The Truth? You Can't Handle the Truth!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 10:00AM 
This is a follow-up to my previous post on the Paleolithic diet.
Recapping briefly, I was breaking down an article in my local newspaper. Canwest news had published a story that stated a diet comprised entirely of whole foods, with no processed "food-products," chemical additives, or unnatural hormones was the best move for our health. Hard to believe, but there it was.
Actually, to be honest, it was too good to be true. Good advice like this rarely makes it into mainstream print, and this didn't turn out to be much of an exception.
Because I didn't want to end the post on a downer, I left the second half of the article out. I'll share the rest of it with you today.
Remember how promisingly it spoke of a whole food diet's health benefits? Well, it didn't last. Rather than keeping the momentum up, here's what followed:
...realize that, for most people, making such a massive dietary change is asking an awful lot. In a world of ice cream, cheese and pizza -- not to mention wine and beer -- it's difficult for many people to imagine never enjoying some of their favourite foods again...
So, in the name of balance, if you want to incorporate a few caveman strategies into your daily routine, then start by choosing lean cuts of fish, fowl and even four-legged animals, or getting your hands on wild game when possible. Beyond meat, focus on a diet of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and even starchy vegetables and eggs, and less of the processed stuff, and you can hope to strike a reasonable balance -- and do your genes a little good.
As you can see, what started so well devolved into excuses, followed by a list of concessions.
The words I highlighted are qualifiers. Basically, they're giving you permission to use the back door and sneak out. They're excuses to avoid doing anything that makes any meaningful difference, yet they still allow you to pat yourself on the back for "at least trying".
By the end of the paragraph, the ammended "easier" version of the diet is so diluted that it barely resembles the original recommendations anymore. It's basically a meat-based Typical Western Diet made with slightly more expensive cuts of meat and a few more fruits and vegetables tossed on top.
This is the level most health advice falls to today. It's hard enough to find the right information with all the clutter out there. To make matters worse, even when someone has the right ideas, they have to dumb them down -- diluting their message to satisfy the masses who are too lazy or indifferent to read about making significant lifestyle changes -- let alone act on them.
It's for this reason that you should never rely on the major news streams to give you any sort of reputable nutrition advice. They simply don't print the whole story. Anything worth reading has to be cut until it's appealing to everybody.
When it comes down to it, most people don't want to hear about changing their habits. Even if they know there's a problem, they just want to be told what they're already doing is fine. And if that's what people want, that's what publishers write.
Just something to keep in mind when you're reading.
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Real-World Raw Health and Nutrition:
The raw food diet made easy for your busy life!
Mike Dillman is a self-taught raw-vegan who began his journey nearly five years ago. Having worked his way through all the challenges firsthand, he wants to save you from making the same mistakes yourself. You can visit Mike's blog at Real-World-Raw.com to learn how easy it can be to make a raw-vegan diet fit your busy lifestyle.
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