Diet is like religion, everyone has a specific preference and they hold fast to those ideals and sometimes, you might want to think twice before challenging someone on it. I wouldn't be surprised if it could be a catalyst for war. I'm not talking about the supply of food kind of catalyst- everyone has to eat- but the different ways that people eat and their choice of diet- omnivore, dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, fruitarian, raw and, yes, breatharian.
I have been most of these- except breatharian, which I have heard tell of but never really looked into. I was wheat free in high school for health issues and was vegetarian on and off for years. I was vegan for a while and was raw for a while and of course dairy free quite a bit-- And then there was the time I was fruitarian.
I've had milking goats and had fresh milk and cheese daily- and had chickens and ducks and had fresh eggs. I've never butchered my animals and I abhor cruelty to animals and yet- I eat meat.
People are often surprised that I do- many think I am vegetarian and it wouldn't be for lack of trying. I literally spent years eating different ways to find what fit my criteria of having energy, not breaking out in rashes and no stomach aches.
Years.
Seriously.
I had tests done -of all kinds, mind you- and what I found was that I can't eat soy, I am gluten intolerant and dairy tends to upset my stomach even though super sharp cheddar is a food of the gods, in my humble opinion.
So, it was begrudgingly that I tried one last way of eating. I really didn't want to eat meat but without fail, I was exhausted and lacked luster- even with every uber healthy vegan and veggie friend leading me along with advice and recipes- while they beamed and glowed in the light of their choices. I didn't beam, I lagged and no matter what I researched and consumed, nothing helped- until I ate meat again and shazam! I was glowing and full of energy. Just like that I was rejected from vegetarian lifestyle.
Of course, it helped that I love sausage, specifically breakfast sausage- to a ridiculous degree. I'm not kidding. I never "cheated" as a vegetarian or vegan but nothing replaced that particular flavor for me- nothing. What can I say? It's a foodgasm.
Food is such a touchy subject and it never fails to amaze me how we can become so dogmatic and indignant about another person's choices on how they choose to eat. Though I understand that your diet is your own personal choice, I can't help but think of the families I saw huddled in tiny shacks in Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa and think, "I doubt they shamed their neighbors for eating a certain way."
I am no saint here, when I was vegan I had to fight the urge not to preach and judge but I did fight it. I realized that though my smaller half wanted to get up on the soap box and preach, the bigger part of me wanted to respect the choices of others and tell the little part of me to shut the hell up and stop being a judgmental idiot. So I did. Now, I just take a breath and hope that there is understanding in the hearts around me and make sure that I don't judge anyone else- while I slip an extra package of sausage in among the fruit and veggies and quinoa in my cart and eye the New York Cheddar while wiping the drool off my chin.
But diets aside, when my children get picky and turn their nose up, I've actually heard myself say, "There are starving children in Africa and many other places, now eat your food." and they give me the stink eye, stare at their food like it will rear up and attack and then eat it- making sure to gag occasionally for effect.
It's then that I tell them how we, as a species, used to feast on certain days- holidays and holy days and otherwise it was stew and porridge and you ate for the pure sustinance of it- not because it tasted good.
Now, we eat for pleasure and we expect to feast at every meal and we pass that on to our children. I tell them how much I like to feast but how it is important to remember what the food is actually for.
How many times do parents in our culture hear how gross a particular food is? And how often is it catered to? What are we afraid will happen if the children don't like the way something tastes? What is the purpose of the food we eat and how often are we grateful that we have a choice in what passes through our lips and into our bellies? I don't know how often I am consciously grateful for the bounty of food around me and that means I need a reality check.
I think about this when my children push their food around their plates and complain about the different parts of the healthy food infront of them- And then I turn around to start washing the dishes and let them take the time they need to scrape their plates clean and fill their bellies.
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