Mi2Sweets – All in the genes or in the head?

01/09: All in the genes or in the head?

I’m hardly what anyone would call a “health nut.” I mean really, if carb-pushing was a capital crime I’d be on death row. So there is great irony in the fact that one of my favorite shows is “You Are What You Eat” on BBC America. I guess you can call it a “self-improvement” show in the similar vein as “The Biggest Loser” only the focus is usually on one or two individuals–battling the bulge. Instead of the ultra buff uber fitness trainer Jillian Michaels cracking the whip, it’s the tough-talking food-nazi nutritionistista Gillian McKeith.

I’m utterly fascinated by the willingness of the participants to quit their “bad” eating habits cold turkey–which Gillian cruelly lays out in a stomach-churning buffet table of a week’s worth of gluttony–and submit themselves to eight weeks of a stringently monitored “detox” diet. Everyone is told at the beginning that if they don’t eat “healthy” and exercise immediately–they will DIE, sooner not later. And so a grossly overweight chocolate and cheese-obsessed housewife from Hampshire, for example, having been poked, prodded and subjected to a colonic, is scared straight. After eight weeks of torturous self-denial and sucking down gallons of nettle tea, she emerges victorious, sporting a new do, stylish clothes and make-up, and at least twenty pounds lighter. She, like the other participants, has succeeded in overcoming her evil, unhealthy habits. She apparently no longer craves the “bad” stuff and is perfectly satisfied with life without chocolate and cheese. Ah, a happy ending for all. Uh huh.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it is fantastic that these people had the determination to get healthy and the fortitude to stick to a regime. But will they really be able to live like that forever? And more importantly, is it all that bad to let yourself enjoy a little vino and chocolate occasionally? Will a couple pieces of bacon be the death of you? Do we have to live life in such extremes–french fries in gravy, butter sandwiches, sausage rolls and chocolate bars on one end and nettle tea, aduki bean stew, beet root juice, and dandelion greens on the other? God I hope not.

My cousin, who ironically, by his own admission, is on the obese side of the scale, is an oncologist. He has spent years studying the causes of and treatments for cancer. He’s come to the conclusion that, despite our best efforts to live healthy–eat right and exercise–some of us are just genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and even cancer. This explains why a person who lives a seemingly healthy lifestyle and appears fit can still be popping Lipitor, like my aunt, while my sedentary cousin cheerfully carves up rib eye on a weekly basis.

Well, that sucks! So it’s basically a crapshoot whether you are one of the lucky ones who’s genetically blessed with a body that efficiently processes cholesterol–like my cousin apparently–and can eat whatever with little ill effect. Okay, you may be fat but it ain’t gonna kill you.

What’s truly mind-boggling though, is that according to Ed your state of mind is far more important to longevity than anything else. If you are essentially optimistic and happy-go-lucky, chances are you will not only enjoy life more, but will live longer. Sure there are things you can do to improve your chances of not getting cancer or a heart attack–like regular exercise and not smoking or eating/drinking excessively–but to deny yourself the pleasures of food is not one of them. If eating the occasional maple bacon donut or seared foie gras makes you happy, go for it. Just chase it down with a little nettle tea for good measure.

Posted January 9th, 2009

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