Health food makes me sick. -Calvin Trillin

From "One Minute Wellness," by Dr. Ben Lerner with Dr. Greg Loman:

It's pointless to look for the perfect diet. Rarely does anyone eat perfectly for even one day, never mind a whole week or a whole lifetime! That's what's so crazy about the new diets; no one can stick to nutritional programming very long. Forget dieting and begin Un-dieting.

The most important part of the Un-diet is to get started, get your bat off your shoulder, get off the bench, and just get in the game. You are never going to eat without error—and you don’t have to. When you make mistakes, just get back in there. You can make several errors and still win. You lose only if you lose hope.

How can you do this forever? Let me introduce you to the Vacation Rule: Rather than call it cheating, the Un-diet allows you to build two to three Vacation Meals right into your weekday schedule. These Vacation Meals can be chocolate on Wednesdays, pizza on Fridays, and ice cream after lunch on Sundays. Now eating what you love no longer means you’ve quit your diet; it's now part of your lifetime normal eating plan.

In this world, committing to do anything right is difficult. No matter what you do, challenges and natural temptations will always try to pull you away from it. What I have found is that fighting this is particularly tough when I am doing things purely for my own sake. On the other hand, if my commitment is to benefit the welfare of others, I have a whole other level of discipline. Because a healthier eating program gives you more energy, greater strength, increased mental awareness, and significantly increased time here on the planet, what you put into your mouth affects others. When you consider what you are going to put in your mouth (which most people do not consider at all, remember that if you lead a longer, more vital life, you can do a tremendous amount more for God and the people you love. Pregnant women always say they are eating for two. I always say I am eating for three: 1. God; 2. The people I love and serve 3. Me (I do like to look and feel my best.)

 

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