I’ve been trying to avoid as much as possible consuming three biggies in our diet: sugar, dairy, and wheat (along with all the artificial sweeteners and caffeine). I’ve actually gotten pretty used to not consuming these items. The big challenge comes when I go to a restaurant or event where those are practically the only items available. I’ve been to two events recently where there actually wasn’t anything other than soft drinks or wine/beer to drink. No club soda, no bottled water. The food offerings were primarily pasta salads, cheeses, sandwiches, hot dogs, pies and cake for dessert. So I made do with some cole slaw or hamburger scraped off a bun, and some tap water. I didn’t say anything and tried to make my plate look used, since I really don’t want to call attention to myself and have the inevitable discussions about, "What kind of diet are you on?" or "You don’t look like you need to lose weight."
I’ve actually tried eating in advance of certain such events so I won’t be tempted, and won’t be in a crummy mood from feeling hungry and deprived.
So I’m getting used to just not partaking of the "all-American" food being piled on our plates. But at one such event, the host actually sent my wife and me (as well as other guests) home with a bunch of leftovers, the same stuff I wouldn’t eat at the event. After some agonizing, we decided to throw the stuff away. Why eat at home what we wouldn’t eat while visiting? But as the stuff went down the drain, I felt weird. I had never thrown away food, aside from leftovers on the plate, or spoiled in the refrigerator.
The experience has stayed with me. With so much suffering in the world, much of it over insufficient food, discarding food seems inappropriate. But if the food is bad for you… Such are the challenges of the American world of plenty.
Recent Comments