Hi everyone,
I'm still working my way through this thread, trying to learn all I can about the diet, how to avoid any possible grave errors. I know I'm going to have a few questions when I get to the end but right now I would like to say a little something about Atreides and The List, because that's about where I am at the moment. I know people have posted a lot about it, and maybe everything has been said, but I just wanted to add my thoughts, too.
Firstly, I want to thank you, Atreides, for writing that essay, and for expressing your thoughts so darned well. You addressed some very personal and sensitive issues, and had me laughing out loud in the process. Furthermore, you took an issue that I had begun grappling with when I started looking at the diet changes, and lay it out very clearly. I was approaching it from a different angle, but arriving at some similar conclusions. Your thoughts were more than a little helpful.
I had been finding it difficult to make all the necessary changes due to budget constraints, and had decided that it would probably be doable if I simply had one single daily menu that met all the necessary nutritional requirements. I realised that I could live with such an arrangement. I still haven't arrived at a single daily menu, but I have been eating nothing but bacon and eggs every morning for almost a year. And I'm not bored of them! Reading your thoughts on the other aspects of why this is a smart way to go has inspired me to go further with that. My list continues to shrink, and I thank you for your help with that.
Another thought that struck me was the huge irony involved with all of this. Although I wouldn't wish a life-threatening experience such as yours on anyone, I couldn't help thinking that, not only did "they" not succeed in their attempt at bumping someone off with this nasty bug, but this violent attack against the group eventually led to some more important discoveries concerning a healthier diet. Which represents more knowledge and thus more protection. And it sounds as though you, personally, have grown exponentially from the experience, hellish though it was. "Their" plan seems to have backfired on "them".
IN YOUR FACE, "THEY"!!
My final thought is concerning the subject of not eating for the purpose of pleasure. I was talking to a friend about the idea of eating pretty much the same thing every day. Not in trying to sell the idea to them, just how I felt that I would be fine doing it. I was talking about what the bare necessities are for human survival - eating, sleeping and protection from the elements - and that eating every day is what is important, not eating something different every day. I don't have to sleep in a different bed every day, do I? Their response was that eating a wide variety of foods is one of the great joys in life. And I said, well maybe, but it's not a necessity.
But later I thought more about the statement - it's one of the great joys in life. Is it? Really? I think not. I don't think people experience anything even remotely close to "great joy", or even pleasure, by eating a different menu every day.
If someone were to ask me what brings me, or has brought me, great joy, or pleasure in my life, my mind would most likely start searching through my most cherished memories - my wedding day, both days that my children were born - moments like those. Somehow, I can't see my mind turning to last night's meat loaf or Monday's bowl of Fruit Loops.
I mean, how often does a person find themselves at work thinking about how great a supper they had the previous evening, anyway? Generally, they don't. Why not? Because it's already forgotten! Sure, it may have tasted really great while they were eating it, but within a very short time the experience is forgotten, and that's only because they aren't hungry anymore. That's how important it really is to them, and that's how much they take food for granted. All that was really important was satisfying the hunger. They would feel no different at that moment if they had eaten the same meal every night of the week, because they still wouldn't even be thinking about it.
There are certain meals that one might think of, like last years Christmas dinner. But that's not just because of the meal, that's also because of the occasion, the possibly rare gathering of the whole family, and everything else involved. That is a special meal because of all that went into it, all that was happening around it, and the fact that it doesn't happen every day.
But the meals we eat on a day to day basis are simply another part of our routine. And when we are forced to eat last night's leftovers because we don't have enough time to fix something different between work and getting the kids to their music lessons and soccer practices, nobody cares what they eat, they're just glad they had something to provide the energy they need to get through it all. Suddenly, variety no longer holds any importance for them because they're thinking about something else. The variety is forgotten like last night's meatloaf.
I think the only time anyone decides it's important to have such a diverse menu is the moment someone presents them with the idea that they might have to give it up - AAAAAAH! Most people would be happy with the same meal every day if the only alternative was to starve to death.
I admit I found the question interesting because I drink quite a bit of organic black tea myself, and my Dad drinks a lot of green tea due to the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It always makes me feel quite energetic and does a good job of keeping me warm in this miserable weather :)
