get donkey!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah yes it’s January, that joyous time of year when millions of Americans search for the best way to remove that new gut-pad or ass-extension they acquired over the holidays (in my case, “the holidays” started back in July).

The low-carb craze continues to sweep the nation, so that seems the popular way to go for many. You can amble off to the grocery store and find just about any of your favorite processed food items in a low-carb version (warning, every one of them tastes like moldy sponge). Even America’s most popular chain restaurants are hopping onto the bandwagon (although I am still waiting for Bacon Churners to become a reality).

For an elitist like me, the fact that “low-carb” is now mainstream means that this form of dieting is no longer cool and edgy. Whereas in the past low-carbers had to virtual-huddle together in secret internet enclaves to exchange our Beefy-Ranch Cheesecake recipes, today one can hardly turn around without bumping into something low-carb. Sure I lost weight on the Atkins and other low carb diets in the past, but the thrill of throwing my kidneys into ketosis is just not the same when the guy in the next stall is also peeing on a keto-strip.

So anyway, I have been looking less for a quick fix for weight loss and more for a stage-less (all of these low-carb diets have different stages) healthy eating regimen. I have had Walter C Willet’s Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating on my shelf for a couple of years now, and I think it is the way I am going to go. I first became interested in Willet when he came out with the Healthy Eating Pyramid in, I think, 2002. The book’s focus is on the new food pyramid.

The book doesn’t lay out a plan, per se, but instead it provides information on how different foods interact with your body. All of that information is based on good ‘ol fashioned science, and since science is bad, immoral, and out of the mainstream now, this facet alone makes the book cool and edgy. There is also a good section on how to interpret “news” stories that trumpet the “latest study” on how some foods are bad for you, cause disease, etc. Willet convincingly lays out the case for why the USDA pyramid is actually a pile of misinformation and why his pyramid makes more nutritional sense. As I said, it’s not a “step-by-step” diet book, but Willett does provide some sample menus and a handful of recipes. Most of the recipes are similar to ones found in the Mediterranean Diet, which is a diet Willet thinks is, for the most part, healthy. I have tried two recipes so far (Pork Tenderloin with Pistachio Gremolata Crust, and Chipotle Chicken Chili), both of which were awesome. Even though the recipes I tried so far contain meat, Willet’s pyramid supports a vegetarian diet and, in fact, Willet endorses such a diet. In all, I have lost about 3 pounds since I started following the book’s advice last weekend (although that may be because I am no longer eating a side of cake and cookies with every meal).

Anyway, I recommend Willet’s book. If you want to get a clearer picture of what his Healthy Eating Pyramid is all about before you buy the book, you can check out the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Source website. The site encapsulates much of what is in the book. Enjoy!

January 7th, 2005 Posted by Rob | General comments, Interesting stuff | one comment