Sunny Sunday to all…especially to my DC/Maryland friends…and to the New Orleans Saints!
I went to bed last night and awakened this morning with thoughts of ‘following the rules’ vs. ‘freedom of choice’. I suppose they’re not mutually exclusive concepts, but the challenge seems to be a theme of frequent discussions lately. In parenting, we set rules, teach our children to follow them, gradually introduce them to ‘freedom of choice’, and try to wisely demonstrate the responsibility and consequence connected to making their own choices. With my sons now 24 and almost-30, I still wonder if I balanced ‘freedom of choice’ with enough demand to ‘follow the rules’.
I admit I am an infamous rule-breaker. Psychologists claim it’s the middle-child syndrome. Even with a Marine father who taught a military chain-of-command Christianity—i.e. Jehovah > man > woman > child > nature—I still managed to break many rules and claim a personal freedom of choice. And, for a long time I lived in denial, thinking I could avoid any negative consequences attached to my unhealthy choices. But the body will always reveal the many ways we break the rules.
We pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” then we’re given options. With a veritable banquet of foods laid before us everyday, we definitely have freedom of choice…until the will to survive constricts our choices into narrowly focused rules. Want to avoid Type 2 Diabetes? Eat less refined sugar and carbohydrates; exercise more. Want to avoid another heart attack? Eat less fat and exercise. Want to avoid obesity? Eat less and exercise.
Want to be healthy? Choose to follow the rules.
In Food Rules, Michael Pollan explains the rules are more like policies (or “algorithms”--for you mathematicians who can relate to that word). The rebel in me likes to think of these rules as guidelines, directing me through the convoluted, never-ending maze we call “The American Diet.”
After I found myself obsessing with every choice I had yesterday—Would my great-grandmother have recognized ‘this’ as food? Would she have eaten a fat-free saltine cracker? In 1900, was there such a thing as a low-fat turkey wiener? I don’t THINK so!—I went to bed comforting myself with “OK, Patti – these are just guidelines. It begins with awareness.”
And change always begins with awareness…or change CAN begin with awareness. We are made aware, but we can also choose NOT to change.
Rule # 3 – Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry…such as ethoxylated diglycerides, xantham gum, cellulose, calcium propionate.
As Pollan exhorts us, “If you wouldn’t cook with them yourself, why let others use these ingredients to cook for you? The food scientists’ chemistry set is designed to extend shelf life, make old food look fresher and more appetizing, and get you to eat more.”
So I remind myself as I encourage you—do not obsess. Just make healthier choices.
Hmm…that may be a bit more challenging on Super Bowl Day. Go Saints!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hello Everyone -- Tracy here. I just read Patti's note this morning introducing Rule #3 and discussing rules. Having been a rule-follower all my life, I happen to do well with the structure of rules, at least for the most part. As someone who is always seeking and pushing for balance, I also take most rules with a grain of salt. I guess the only thing I have ever really been "radical" about is trying to avoid being radical.
ReplyDeleteSo I agree with rules as a guideline, as policy. It's much like learning to be a cook, a singer/musician, an artist, an athlete, a builder, etc. With the exception of the occasional prodigy, most of us must first learn how to bake a cake or play an instrument or build a house, before we can introduce our own flair or creativity to the process.
To me, learning the rules is a similar idea; first I learn the rules, then I set about making the choices that work best for me within that structure. It's difficult not to obsess, but moving towards balance and integration is a step-by-step process that begins, as Patti mentioned, with awareness that we want a change. Then we begin that journey with the first step.
So I echo Patti's comment for myself, "...do not obsess. Just make healthier choices." Oh yeah, and "WHO DAT in da Super Bowl, WHO DAT in da black and gold?!!"