Food

When I grew up in the 70's it was normal to be of a normal weight. Today, many in US will not know what it's like for the majority to be of a normal BMI. Today, in regards to BMI, it's normal to be abnormal. It's the normal that stick out.

From the later 80's to early 90's there became a massive change in America. Weight gain happened on an unprecedented scale never seen before in human history. The person who first realized this, at first didn't believe her numbers. But looking every which way, she realized she was right. Her name is Katherine Flegal and she was a research scientist for the CDC.

Have you ever seen the BMI charts where the nation's BMI per state is calculated? It's quite dramatic and where the state with the lowest obesity today would have been the state with the highest obesity back in the 90's. The change in the last 20-30 years is unprecedented in the evolution of mankind.

Dr Kessler, former head of the FDA, wrote a book called "The End of Overeating". He talks "off the record" with a food industry leader. The exec tells how food is created to make what is called "Bliss point". Where salt, sugar and fat are mixed together so that food becomes hyperpalatable.

Food becomes hyperpalatable through two ways, loading and layering. An example of loading is tortillas fried in oil. An example of layering are potato skins (first fried (that's loading)) and then adding the bacon, cheese and sour cream.

So foods like spinach dip might sound healthy, but far from it. The spinach is merely coloring to all the added fat. Salads sound so nutritious, but when the fried chicken, cheese and ranch dressing is added (layered), it hardly can qualify as an healthy food.

When eating at restaurants, one is going to battle with one's health against the greatest minds in food science. Drugs, cigarettes we can do without. Food we need. But the food we've learned to eat reaches our bliss point and is so hyperpalatable that we constantly overeat.

I have a friend that everytime she eats she makes a comment about the food. It's sad because while she does the battle constantly in her mind, she realizes she will never win. One can't eat the way America eats and have any chance of being an ideal weight.

The foods we're meant to eat are whole and from the earth. They don't taste nearly as good as the food we're accustomed to. To eat these foods is difficult. But to wean oneself from these hyper foods is the only way to find long term health and happiness.

The Buffer Zone

In life there are three zones. The top zone is the "life is good" (LIG) zone, the middle is called the "buffer" zone and the bottom is called "YOURFUCKED" zone. (YOURFUCKED is an acronym for: you only understand real freedom until clearly kill every dream.)

The LIG zone is the ideal zone. Life is good. No house, car payments and 10⁶ in savings. Whenever something happens, and there are always unexpected happenings, it becomes no problem. Dip into the buffer zone, recover, and back to the LIG zone.

The buffer zone is also a good place to be. One can deal with life's vicissitudes and with patience find themself in the LIG zone. Bumps in ther road are just that, bumps in the road. The buffer zone allows one a certain amount of freedom and peace.

The YOURFUCKED zone is the lease desired zone. Take away the other two zones and this zone is what remains. When one is in the YOURFUCKED zone, forget about the LIG zone. Strive for the buffer zone. I used to say that 10³ ($1,000) would be a good place to start for a buffer zone, but lately I realize even that is too optimistic. For many 10²  would be a great goal to strive for.

Sure, it's easy to have $100. But to have a $100 always at the ready is something quite different. The $100 should be touched only in the most dire of straights. If any of the last $100 gets used, it gets repleneshed ASAP. Even go without food for a few days if necessary. Dumpster diving is the order of the day until that $100 is refunded.

Imagine what 10³ would do for many if learned how to deal with 10². The power and freedom would be incredible. I dare say it would be much more important than growing from 10⁶ to 10⁷. How powerful is that?

So if in the YOURFUCKED zone, work hard to find the buffer zone. And grow that buffer zone. Remember, from simply going from the bottom zone to the middle zone is much more drastic than Warren Buffett making $10B in one day.

What Everyone and Everything Seeks

I believe it's true what Ayn Rand teaches (or at least what I think she teaches). And that is that man seeks above all else his own self interest.

I was driving around Long Beach, CA the other day and I realized that everyone, and I mean everyone, pursues happiness as their ultimate goal. Whatever is done, it's done for the sole purpose of individual happiness. Every single thing. From the tiniest breath, to even enduring extreme pain, it's ultimately for our own happiness.

I'll take it even further and say altruism is ultimately selfish. I'll let the reader think about this.

Even alcohol, cigarettes and drug abuse. It's all about happiness.

It's the mature person though that can look long term and deny short term pleasure. By denying short term pleasure, even enduring short term pain, in the long run will reap daily dividends.

In fact, if someone was to learn what makes them happy, what truly makes them happy, could save enough and never have to work again the rest of their life by the age of 30. Once "enough" can be well defined, "enough" is not nearly as much as we currently think it is.

What can be more important than the breath we just breathed or the beautiful sunshine?

There's so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my material things, but I'm thankful for so much beyond that. Gratitude should be a natural outcropping of this great life we have the pleasure to live.