SweetNightshade’s BodyBlog

Every Saturday night I play Dungeons and Dragons with several friends. The standard gamer fare is provided: pizza, chips, soda. Two things have happened with this in the past. First, I’ve associated hanging out with food, and manage to get the munchies more often when I’m with these people. Second, I’ve often fallen into the mindset of ‘well if everyone else is cheating tonight…’

I cannot afford to have a greasy cheat night every week. The games are held at my house and I have a very regimented eating schedule now, so the choice was obvious. After everyone grabbed their pizza, I broke out some healthy leftovers from the week and heated them up on the stove.

But a curious thing happened. As I was breaking out the goods, one of my friends spoke up.

"Oh, are you dieting again?"

Smiling and without missing a beat I tell her, "No, not really. I’m just eating healthier. It’s more of a lifestyle thing."

"No, I’m pretty sure you’re dieting. That’s sad."

Now, this was one of the strangest encounters I’ve had during my journey to get healthy. Sure, I’ve heard people give excuses as to why they’re off track. Or I’ve heard joking exchanges about eating ‘hippy food’. But I’ve never had anyone outright condemn my healthiness as a tragedy.

Almost simultaneously, two of my other friends and I all reply, "No, really, it’s not a diet. It’s a lifestyle."

These are friends who aren’t exactly gung-ho about health themselves, but they support my decisions nonetheless. It was nice to know I had backup, especially after what came next.

I explained, "Yeah, I have to fuel myself right, really focus on proteins and what-not since I’m getting into bodybuilding."

My skeptic friend stared at me in what almost looked like repulsion, "You? Bodybuilding? Really? I don’t know, I’m not sure how I feel about that."

I could tell what she was thinking, or so I thought, "No no, I’m not trying to bulk up like crazy. I don’t want to look like the female version of Ah-nold; that’s just not my thing. I’m just not satisfied simply being at a healthy weight. I want to be fit and toned. I want my body to be shaped the way I want it to be."

But it didn’t matter that I wasn’t aiming for she-hulk, "I still don’t know… Diets are still sad."
No amount of confused inqueries could get her to explain why she thought that way. And later, my little brother popped a 100 calorie popcorn bag instead of grabbing chips like everyone else. Again she pipes up.

"Awwe, it’s so sad and little."

I’m really kind of befuddled at this point, "No, it’s just a single serving size. Why do you seem to have such a problem with eating healthy? Why do you think it’s so sad?"

Some mumbled excuses and then, "Besides, it’s not shareable size."

Now, this friend isn’t fat or anything, but I think she really personifies the "American Way" of eating. If someone else is eating, you have to be eating. I can’t count how many times she’s brought a bag of candy as a birthday present for someone. For people like her, food is not fuel, but a social tool. Or, in my mother’s case, good food is a way of showing affection.

I admit that I enjoy a well-cooked meal. I love trying new and exotic foods (lamb’s tongue for example!) I also have several wonderful cooks in my extended family. Recipes get handed down and food is always present at social occasions. I can still enjoy these things as a healthy person, but priorities need to be shifted. Recipes can be reworked to be healthier. Cheat days are scheduled, but used in moderation. I can still enjoy the gourmet qualities of food, but it doesn’t have to be my central focus. I understand now why fancy restaurants serve amazing food in such tiny portions. Sometimes a little taste is all you need to experience cuisine.

But most Americans don’t see it that way. And really, maybe being genetically disposed to a lighter weight isn’t always a gift. Even though my friend isn’t fat because of her views on food, I can bet you that her arteries aren’t as clean as mine. Besides, you know what? My "diet" food was pretty damn tasty last night. And it sure looked a lot better than greasy pizza and cinnamon sticks.

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 28th, 2008 at 8:06 am and is filed under Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.