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The Dreaded Underminer!

Meet Lonny, Do You Know Someone Like Him?

June 11th, 2012



By Vivienne Palmer, posted by PEERtrainer Founder

It happened again, the thing I dread. My husband sauntered into my office with a smug grin on his face and said, "Did you hear the news? There's a new study that says that salt isn't bad for you. In fact, Americans don't eat that much salt at all." This from a guy who dumps salt on everything, often before he tastes it. Seriously, I've seen him put salt on cheese.

Visualize me pounding my head against the keyboard.

This happens all the time. I go to great lengths to provide healthy meals for my family based upon a lifetime of personal study and my own "wisdom" about nutrition.

When it comes to food, I am deeply distrusting of any kind of eating regime that is also the title of a book, such as Paleo, Low-Carb, Atkins, The Zone, etc. My only exception is Michael Pollan's credo (note, this is not a book title): Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Vegetables.

I believe in lots of organic (when I can) fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and modest amounts of lean meat. I strive to prepare most of what we eat from whole ingredients and I can make almost anything taste good. I am mostly vegetarian but I don't have an existential crisis if a friend serves meat; I also cater to the tastes of my young kids and my husband.

While my kids eat more fries and sweets than I would like, I feel good about how I am feeding their bodies.

My beliefs come from a deep interest in food and nutrition. Most things seem fairly obvious and it boils down to moderation. A little of X,Y and Z is fine but too much is not so good.

I've seen so many radical new eating programs usurped by the next bestselling diet book that my first reaction to any big headline is to wait a couple years before I take it seriously.

Meet Lonny, The Underminer

My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy from the midwest. He's a good sport about eating whatever I serve but he would also be just as happy to have a cheeseburger or a smothered burrito. Actually he'd be thrilled; the saltier and greasier the better.

You can only imagine how frustrating it is when some sensational study effectively undermines all the good eating habits I've worked so hard to instill in my family.

Just when I get us all on a good track (and I realize that this is my definition of good, I'm not a researcher) Lonny triumphantly points to an article that insists that butter is better than vegetable oil, Bacon is healthy but whole grains will kill you, saturated fats have no bearing on heart disease whatsoever, salt is not a problem and neither is caffeine, alcohol, or whatever vice you are loathe to give up.

Call me a pessimist, but I can't help but wonder if the goal of the study is to generate a spike in media circulation. And make me crazy.

When our next meal rolls around and I present the usual healthy (or deadly, depending on what you just read) meal, Lonny looks at me questioningly. Haven't I heard? Didn't I read the paper? Why aren't we having giant salt-crusted steak?

And then I get all defensive and am like, "Oh, because someone NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD OF SAYS IT'S OKAY? Like Dr. Atkins? Didn't he die of a massive coronary?" As if my day needed to get any longer.

Fortunately the kids aren't old enough to jump in the fray, but I'm sure they will eventually.

There isn't a solution to my problem.

It is human nature to seek out ways to justify our desires, especially if we desire to sit around, eat processed food and neglect our health.

Have you heard? Running is bad for you! You can get all the exercise you need by vacuuming the house. Oh, and forget about mammograms or prostate cancer tests. You shouldn't do those either. Seriously, what's next? Text while you drive! Smoking is OK!

Helmets are a bad idea! I realize that I am venturing into hyperbole, but you get what I'm saying, right? Years of public education gets thrown out with a keystroke.

I would really appreciate knowing whether I am dealing with a passing fad or bona fide research. I have an open mind and want what is best for my family but if I changed my habits every time an article was published, I'd lose my mind or just give up.

My B.S. detector is pretty accurate but my husband is only too happy to throw out the healthy habits and jump on the bacon bandwagon. Don't even get me started about bacon. A BLT once or twice a year? Yummy. Bacon bits on my ice cream? Please.

We live in a culture that values thin physiques but derides healthful living. The more doctors talk about diet and exercise, the more fast food chains come up with double-deep-fried-bacon-cheese-hold-the-carbs-behemoth-burgers to foist on us.

It's like an in-your-face assault on public health. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to stay the course. Seriously, what's a mom to do?

(PEERtrainer Note: Lonny can be seen walking around Boulder, Colorado with a very content look on his face. If you see him, take appropriate action.)

Also by Vivienne Palmer: Breaking Up With The Scale

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