Fad-free

So I've been hemming and hawing on if I really want to blog about this or not. As tempting as it is to make this blog my own little soap-box forum, that's not the reason I have a blog. Everyone's spouting opinions about something, and after a while, it gets tiresome, so I don't really need to add to the noise. It'll come out every once in a while, and sometimes I feel like I'm going to burst, I just want to spout so badly.

Okay, I can't resist: I will do a mini-spout...forgive me...then I get back to my point.
Three things that drive me absolutely wild arrrrre..........

1. People (adults and kids alike) who wear their iPod in the grocery store. This drives me BANANAS. You can't live without those little buds stuck in your ears for a half hour? You think that's a reason to cut in front of people, not make eye contact, smile, give a friendly greeting, say "excuse me" or anything, oh, polite like that?!

2. Those "blue-tooth" thingies that people wear in their ear. If your address involves "Pennsylvania Avenue" and you are familiar with the interior of Air Force One, I agree that you ARE important enough to need to be completely hands-free, on demand, at all times. But most of the people I see tooling around with those things in their ears are, like, grandparents. Are you trying to impress me? Because it's not working.

3. People who talk on their cell phone while they're checking out at a store. Unless you're orchestrating a Code Blue via phone, it's rude and unnecessary. Seriously, where have our manners gone????

Okay! That felt good.

Now. I have been reading a book that has absolutely riveted me. Maybe you've heard of it and I'm behind the eight. It's called "The China Study," by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. That's all I'm going to tell you about it. Because the information in it is so mind-blowing that I can hardly keep my socks on, but if I tell you what it's about, you'll probably scoff and move on. Okay - I'll give you a little snippet: it's about diet, nutrition, and health.

Why, oh why, would I of all people blog about a book that is about what the magazine empire is completely dependent upon? I'll tell you why, but you need some background info about me first.

I detest - DETEST - fads. I can't say it strongly enough. Diet fads, exercise fads, health fads, "churchy" fads (WWJD bracelets, "The Prayer of Jabez," etc etc - not trying to knock it, never read it, but it was a faaaad), any fads. I don't like fads because we are so consistently fed information and "findings" based on research that is poor at best and non-existent at worst. Fad mentality has created an empire of thingies and ideas that we will spend SO much time and money on, when it's really not necessary.

Now, I was skeptical - extremely skeptical - about the info that I had heard was in "The China Study." But I'm always willing to change my mind if - and only if - you can show me well-documented research evidence that is based on a well-designed experiment, valid data, and statistically significant results. If those things exist, yes, then I will believe that the moon is made of green cheese. There are plenty of things in my job, for instance, that change on a regular basis to keep up with the latest research. A lot of nurses have a hard time with this change because, well, "we've always done it that way." But that's no longer a good enough reason to do something, especially if it can be potentially harmful. Anyway, the book is written by an epidemiologist (someone who studies health and disease and their impact on a population) who has done just that (provided well-documented, repeatable, statistically significant data). No, the moon is not made of green cheese...but if it were, you just might think twice about eating it.

I'm not a health freak. Some people might think that I am, but I'm not. I try to eat well but am quite capable of downing an entire bag of Sunchips between the grocery store and my house - and I live about two miles from the grocery store. In fact, I'm kind of anti- health freak. Take supplements, for example. Oh, my supplements soap box is quite tall. There is no documented, conclusive evidence that many of the supplements that we think we absolutely have to have are of of any benefit at all; in fact, many of them are demonstrating that they're actually harmful. The supplement industry is completely unregulated. So not cool. And you probably don't want to know my low-carb diet soapbox (you know who you are!). Most people to whom I have given my metabolic ketoacidosis/renal failure lecture just roll their eyes and joke, "Okay, don't tell the nurse you're on that diet." I know those diets deliver quick results, but so would eating a strict diet of dog food and rat poison. The long-term implications of low-carb diets can be absolutely devastating.

ANNNYYWAAAYYY...I started reading "The China Study" and was like, whoa. Very interesting. I'm a very hard sell on, oh, anything health-related, so if it grabbed my attention, I'm sure it'll grab yours. Evidently it's grabbed a lot of people's attention - the nine copies at the library were checked out AND on reserve, and when I asked for it at Barnes and Noble, the lady said, "Oh, I get asked about that book all the time." Crud, I hope it doesn't become a FAD!

So I'm telling you about this because the book really WAS interesting and informative. It's not overly text-booky and the dude explains health and science concepts pretty nicely for the average bear. It must might push you off that gerbil-wheel of trying to live more healthfully but always feeling one step away from falling off the wagon. And this body is NOT my own - it belongs to my loving Creator - and if there are habit changes that I can make to strengthen it, to allow it to function the way it was intended to function, so that I can be better equipped to fulfill my purpose, then I will try to cultivate those habits.

So there's my book and health plug. Even if you don't give a rip about what I think, bear this in mind: the best diet and lifestyle really are fad-free.