Friday, March 21

[gottawonder]

Today I am grateful for:

Nice weather today.

Getting decent sleep.

No need to rush today.

I did talk with Sister S, who mostly wanted to talk about Trainwreck. She tells me that one of Trainwreck's adult sons is trying to get her to get more help, in the form of therapy, go see a doctor and try to stop drinking again, and so on.


It's tough, when she really doesn't want any of those things.

I'm glad our call was okay today. Sometimes I get the feeling that Sister S resents that I have a decent life, and that it doesn't seem like I've had to do anything for it.


Then I did chores, and spent some time grooming Wonder. She is shedding right now, and I always enjoy the process of grooming her in the spring, when literal handfuls of her winter hair just sloughs right off.

Then I went to the barn. Trainwreck called while I was getting River, and we talked undramatically for a few minutes. Most of the time, if she's sober, it's not bad to chat with her.

River was pretty sleepy, as seems to be kind of who he is these days, but he did well. He was pretty light on responding to my cues.

I worked on improving/clarifying our neutral circle, which was my homework from my lesson.

I did stand for a count of thirty, twice, and he stood nicely.

In the barn, while I was finishing up with River, but getting ready to work with another horse for R during the woman with health issue's lesson, she talked a bit about the diet their whole family is on now.

It's kind of being imposed by her husband K, and it's sort of keto/primitive food. They're not eating sugar or flour or processed food, though I think R still eats some cookies.

I asked if they're still eating bacon (her husband has a big thing for bacon), and she said yes, like...."what's wrong with bacon?".

I guess if your husband says to eat all the fat and meat you can, maybe I could see them still thinking bacon was okay.

I said "it's just got a lot of nitrates, which are pretty bad for you". In what way are nitrates bad? "Oh, you know. Cancer and stuff".

I felt weird telling someone that bacon was maybe not good for you. If you're going to go on some whack-ass diet of cutting out all sugar and processed food and flour and be really militant about it, and force that diet on your teenaged daughter and wife, but then they're still eating bacon? Hmm.... How much "science" is involved in this diet?

Well, I didn't push it. Go eat whatever. I don't have any skin in the game.

Then I worked with Gunner, and he was super sweet today. I wasn't being too intense with him, some lungeing and time on the Surefoot pads to help him loosen up. He's an older horse and gets stiff. He's not being used a lot in the lessons, but it's good to keep working with him for his health.

Then I came home, returned Dandy to his usual pen, and came inside and started quinoa.

My Sweetie got home, and we just chatted for a while, and he went to bed. So much fun, this business of having a husband who is on a work schedule that means he goes to bed an hour after he comes home.

Comments

[ratunderpaper]

There are keto enthusiasts who live on jars of peanut butter, steaks and bacon. (Not here.) Many of them seem to be on a carnivore kick, and they idolise Jordan Peterson. (Also not here.)

[gottawonder]

Yes. This.

The husband, K, signed up for some series of courses from Jordan Peterson, and there's a nutrition class that he's been trying to follow (and impose on his family who for whatever reason is going along with it).

We've talked about what he's doing, and some of it makes sense, like cutting out refined sugar and white flour, but let's be honest, MOST diets recommend doing that (though his diet says NO flour, not even whole wheat). You know, you don't have to be a dietitian to know that cookies, pasta, and refined sugar in everything from condiments to junk food isn't good for you. WE KNOW THAT.

So their family is really cutting out processed food, junk food, and looking at added sugar in everything. I don't disagree with that. It helped me a lot to do more or less the same thing.

Then it says to cut out all seed oils, which MAYBE has some basis too, but it gets kind of unhinged when it says to eat a ton of "healthy fats".

I'm okay with saying that olive oil and avocados contain healthy fats, but I think you have to be a little careful when you say that animal fats are "healthy".

I think you have to be careful about the "eat all the protein you can get, and if it's from an animal it's best" advice. K is now under the impression that his family has been "starved of protein" and that they have to eat MORE PROTEIN. ALL THE PROTEIN. That they are FINE eating a ton of fat if it's from meat.

But not focus on increasing protein from quinoa or oatmeal or nuts or tofu (which is not allowed because it is considered heavily processed). Protein from ANIMALS!!! ALL THE ANIMALS!!!

I don't know how keto can defend the red meat advocacy, when most modern dietary advice suggests very little red meat, and not even a lot of meat in general. Fish maybe, eggs maybe, but really they don't usually even say that dairy is good for you.

BUT, even Jordan Peterson says bacon is bad, because it is heavily processed and contains Nitrates. I would think the MASSIVE amount of fat and salt would be an issue for anyone who cared about their body.

So, I guess I'm a bit of a jerk for having a laugh over K being so militant about "eating clean", but still eating bacon and pretending that somehow that's okay because he likes it.

[ratunderpaper]

All the animals, and mostly cow animals. "Why do you feel a carnivore diet of beef, butter and cheese will be good for you?" "It's cleansing and reduces inflammation I never knew I had until I decided I knew better than science and medicine!"

Not all, but some of them are what my mother used to call "holy rollers" - not literally, but in eye-rolling jest.

[gottawonder]

I try not to make comments on other people's dietary choices, and I try not to be overly vocal about being a vegetarian.

Objectively, I know that meat CAN be better if it's "grass fed" yadayada. I think that some fish and chicken is probably good for most people.

Bacon just seems obvious as a poor dietary choice, kind of like how chips and soda and french fries are not usually considered health food.

I think you nailed the Jordan Peterson thing, "I know better than all of science what food is going to make me live my best life". The dude is a psychiatrist, not a dietitian, and it's not like he's done any primary research or studies that have been peer reviewed.

Apparently Jordan P's daughter "ONLY had raging diarrhea for six weeks or so" when she started eating only meat. Wow. Only six weeks. Totally worth it.

This guy is just so unstable. He said something on Rogan's podcast about nearly dying from drinking apple cider vinegar, while totally not mentioning his Benzo addiction.

You're also on the right track with "holy rollers". Though I think they keep their views to themselves because of their business, they are church goers. I don't know HOW religious they are, but maybe that's part of it. It is usually part of the profile of people who are anti vax-ish, use crystals etc, reiki, and are weird about food.

There's a guy called Bryan Johnson who is doing a LOT of independent research on longevity, and he isn't eating bacon. He is vegan by conscious choice, but without any animal products in his diet at all, he's got perfect biomarkers for health, and his focus is on reducing inflammation.

I do try not to focus on this side of them. As people, they are really nice people, really conscientious, honest people who care deeply about their animals, and very good at what they do (horse training, dog grooming).

[ratunderpaper]

The skeptics I have run into are not healthy from their fad know-it-all diets. I tend to tiptoe around them; they're not interested in discussion or reason. They have done their own (usually judgmental of science and medicine) research, and that's that. On to the next health issue that can be solved by some trick.

How can bacon be considered anything but a condiment?

I've noticed that the holy roller carnivores never turn down pizza or milkshakes or wonder what terrible chemical additives are in them. It's measles vaccines that take the blame.

[gottawonder]

R and her husband K, from the sounds of things, ARE cutting back on processed food pretty strictly, which makes sense if they want to be healthier.

Stuff like pizza and milkshakes ARE off the menu, as are salad dressings, and most condiments, cookies, donuts, etc.

All of that makes sense.

That's why the bacon still being okay DOESN'T make sense. Just because it's meat doesn't make it healthy.