Thursday, May 27, 2004
Moping, but now with more Cow Bell.
Here I sit at work, happily listening to my considered-atrocious-by-some Cake album. For meetings that span a long time, such as the one I was in a few days ago, my company will often pay for food. In these cases, Mega Wraps provides the grub, and I have decided that their veggie sub is pretty darn good. It's a kind of Greek salad in a pita dealie, and I think I am going to try and pirate the recipe for my own twisted ends. The whole vegetarianism thing is going pretty well so far, based on initial assessments of my not-starving-ness. While I am still slightly concerned about the protein thing (I have yet to dig into beans thus far, getting most of my protein through peanut butter and eggs/dairy, but their time will come) since I don't even know if it's really a problem. I have seen studies now that say that the recommendation for protein in the average diet is a myth and that you don't need nearly as much as the Food Guide says you do. So far I have put these studies in the same category of trustworthyness as the Timecube, but I don't quite want to dismiss them entirely, since they are in my favor. Otherwise, I am finding that I miss meat like I miss going out and getting half-wasted every other night, which is to say, not too much. I am sure that when I do have steak again, I will probably melt into a puddle of contentment, but until then, I'm doing pretty good.
And speaking about food and eating, whilst perusing BoingBoing recently, I read this article here about the way we eat nowadays, and how it is completely at odds with the way we are biologically evolved to eat. I thought it was a fantastic read and very thought provoking. One bit that did scare me though, was the revelation that prepared breakfast cereal (ie. what I eat for breakfast every bloody day...) is basically, because of all the processing involved, equivalent to a bowl of sugar. And I'm not talking about the sweetened stuff that I like to eat either - this refers to unsweetened Corn Flakes. I consider myself to eat fairly healthily, but that's still a bit of a shock, considering that cold cereal has been my breakfast since forever. The rest of my diet is good though, I think. Most of the rest of the stuff I eat now is just the food itself - sauteed vegetables over pasta with just a bit of oil, for example. Nice and simple, if maybe slightly plain. I don't mind it though, and this is pretty much just an extension of how I shop for food: I buy food, not packages. Somehow, I can hook my mind around the fact that if I think what I'm buying is raw food, then it's ok to eat. Things like canned food and the odd prep-heavy item (like lasagna) are about as close as I get to pre-packaged stuff. I usually drink things like milk, water, juice and sodium-free club soda (the last one in somewhat copious amounts, since it's basically just water with some CO2). I circumvent most of the brainwashing people receive by not watching TV (although it's not like I'm that much more active or anything, since I spend just as much time on the PC). So while I might be slightly boring (I would say zen, but that's a matter of perspective) I feel that I'm taking some measures to try and live as best I can. Thing is though, am I doing enough? Is anyone?
I probably will sounds like a tin-foil-hat-paranoid-crazy-nutbin wreck here, but I believe we can never be sure about anything when it comes to diet and food-related issues nowadays, since there are so many different factions that want us to think many different things. Consider the following: the Food Guide, with it's happy recommended amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, etc etc etc, lays out a "healthy" way to eat, as recommended by the government. It is going through revision right now to bring it up to date, but will it be more accurate? Will the people representing the agriculture industry really want to risk having their spot at being the food group that gets the most attention? I don't think so, and I'm sure if you look through the books, you'll find no small amount of lobbying from the grains associations to keep their share of the food pie the same. The meat industry, however, will likewise be equally lobbying to get people to eat more proteins. Sure, you could argue that the scientific types that are doing the Guide reworkage will ask for studies that demonstrate why each particular industry is right, but we all know studies can be made to "prove" just about anything, and ideas can sound awfully tasty when lubed up with cash moneys. Also consider (this one was made in the above-mentioned article): the Food Industry maintains that they are doing nothing wrong (which really, they aren't), and that if people were to educate themselves, they can eat healthy too! Problem is, though, that to educate themselves, they must go out and work to do so, whereas to listen to what the Food Industry (and its partner-in-crime Television) has to say, they must simply lie back on the couch and wait. Billions of dollars in research is spent to make sure that pre-processed food is as is the first thing you grab when the munchies strike, and that money isn't all wasted. People almost need to de-"educate" any thinking they already have adopted based on the advertising and such that they receive - something that isn't easy for most.
I don't know... Reading that article was, while really fascinating, somewhat scary. Makes you very distrustful of what we eat and what we think we should eat, and what we really should eat. Not to mention the whole "not getting enough exercise" bits that are alluded to. I do think I should do something about the cereal thing though. The question that remains is, what? The reason I like cereal is that it is a) SUGAR!!! (ironically, the reason I am considering switching) and b) very easy to make in the morning. My alternatives? Oatmeal and an egg is looking to be a fore-runner, due to the fact that is seems to be a preferred choice for bodybuilders. Downsides are that a) I am unsure how to best prepare oatmeal (since it will probably not be the instant variety) and b) I am unsure of how to make good hard-boiled eggs (they are much harder than simply boiling the bejeebus out of the eggs, involving ice-water baths and such). That is easily remedied, however, so I just might end up with a new morning routine soon... We (or rather, I) shall soon see.
From Dave Barry's blog, comes the BEST CAKE EVAR. I want this for my birthday party. Oh yes.
From Boing Boing comes the Seven League Boots. I don't know what they do or how they work, but I want them too.
Also from Boing Boing is the Library Musical. I don't particularly think that I would ever be in something like this, but if I did, it would probably be amusement for all. ¶ 9:17 p.m.
