Food.
Think about for a second.
You need it. We all need food to live. No matter what else we do with our lives, whether we make art or pick up garbage in a truck, whether we're the Pope or a pauper, we need to eat.
Isn't it interesting that one of our most basic needs, one of the essentials of life, even arguably THE most essential, is one of the world's largest springboards for a whole plethora of controversy and issues? Just take a moment to think about the number of issues, debates, problems and discussions there are in the world surrounding this amazing thing that we have to put into our bodies at least 3 times a day.
It's endless. Just to name a few: food security, world hunger, eating disorders, health, dieting, environmentalism... and the list goes on.
We've all got to eat, but there are endless options being thrown in our faces as to exactly WHAT we should eat. If indeed you live in a 'developed' country and you have enough money to choose, that is. You walk into the grocery store. You stumble into the kitchen in the morning, sleep in your eyes, and open the fridge. You are heading to work, feel the pang of hunger, and gaze at all the food venues in your path. What do you choose? What makes you choose that? What forces are at play?
It occurred to me just how much of a 20th-21st century phenomenon this is. Back in the day, we would grow all our own food. We lived on farms. We milked our own cows for milk, picked our own wheat. What was available to us was dependent on the seasons.
Nowadays this simple act of eating has become, for many, a personal and worldwide debate. What we have on our tables is personal, it's political, it's psychological, it's socio-economic.
So, welcome. I invite everyone who reads this to post their stories, thoughts and ideas. I will write about what inspires, enflames, enrages me about food. I want this to be an open discussion. I feel passionately about food, and wish to express this passion, but ultimately I want these issues to be talked about openly with the members of my world community, on and offline.
With that, I welcome you to my blog.
Bon Appetit!
You know, I was reading this first post -- freaking CONGRATS, by the way! -- and it made me think of something: Why DO we eat three meals a day? Why three, specifically? I mean, I understand it makes sense for the day to have some division and we can't spend the whole day in the kitchen or the cafeteria, but is such compartmentalized eating what the human body needs, or should food be eaten in smaller amounts on a continuum through the day as our body requires it? Does thinking of food intake with such division lead to putting more in our bodies than needed?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the 3 meals a day thing is the best way to go, or if it's a tradition we take for granted to the point that we aren't as present with the condition of our body.
I've touched on only a tiny part of what you're discussing, but meh, it's a blog, that'll happen.
Love the blog, Lisi! It makes me hungry. :)
Good question! I have heard a few different things about what is 'healthy' regarding when to eat in the day. I once heard that eating small meals throughout the day is healthier than eating three big meals.
ReplyDeleteI have also done some reading into Ayurveda, which is an ancient Indian healing method. One of the things it recommends is eating at regular times in the day.
I think no matter what, it's important to do what feels best for YOUR body. In general, I think it's good to regulate your meals- to distinctly have a breakfast, lunch and dinner, but never to overeat.
The advantage to having 3 meals a day is that it involves thought and preparation. If you are eating sporadically through the day, you are less likely to plan out your meals and see if you're getting all the right nutrients. If you just snack thoughout the day, you're likely to just grab whatever happens to be in the fridge.
According to Ayurveda too, lunch is supposed to be the biggest meal of the day, because our digestion is best midday. Dinners are better to be light and easy to digest because after 7 pm our digestion is at its weakest. And if your body is digesting a lot of food during the night, your body won't be focussing on doing the self-healing and repair it normally does during sleep.
I find eating the biggest meal of the day very difficult, and I'm not sure whether that's because I've been raised with the idea that we prepare the biggest meal of the day close to dinner time, or because I don't get up early enough to have sufficient time to eat breakfast and THEN prepare the biggest meal.
I do like what you say about being present with the condition of our bodies. We are so subject to doing what other people tell us we "should" do, and at the same time don't really listen to what our bodies themselves are telling us. Hence why we have commercials where the guy orders a whole pizza and takes his heartburn drugs first....clearly, his body is telling him something and he's not listening. It's funny how much we will sacrifice for our taste buds. It's an addiction, really!
Anyhow, that was a long response to your comment!
Thanks for reading, Tay!!
One of the weirdest things about food for me is the way that it become such a way of dictating morals to people. Of course, it has always been that way, all religious come equipped with dietary and taboos. But with the rise of atheism, I find that people are becoming more and more obsessed with creating new and far-reaching dietary laws. And since they aren't commanded by God, they change all the time and proliferate until it's mostly total nonsense. Part of this probably has to do with the beauty culture of modern societies but I think part of it really is one of the new ways we use rules to make sense of the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso - Yay! More people I know blogging! Welcome!
Agreed, Maija! There are huge taboos with eating, and this is partially due to the millions of options there are these days for how we should eat. "Oh, that has too many calories", "That has too much fat", "I can't pronounce the ingredients on this label"....
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that we are actually telling each other how to eat, when really we should be telling OURSELVES how to eat, based on what makes our bodies feel good!
As someone who tries to eat "ethically", I have struggled with trying not to be didactic about food. I really don't like preaching to people, and my intent really is to spread knowledge about the issues rather than pointing fingers. But when it comes to food, people often feel defensive about their choices-- this is probably because it is so personal, or because they want to be eating differently but aren't...
Lisi your point about 3 meals a day involving thought and preparation is so made of win. Making soup from scratch earlier this week for the first time was all about that.
ReplyDeleteI also like your point about being so preoccupied with "should." I have six months of free cable and I'm shocked at some of the PSA's I see during commercials. Ingest calcium, lift with your knees, get 20 minutes of exercise a day. SERIOUSLY? We need PSAs to figure this out? God love us and our disconnection from our bodies.
He says having blogged all day..
And to address your not wanting to be didactic, I know we've talked about this before, but your just stating your beliefs with confidence and not even necessarily thinking about conversion has inspired me to eat better. If it weren't for you talking about Otesha, I wouldn't have just made the best goddamn lentil soup EVER. Didn't take any pressure, you just showed me a better way of doing things at a time when my ego wasn't fragile. You'll inspire those who want to receive ideas of change, and eventually as you become better at expressing yourself, the harder ones to move will follow.
Also, hilarious to think Athiesm may have paved the way for Atkins.
Red meat is kinda Godless.