Americans put great stock in what physicians say and the recommendations that they make. My dad loves to see the doctor…not in a hypochondriac kind of way, but in a he’s-the-smartest-person-I-know kind of way.
For decades we’ve been led to believe that the surgeon general, the FDA and other ‘smart’ agencies and people have it all figured out. In an earlier post, I mentioned my foray into eating patterns such as fat-free, low-carb, Keto and so forth. This largely came about due to the recommendations of ‘experts’.
With the advent of the Internet, people’s knowledge, comfort and command of their own health has grown by leaps and bounds. We no longer have to go to a doctor to get the best advice. You can Google anything. Although healthy skepticism is still advisable when trusting online sources, I have come to believe that our health is in our own hands. I actually changed physicians in the past 2 years because I found someone who speaks my language. She says, ‘Food is medicine.’ Can I get an Amen! IMHO, mainstream medical training, at least in the US, revolves around FIXING something that’s already gone awry. As a testament to this, we are spending billions of dollars per year on medications! Why not just prevent ill health to start with?!
This brings me to the real subject of this talk. Dr. Mark Hyman. HE speaks my language. First-off, let me offer you a disclaimer. I am not being paid by Dr. Hyman and I only own 2 of his books. I just happen to believe that his beliefs about food and his science are solid. It’s a bonus that he’s a bonafide physician.
Let me share with you a few of Dr. Hyman’s thoughts:
‘Today, the food industry has hijacked our kitchens, not by accident, but by design. It has rebranded cooking as a chore, a burden, drudgery.’
‘The industry subverts legitimate science by funding biased studies and deploying them to adversely influence food policies set forth by our government; it funds public health institutions that were originally designed to protect us, making them infective and even dangerous; it drives attitudes about food with tens of billions in food marketing. ‘
Wait, WHAT?? Can this be true? I am a rule follower to the core, so I have fought this idea for a long time. But so many trial and error diets left me feeling hungry, tired, unfulfilled and miserable. That’s why I came to believe in the power of (whole) food. (See previous post.)
Did you know that Betty Crocker was not a real person? I actually did not know this until recently. She was invented by the food industry more than 40 years ago to get mothers to incorporate processed foods into home-cooked meals.
Do you have a Betty Crocker cookbook? I do and it was my absolute FAVORITE when I first got married. But when I read that BC was not real, I went back and realized that EVERY recipe has a processed food in its ingredient list. I can’t believe how gullible I am…well, I can. Again, rule-follower here.
Ok, down to the nitty-gritty. I have taken control of my life and my eating. And I’m here to help you do the same. I highly recommend Dr. Mark Hyman’s new book FOOD, What the Heck Should I Cook? The recipes are super accessible and the commentary at the beginning, PRICELESS!