving Dinner with all present, I'm told by doctor how he feels sorry for me that I'm not eating meat. It was meant in jest, but still it was said.

The obesity trend cannot keep going up. When something is wrong, the truth will eventually have to prevail. No matter how much disinformation is peddled, the truth will have to come out. Little by little people are realizing that a meat/dairy centered diet is deleterious to one's health. It takes courage to change, but eventually we'll get sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Things will change. I look forward to the day when I go to a Mexican restaurant and it will be normal to get a bean burrito with whole beans. Last night we went to a Vietnamese restaurant in Little Saigon and after my company ordered I asked if they had anything vegetarian. The waiter said "no". They brought me a broth with noodles and later a small dish with peas and carrots. A 6 to 8 page menu, and not one item on it that contained vegetables. Times will change.