I believe that issues related to nutrition (and by that I mean what we ourselves eat) are among the most debated and controversial.
In countries where the standard of living is high, our thoughts about food look like a battlefield where pleasure and duty, good and bad are fighting an endless war, from which we are usually left beaten.
Regarding food, most people in the industrialized world seem to act as if desire were shameful, and pleasure some kind of shortcoming. They behave as though the decision on what is occasionally appropriate and what should be avoided were monitored from above by a sort of god, ready to strike if its rules are broken.
The reasons behind this problematic behaviour are many: The simplification (ignorance) of concepts related to human physiology, the scapegoating of pleasure and desire, the difficulty for some to face being the only person accountable for their choices, and, last but not least, the guilt and fear that is induced, especially in some countries, by the mass media (magazines, wellness and fitness, television …), and the health trends of the moment that often follow marketing strategies of the merchandise choices made elsewhere. So in a certain period, milk is a vital food, while in another it is yogurt that becomes indispensable. Or, suddenly, we are told that “the brain needs sugar (advertising of the producers of cooking sugar) … I could go on for pages.
These “campaigns” are seen all the time in industrialized countries. It is important to be aware that most of what we choose in our daily lives is usually decided by others. Certain foods are not available in some countries for precise commercial choices. Others are available only from a certain source. At some point, Norwegian salmon invades the markets of a certain nation, and there’s no way to find a Baltic salmon even if one is willing to pay double. Today, all of the soy product on the market belongs to only three genetically modified strains, all others have been excluded from world markets. The list of case studies and examples could be endless.
On the other hand, discussing problems of hyper-nutrition, excesses of food and related diseases may sound blasphemous to the ears of those who live in places where the problem is being able to make ends meet, or keep their children alive.
I realize that it is not easy to give dietary advice on a site that is potentially read all over the world. Genetic and cultural customs, the local availability of certain foods, and the market are all critical elements and should be considered one by one, region by region, operating the necessary distinctions. This is a task clearly beyond the reach of a simple information website. Here I limit myself to refer to an individual caucasian, with habits likely to be found in Europe or in North America and who has access to relevant markets.
Not that what I will be writing has no relevance at all to people who find themselves outside the spheres just mentioned: in fact, the majority of the considerations I make are probably applicable to most human beings. I’ll try to be careful to refer to concepts as universal as possible, and to specify from time to time when this is not the case.
Needless to say, it is inappropriate to advise the so-called Mediterranean diet to an Inuit who eats only fish and seal for a hundred generations, as it would be to advise a Syrian to eat fish five times a week, or potatoes every day. Try to take what we will say here with a grain of salt. You’ll find that you’ll get something interesting out of it anyway:)
[Translated from Italian by Hayley Egan]
Image Courtesy of chedonna.it
