Cape Town - I may be the country's foremost non-expert on nutrition.
Running a lifestyle site means that I read many, many, many articles about food and health, about what's good and bad for people.
From the various sources available to us at IOL, I try to find the articles that seem sensible and practical and informative. And as I go I observe trends, detect patterns, gather knowledge and form opinions.
The World Health Organisation's warning on the carcinogenic properties of processed and red meat was for me the latest in a long line of such health warnings. But this latest instalment of the Scientists Tell Us What To Eat soap opera got a lot of people very hot under the collar.
The complex arguments advanced by the WHO quickly descended into a focus on bacon, coalescing on social media around the hashtags #FreeBacon, #Bacongeddon and #JeSuisBacon. This comment by Twitter user "creampie the pie man" summed up the mood admirably: "WHO and cancer be damned, I want some #freebacon".
As noted, I have read and edited many other articles declaring some or other food to be bad for us, and most have passed through the public consciousness without too much fuss. So I was interested in the strength of the response, which reminded me of the other issues which press buttons. Fizzy drinks in particular and sugar in general are generally condemned, while the Banting diet in particular and fat in general have fierce supporters and critics.
A pattern emerges in the responses to these big public health debates. People seem to feel that s particular way of eating is being supported/pushed at us/promoted by suspicious large entities (companies/the medical establishment/the media) and that their own way of eating is better/purer/healthier than the aforementioned suspicious stuff. And this own way of eating has to be defended against all comers.
I wonder if the passion behind these food battles is fuelled in fact by a sense of helplessness. We know we should eat healthy foods. We know there are things that are not-so-good for us. But which are those foods really? We hope an expert can help. Yet there are so many experts and so many opinions that is hard to know what to do. So we pick a corner (with no carbs in it, perhaps) and defend it vigorously.
The #freebacon meme is perhaps then an expression of gatvolness, of being tired of being told what do to by distant and unhelpful experts. (And also, of course, a tribute to the great taste of bacon).
Fear not. I am willing to share my non-expert views. All that reading and editing should be good for something. Here, based on my understanding of the broad consensus about healthy eating, are some things to consider:
1. Stop dieting. The human mind and heart are not well suited to deprivation, and the human body is so well suited to it that it will grab any calories it can find and hang on to them, thus wrecking your metabolism.
2. Follow the simple rule taught to my son in preschool: all meals should contain some Grow food, some Glow food and some Go food. That means: protein and dairy (grow), fruit/veg (glow) and carbs (go). The bulk of any meal should make you glow.
3. Eat small portions, and eat slowly.
4. Eat as varied a diet as your pocket and tastebuds will allow. The truth is that much is not understood about the way in which foods interact with each other and with our bodies. So just vary it all up and forget about it.
5. Drink lots of water. Forget about measuring it - just make sure your pee is a nice light colour.
6. Cut out as much sugar as you can (and that includes alcohol). Read labels. Note that this doesn't mean whole fruit - it means cakes and chocolates and sweetened yoghurt and so on.
7. Stop worrying quite so much about fat - but proceed cautiously. This is a contested area right now.
8. Have a treat every now and then.
This way of eating won't make you thin (though it should stop you getting fatter). It won't change your life in seven days. It won't help you live forever. But it is simple, and it should keep your body ticking over in reasonable order. Give it a try!
IOL
* Remember, I am not an expert. See a doctor if you have any worries about your health and what you are eating.
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