Foods and eating, biologically speaking, started as a way to sustain the organism but as humans, our cultures developed particular rules governing food choices.
Many of these religious observances were based in facts that helped to ensure the safety of the followers. Such an example is how several ancient Middle Eastern religions ban the consumption of pork. The non-dogmatic reason is simple: ancient peoples who consumed under-cooked or improperly prepared pork were susceptible to developing trichinosis, a very un-fun illness that could have fatal consequences. (Remember, these were the days before refrigeration and food was stored on the hoof.)
So with sound hygiene and public health measures still a ways off historically, religious groups developed passionate storylines about the evils of pigs as meat sources, thus helping to protect the lives of their followers.
This made sense.
Our modern culture offers a variety of different dietary options – and boy do we have a lot from which to choose!
Paleo, South Beach, Gluten-free, and Vegetarianism – the list gets rather extensive. With each general classification expanded into sub categories (dairy and eggs, dairy and no eggs, fish, no fish…) that leaves all of us without such a strong philosophical conviction about food, scratching our heads wondering what to eat.
I recently participated in a LinkedIn discussion about dairy consumption. The thread had postings that demonstrated a religious fervor over this simple dietary choice that amazed me. Not content to just argue a point of view, the exchanges degenerated into name calling and spiraled off into unrelated topics.
I know – welcome to the Internet.
While my own philosophical views are tolerant of other opinions, I had never witnessed such passion over such a seemingly innocuous thing as food. The arguments were not to the point of a like or dislike but to a personal level such that if you disagree with me, then you must be the devil incarnate.
It’s just food, folks. Really.
To make dietary decisions based on sound and moving philosophical grounds is a terrific choice but the other guy may also feel as strongly about his views too.
You are both right, so let’s move on.
I write and share a considerable amount of information about diet and dietary choices. There is much information to choose from and we learn more from research every day. Let’s enjoy!
Every “body” is different.
One person’s dietary choices may be great for them but not for another. A lot of times this has to do with the unique metabolic systems that each of us possess. Parents will likely remember when their kids were exploring foods and developing their individual preferences. No two kids had identical food likes or dislikes but they did find what worked best.
A key to finding and keeping Health and Wellness in our lives, is listening to our bodies and experimenting with different options. If a particular choice doesn’t work out, you just don’t consume/do that anymore. No qualifications of good or bad are involved.
So as we go out to explore Life, let’s rejoice in what we find that fulfills us and embrace the diversity that others find in their lives too.
We’re all in this together.
“Your competition is not other people but the time you kill, the ill will you create, the knowledge you neglect to learn, the connections you fail to build, the health you sacrifice along the path, your inability to generate ideas, the people around you who don’t support and love your efforts, and whatever god you curse for your bad luck.”
– James Altucher
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