A couple of things happened this past year that had me consider eating and what it is we eat. One of those "a couple of things" was a very sick son. My third born, has some still strange illness where he is, of all things, allergic to food. When I say "allergic", I don't really mean allergic, I mean something more poorly understood, and when I say "food", I don't really mean all food just way too many foods. It has been hard to feed him and harder to get him to eat. He is doing pretty good these days. He plans on being two in June and we are all happy about that. So, anyway, here I am eating these days differently than I used to. When I go to Mac's Drive In for a cheeseburger I don't have to order. They know what I want. Mostly they know what I want because I've ordered it so much before. When I ordered a tomato sandwich there for the first time EVER last fall I received multiple "looks" from people. Pat, with pen in hand, raised his right eyebrow really high as he slightly recoiled, and Esther, who was already cooking my cheeseburger smooshed up her mouth and just mumbled. I actually remember trying to be discreet about it. A tomato sandwich is about the best one can do at Mac's and be allowed to stay. Mac's Drive In is a great place to start. Being there is about culture, and a little about food. It's a place with a history and tradition. Being known and welcomed there for me feels good. Bringing the elder two boys (aged 3 and 5) in to climb up on the orange bar stools for lemonades and a hotdog is a sort of a little boy's introduction into society. We like it there. "When can we go back to Mr. Mac's?", they say. Mac for whom the place is named happened to be my patient. He's passed on now but his place still feels the same. It's different of course with him gone, but we the people still come. I wonder what his reaction to my "tomato sandwich" order would have been. If I break news for you here then I welcome your own recoils, raised eyebrows, and smooshed up mouths. My own mouth got all smooshed up as I began to learn about eating.
In my studies I have come to accept a few things about what we should eat. My encouragement to my patients is to Eat More Plants and eat less animals. While I respect anyone who chooses to not eat meat for moral or ethical reasons, my own decision to refrain is entirely selfish. I had a patient say to his teasing friends that he would eat a "fluffy bunny" if that's what he needed for his health. They just figured he'd be eating lean turkey. It just so happens that eating skinny turkeys or fluffy bunnies might not be good for us. By the way he's lost about 40 pounds so far. The bunny's amino acids strung together look just like my own. The arrangement of amino acids in plant protein looks distinctly different from the bunny's and mine. For some reason that matters. There is mind boggling evidence that shows the power of animal protein to cause and promote disease. It's presence or absence in diet can turn on or turn off cancer growth in some labarotory studies. Really! That's a teaser for you. I refer you to T. Colin Campbell for the details on that one. His astonishing animal protein studies are presented for you in his book The China Study. Let me stop for a minute. Read that book. When I get patients to read The China Study they start to drive their own health bus. Don't just drive your own bus, love driving it all day long. If we meet at a stoplight, you in your bus and me in mine, I hope I see you smile. Tomato sandwich anyone?? I'll tell you more later. If my videos are up and running while you are here watch them. Good night.
