--is how much diet can affect us.

For a while now, it's been argued that the SAD (Standard American Diet) is fundamentally debilitating to the body---but, unfortunately, much of the argument has been around the fringes. It's very hard to get really mainstream serious coverage of dietary issues when there are so many forces out there looking to sell their products and maintain the status quo. Large agricultural interests, food processors/manufacturers, fast food chains--all have vested interest in keeping us eating heavily processed grain based foods with lots of sugar and salt added. And they are certainly powerful enough to lobby and influence legislation--it's certainly been argued that at least part of out trouble stems from heavy subsidy of certain crops, which are then overproduced and need to be used SOMEWHERE. (Few of us have heard of any broccoli lobby, but I digress.)

In time, eating such a diet tends to have some not so good consequences; our bodies have not caught up evolutionarily to the advances in genetic modification and/or abundance of certain food stuffs. Our bodies, more used to a feast-or-famine regimen in pre-civilization eras as regards meats or sweets, and to daily browsing for vegetable matter, have a hard time adapting to always available sources of simple carbs and enormous amounts of animal protein. Given our bodies naturally tendency to want to hold on to calories for presumed lean times ahead, we readily store this as fat, and biochemically develop insulin resistance. Our overconsumption of refined foods not only adds in a lot of sugar and salt but also can lead to deficiency of important trace minerals and vitamins. And, of course, most of us don't get the exercise needed daily that would mitigate some of these problems. It's not a good scenario.

Though it is difficult, many do now choose to alter their diets in the direction of a more "natural", earlier time. They cut down on processed foods, eat fewer grains, eat more vegetables and some fruits in season, try to use meat as a flavoring rather than a main course, limit sugar and salt, and even eat more sparingly throughout the day rather than have a few big meals. Admittedly, this requires a lot of forethought and vigilance in a society not predisposed to aid it. But I've yet to hear the people who've made a commitment to this come back some months later and say "You know, I tried healthier eating, but I felt like crap--I'm going back to my old way". There are certainly people who've reverted because they've felt "it's too hard", and there are aspects of the SAD that are addicting--it can be as tough to get off sugar and salt initially as it can be to get off many drugs. The people who make who see it through that first month or so, though, do generally begin to notice some nice salutary effects.

Often, though, the motivation to do this doesn't occur until something really bad hits. (I bet Melody will chime in here.) Many of us don't try a dietary alteration until we're hit with unmistakable evidence that our diet is leading us to harm (i.e., diabetes), or until our debilitation doesn't respond as much as we want to more mundane therapies (i.e., drugs, surgery). I know I didn't start thinking more Paleo/Zone, and try avoiding gluten and processed food, until the neuropathy attack. Before that, who cared?

So, to paraphrase Michael Pollan: "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. And not a lot of processed crap. And try to do it evenly over the course of a day." (Believe me, it's amazing what you can do with various colored cabbages, some black pepper, and an apple or two.) And, I'd add--"If you can, go out and take a walk after you've eaten."