Healthy Living in an Unhealthy World

When I was a young woman, unfortunately it was the absolute worst time to come to maturity in the U.S. It was the 60s and I, like so many college-aged students at the time, was pressured to conform to the politically "correct" stance against the Vietnam War, against the capitalistic pigs who were our own parents paying for our college educations, and against anything that was part of mainstream America. That included pressure to conform to certain diets and food choices. To be a vegetarian then was to be fighting the good fight against a corrupt society that was "poisoning" us all with processed foods, animal products and cruel meat processing. I played with some macro-biotic recipes and since I loved rice naturally, it was temporarily interesting. I never liked meat much anyway, so I didn't find it hard to find that anti-meat-eating propaganda had some merit. But what all the pressure really did to me was to make me become somewhat a hermit. The 60s, I think, began the real fascist style of behavior control which is very much alive and well in the Vegan community and in the PETA crowd. I detested it then and I detest it now. Group think, in regard to diet and food is like any other sort of social intimidation. It's 99% of the time just plain misguided and wrong. And it certainly isn't about food. It's about politics and control, nothing more.

I grew up in a large family with enough money to have servants and a wonderful cook. My mother, having to care for a daughter in an iron lung from Polio, was also a wonderful cook. She was lucky to have help. The one thing we all had was a large sit-down dinner almost every night with home-cooked meals. Every "rule" in today's absurd ledger of dos and don'ts we violated at our loud and crowded dinner table. We were served real butter and homemade mayonnaise. We drank milk from my grandmother's friendly dairy down in Mississippi that was loaded with fat. We ate rich cheeses after dinner with strong coffee while my daddy sipped brandy while eating his homemade apple or peach pie. We ate homemade chutneys that were laden with sugar and spices with my mother's Indian curries. And the desserts. I don't even want to get into them-homemade ice cream every summer, pastries from Ardelia's expert hand, custards and creamy Charlotte Russe with homemade chocolate sauce. But along with this we always had fresh vegetables-tons of them-and salads that were delicate as a butterfly's wings with just homemade vinegar and olive oil dressing sprinkled on top. It was a moveable feast at our house.

Now I am nearing 61. I have seen all sorts of food fads, diet lunacies and just plain idiotic guidebooks about the subject of healthy eating. Americans are the only nation I know of that is obsessed with food without ever knowing how to really relax and enjoy it. Europeans spend an hour minimum over family meals, generally speaking. At least they used to. But Americans, always on the run, rush through them as if they're taking medicines. Food is fuel to Americans. To almost all other cultures it is a bonding agent, a blessing, and a gift from God and His bounty. I was so lucky to have grown up in a family as American as apple pie, but with the sense to serve some of that pie at mealtime. I got an early exposure to all sorts of food and learned to love most everything we had. Children used to beg to spend the nights with myself and my sisters just to partake of our family's stories, our laughter and our feasts. It taught me a lot about healthy eating and living. The two are closely related.

I have always loved fish from having been lucky enough to eat the fresh bass and crappie my father caught in Arkansas on the weekends of from what he brought home from deep sea fishing trips on the coast. Because of my mother's having to be with my older sister so much, I bonded very with Ardelia, our wonderful cook and my friend. She taught me how to make pie crusts, how to boil custard, to make mayonnaise, how to dress a salad lightly and what to serve with cheese. My mother, when she was available, taught me how to make pickles, chutneys, relish, even homemade ketsup from an old family recipe. This was how I learned about real food and that it comes from the earth. We had a garden and picked our own tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and peppers. We gathered green apples in the fall and figs in the summer. While everyone was growing fat around us, we were called the "skinnys," because all us kids were lean and sturdy. Aside from the polio, we had a pretty good track record.

This entire introduction has a point. I truly believe that it's impossible to enjoy a healthy life without loving it. Nobody can follow nutrition experts' advice and keep it up for long because it's so "medicinal." Most books on healthy living give a blueprint of things to do, to not do, procedures to follow. No wonder so many people fall off the wagon on these diet and exercise programs. They're not only not fun; they're full of rules and regulations, just like my fascist friends in college thought would lead to enlightenment.

I have no rules, only guidelines, for my life. And for me they're instinctive. Just writing about them violates my sense of healthy living principles. I can, however, give some serious warnings about how to approach an attempt at lifestyle choices. The first is to eat slowly, eat very slowly. That's it. It's not hard until you've tried it. I have been doing it all my life since there was always so much going on at dinner. For me it's easy, a habit. For some it may be hard, but it doesn't mean having some food Nazi over your shoulder telling you what to eat.

