Today’s PrimalMed Prescription
Dietary dogma makin’ ya crazy?.. Just ask yourself…”what would Nana say?”
This mornings random musing is an interesting anecdote…because, well…why not? I mention this because its speaks to what I see is a repeating topic of conversation…here, there and everywhere!
So this happened yesterday morning…as I was doing my radiologist thing and walking up to the front of the office for my 10 AM caffeine infusion.
One of the receptionists saw me walk by and remarked “Hey Dr M.. I saw someone on Tik-Tok that reminded me of PrimalMed….he was talking all about ancestral health and HE said… eat meat and liver and fruit and stay away from vegetables…he said they were toxic BS…and this guy was tan and shirtless and looked super ripped and healthy.”
And someone else at the desk said..”that is 100% Grade A BS crazy talk.. I love my salad and broccoli and greens..and btw, I read that fruit has too much sugar and its the fructose thats gonna kill you!”
And they both asked “ Hey PrimalMed..What should I do?”.. (not in unison of course but that would have been incredibly more entertaining.)
Ah..good ol’ food wars and regimented cultish thinking.. it can make you kinda sorta crazy and overthink everything you do.
So what’s the deal?….here’s the deal.. we had talked about your body being a supercomputer and your inputs being the software code, right? These inputs do include food but also the stuff you read and feed your head….its the wild west out there in the land of Tik-Tok and Instagram so take all the influencer yadda yadda with a huge grain of Himalayan salt. The Meat and Liver guy?...I spoke with him on the phone a few years back. He’s actually a pretty bright MD with a good message for many, but not all folks… so I say before you choose to embark on any restrictive way of eating…slow down, take a pause and think.. “Does this really make sense for me?..What would Nana do?”… Would she really say that fruits and veggies are bad or that steak and eggs are bad? And what does “bad” really mean? Will the lectins in your legumes or lentils erode your gut and kill you?.. Is that hard-boiled egg dipped in salt really gonna send you to the cardiac cath lab? Really? Geez-louise get a grip! Nana ate em all !!!
Its not so much that any particular food can be bad for you, rather it’s what has been DONE to the food that’ll get you in end. Its the processed and ultra processed food that’ll make you forever hungry and feel like crap. Rather than being dogmatic and restrictive, I would say listen to your gut. If you have to wonder if its a fake food-like substance, it probably is. Focus on quality…the less processed the better. Sure, for some people, eating plants and veggies make you bloated and gassy but for others, not at all…and they absolutely thrive. Its all about quality… Broccoli and spinach steamed or sautéed in butter? No problem there and a whole lotta good. Frankenfood plant burgers made in a lab?.. I’m calling BS. Veggie chips fried with seed oils, preserved and bagged?..danger danger...proceed with caution.
Fruit?.. I’m talking real fruit..not a 24 oz. sugar bomb smoothie that you chugga lug lug thereby slamming your poor gut with 100 grams of processed sugar sans fiber in 5 minutes… we’re talking apples and oranges and berries ingested and absorbed in a whole food matrix like mother nature intended..hella good.. because that is what your body expects and craves.. real nutrients. Processed high fructose corn syrup and added sugars in ultraprocessed foods.. not advised !!! Remember, carbs, as a macronutrient are not inherently evil, not at all.. but overconsumption when its ultra processed with added sugars?..then its pure “carb-age.”
“Use your common sense,” I implored “with no need to be married to any particular dietary dogma.”….and that is how the story ended at the receptionists desk yesterday morning.
You are only as good as your inputs….. giving too much credence to the entertaining reels and clips on the Insta and Tik-Tok or any one restrictive way of eating will toss you out of your lane like a gust of wind hitting an ‘86 Yugo on the Mass Pike.
Today’s PrimalMed Prescription?…ditching dietary dogma and sticking to Just Eating Real Food is a solid place to start for just about everyone and will serve us well in the end. Enjoy those Tik-Toks and Insta reels for their entertainment value but in the end.. ask yourself…”What would Nana say?”