When reporters try to be philosophical about lifestyle, the result is usually something like what was contained in last Sunday’s New York Times (Critic’s Notebook: Be Merry, Not Ancient), to wit: "If living to 99 means forever cutting the porterhouse into eighths, swearing off the baked potato and putting the martini shaker into storage, then 85 sounds a whole lot better, and I’d ratchet that down to 79 to hold onto the Haagen-Dazs…" (snicker, snicker). Diet and lifestyle are nearly always presented as a choice between living a monastic or indulgent life, overlooking the possibility that eating lots of vegetables and doing away with sugar can actually make you feel better than you used to feel, to the extent you decide you’re better off without the sugar…
Speaking of sugar, the New York Times yesterday published one of the most amazing columns I’ve ever seen in the establishment media–a no-holds-barred trashing of corn syrup. One sample from Nicholas Kristof’s column: "It makes no sense to enforce restrictions on lead paints while allowing children to ingest other debilitating substances, particularly sugary drinks like Coke, Snapple and Gatorade (parents often think that sports drinks are healthy, but their added sugars and calories are the last thing many kids need — kids need sports, not sports drinks). " I strongly recommend you read this column, since you won’t often see the establishment media take on America’s corporate food interests. This piece more than makes up for the foolishness of Sunday’s Critic’s Notebook.
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