Here I sit at work, happily listening to my considered-atrocious-by-some Cake album. For meetings that span a long time, such as the one I was in a few days ago, my company will often pay for food. In these cases, Mega Wraps provides the grub, and I have decided that their veggie sub is pretty darn good. It's a kind of Greek salad in a pita dealie, and I think I am going to try and pirate the recipe for my own twisted ends. The whole vegetarianism thing is going pretty well so far, based on initial assessments of my not-starving-ness. While I am still slightly concerned about the protein thing (I have yet to dig into beans thus far, getting most of my protein through peanut butter and eggs/dairy, but their time will come) since I don't even know if it's really a problem. I have seen studies now that say that the recommendation for protein in the average diet is a myth and that you don't need nearly as much as the Food Guide says you do. So far I have put these studies in the same category of trustworthyness as the Timecube, but I don't quite want to dismiss them entirely, since they are in my favor. Otherwise, I am finding that I miss meat like I miss going out and getting half-wasted every other night, which is to say, not too much. I am sure that when I do have steak again, I will probably melt into a puddle of contentment, but until then, I'm doing pretty good.
And speaking about food and eating, whilst perusing BoingBoing recently, I read this article here about the way we eat nowadays, and how it is completely at odds with the way we are biologically evolved to eat. I thought it was a fantastic read and very thought provoking. One bit that did scare me though, was the revelation that prepared breakfast cereal (ie. what I eat for breakfast every bloody day...) is basically, because of all the processing involved, equivalent to a bowl of sugar. And I'm not talking about the sweetened stuff that I like to eat either - this refers to unsweetened Corn Flakes. I consider myself to eat fairly healthily, but that's still a bit of a shock, considering that cold cereal has been my breakfast since forever. The rest of my diet is good though, I think. Most of the rest of the stuff I eat now is just the food itself - sauteed vegetables over pasta with just a bit of oil, for example. Nice and simple, if maybe slightly plain. I don't mind it though, and this is pretty much just an extension of how I shop for food: I buy food, not packages. Somehow, I can hook my mind around the fact that if I think what I'm buying is raw food, then it's ok to eat. Things like canned food and the odd prep-heavy item (like lasagna) are about as close as I get to pre-packaged stuff. I usually drink things like milk, water, juice and sodium-free club soda (the last one in somewhat copious amounts, since it's basically just water with some CO2). I circumvent most of the brainwashing people receive by not watching TV (although it's not like I'm that much more active or anything, since I spend just as much time on the PC). So while I might be slightly boring (I would say zen, but that's a matter of perspective) I feel that I'm taking some measures to try and live as best I can. Thing is though, am I doing enough? Is anyone?
I probably will sounds like a tin-foil-hat-paranoid-crazy-nutbin wreck here, but I believe we can never be sure about anything when it comes to diet and food-related issues nowadays, since there are so many different factions that want us to think many different things. Consider the following: the Food Guide, with it's happy recommended amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, etc etc etc, lays out a "healthy" way to eat, as recommended by the government. It is going through revision right now to bring it up to date, but will it be more accurate? Will the people representing the agriculture industry really want to risk having their spot at being the food group that gets the most attention? I don't think so, and I'm sure if you look through the books, you'll find no small amount of lobbying from the grains associations to keep their share of the food pie the same. The meat industry, however, will likewise be equally lobbying to get people to eat more proteins. Sure, you could argue that the scientific types that are doing the Guide reworkage will ask for studies that demonstrate why each particular industry is right, but we all know studies can be made to "prove" just about anything, and ideas can sound awfully tasty when lubed up with cash moneys. Also consider (this one was made in the above-mentioned article): the Food Industry maintains that they are doing nothing wrong (which really, they aren't), and that if people were to educate themselves, they can eat healthy too! Problem is, though, that to educate themselves, they must go out and work to do so, whereas to listen to what the Food Industry (and its partner-in-crime Television) has to say, they must simply lie back on the couch and wait. Billions of dollars in research is spent to make sure that pre-processed food is as is the first thing you grab when the munchies strike, and that money isn't all wasted. People almost need to de-"educate" any thinking they already have adopted based on the advertising and such that they receive - something that isn't easy for most.
I don't know... Reading that article was, while really fascinating, somewhat scary. Makes you very distrustful of what we eat and what we think we should eat, and what we really should eat. Not to mention the whole "not getting enough exercise" bits that are alluded to. I do think I should do something about the cereal thing though. The question that remains is, what? The reason I like cereal is that it is a) SUGAR!!! (ironically, the reason I am considering switching) and b) very easy to make in the morning. My alternatives? Oatmeal and an egg is looking to be a fore-runner, due to the fact that is seems to be a preferred choice for bodybuilders. Downsides are that a) I am unsure how to best prepare oatmeal (since it will probably not be the instant variety) and b) I am unsure of how to make good hard-boiled eggs (they are much harder than simply boiling the bejeebus out of the eggs, involving ice-water baths and such). That is easily remedied, however, so I just might end up with a new morning routine soon... We (or rather, I) shall soon see.
From Dave Barry's blog, comes the BEST CAKE EVAR. I want this for my birthday party. Oh yes.
From Boing Boing comes the Seven League Boots. I don't know what they do or how they work, but I want them too.
Also from Boing Boing is the Library Musical. I don't particularly think that I would ever be in something like this, but if I did, it would probably be amusement for all. ¶ 9:17 p.m.