Start going to the grocery and buying some fresh vegetables instead of those expensive and goopy prepared dishes that have all sorts of thickeners and additives. They're really not good when you eat the real stuff. Get leafy vegetables and cook them yourself with some seasoning. Wilt spinach with some olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and it's a feast with a grilled pork chop or tenderloin. Always serve some sort of green leafy vegetable to your family, cooked or raw. A fresh salad dressing can make the difference between a great salad and a mediocre one. Never, under any circumstance, purchase bought salad dressing. They're just not tasty, really. Believe me, your own sprinkles are better and they can be altered to taste just the way you want them.

Eat lots of fish. Regardless of the latest regulatory advice about avoiding fish because of mercury content, it is not dangerous to eat fatty cold water fish at least three times a week. If there are concerns about mercury, then fine. Just do some google or ask.com searches and decide what fish to buy. Personally, I don't pay much credence to any of the hype coming out about mercury. That's just me and I won't be held accountable for giving bad advice. The Greeks said that moderation was the best weapon against vice, and that is sound advice. It also applies to going on some of the fad diets we see today

Just another food tip here is something that's very easy to do and that may be really fun, no kidding. We all need vitamins, right? And most people know that the best way to get absorbable vitamins is through food, also right? Then it's not hard to make smoothies from fresh fruit and yogurt of rice substitutes that anyone will like. Pour some of the smoothie onto some Total cereal and there's your daily vitamin pill in a more readily absorbable form. I always add ground flaxseed to mine because that adds the Omega 3s that have pretty much been proven to be healthful. It's easy and tasty. All that's needed is a good blender. Add nuts and seeds to Jell-O when serving kids

Eat a bit of everything, enjoy it all, and run it off. We're often stuck in front of computers in sit-down jobs and when we get home we're tired and have out families as refuge. Why not try some family bicycle trips for a day over the weekend, or take some lessons with your kids? If they're taking kick boxing, why don't you? If they're on a basketball or football team, start working out with them on the court or the field. It'll give them a chance to make fun of dad or mom and, heck, it'll be fun. Get your kids, a major energy source, engaged with you on the weekends. Children love to instruct their parents. Let them. They are energy engines and they love nothing more than competition with their parents. If you don't have kids or they've grown up and left home, engage with some group at the local YMCA or a group that has interests in a particular sport like biking, hiking, walking or canoeing. Large city residents will have more choices here, but then they probably needs them more that than urban couch potatos?

. My advice about exercise is just to do anything that you find either fun or fulfilling. Don't expect workouts at a gym to give satisfaction. Who loves working out on some machine? Most people do this in desperation. Healthy living is the least of their concerns. Machines are a quick fix for our manic obsession with body image and a big business for companies cashing in on it. Workout machines are Not Fun and are usually not long-term satisfying.

Take naps. Yes, I said that. Take small naps whenever possible. Sleep is a wonderful anecdote to stress and short naps of just 20 minutes can be rejuvenating beyond belief. The surprising discovery about this fact is that if you do this for just a week it will become a habit and it's surprising how fast one can wake up from a short nap. Many people fear naps because they are scared of oversleeping. Just set the alarm. Even if you just lie there, so what? It is time out from a hectic life, and anyone who can't take twenty minutes off from a busy schedule shouldn't even be reading this article in the first place.

Take time out for romance. Romance is a source of energy and a connection to the one we love. It should be a no-brainer that this is part of a healthy life, although I almost hesitate to sound like Dr. Laura about this. Everyone knows how wonderful it feels to be in love, to trust and value someone so much. It makes Hercules of the smallest of men and Cleopatras of the plainest of women. It's a vitamin for the spirit. Nourish it.

Have as much interaction as possible with all sorts of age groups. Healthy living involves a rich social interaction with everyone possible. Do you have a grandmother? Go see her. Is there a lost uncle somewhere? Make a visit. The odd thing about most advice on healthy living styles is that it is so formulaic and rigid. So much that is touted is angry advice issued on behalf of a movement, like the present assault on fast food for their use of trans-fats which the very same interest groups promoted to get lard banned. Almost all of it ignores everything that doesn't pertain to some political agenda. Most of this garbage has nothing to do with health. It's up tio individual Americans to begin to stop listening to politicians and "focus group" and dire warnins by governmnt agencvies about allsorts of health scares. I go back to beginnings here. I hate and detest interest groups dictating lifestyles to the public. It repels me no end. They have done it for a long time and will continue to do it because there's money in it or political power to be gained by group intimidation. One thing I've learned in my years on earth is the life lived with the most enjoyment is usually the healthiest. Don't be intimidated by the health "Nazis." Don't do anything because someone tells you it's to save the planet or stop children from starving in Africa. Live your life with common sense. Eat and drink what you want within your doctor's prescriptions. Enjoy your dining and have fun when you exercise. Using common sense, live a life where you moderate what you do, taste what you like, and enjoy fresh food and exercise in ways that are fun or at least tolerable. Try new foods. Try new activities. It doesn't matter what age. Healthy life styles are not the exclusive property of the rich and famous. We are al recipients of a wonderful bounty of food and a world of incredible adventure.