The longer I think about it, the more I'm convinced that health and fulfillment are found in the extremes, not in moderation.
The paleo/low-carb community makes a big deal out of the supposed health of the Masai and Inuit. Even if it were true (which is sort of is and sort of isn't, at least in terms of longevity vs vigor and physique and quality of life), it's a totally reductionist argument which misses the bigger point:
The Masai and Inuit live what we would consider extreme lifestyles, without the nest of creature comforts and controlled environments that we have constructed for ourselves in the developed world.
And although they're far from vegan, they don't eat junk food (at least traditionally).
To be truly healthy and human, I would argue, requires a combination of extreme diet, extreme movement, and extreme willingness to face physical, environmental, and emotional discomfort without flinching or avoiding these stimuli.
That's why just mimicking the animal-heavy diet of a traditional culture is a silly reductionist justification for meat eating. If someone tells you, “What about the Inuit?”, ask them if they spend 24/7 in subzero temperatures and support themselves through physical labor. Then they might be able to partly mitigate the effects of a bacon-based diet. (Although without the Inuit genetic adaptations, I doubt it.)
Extremism is Normal; Moderation Isn't
The point is, what has been normal human experience for millions of years — a whole food, plant-based diet (not vegan, but mostly plants); the need for movement and exertion to wrest sustenance, security, and shelter from nature; and intermittent exposure to environmental shocks (cold, heat, wind, water, hard surfaces) — is now considered “extreme” by a culture that has elevated comfort food, couch potato-dom, and 72 degrees and dry to biological imperatives.
And we're becoming increasingly sick and miserable as a result. What Nicholas Nassim Taleb would call “anti-fragile.”
And the whole thing is built upon two extremely non-sustainable systems: the winner-take-all capitalism that creates incentives to strip-mine, mono-crop, pollute the commons, and poison our own people with toxic products, and the petroleum reserves that allow us to temporarily exceed our daily allowance of solar energy.
When both come crashing down, whether in 5 years, 50 years, or 500 hundred years (all three mere blinks in the geological time scale), who among us will be able to withstand the world that we will have to inhabit? If indeed it is habitable at all.
No matter what we do individually, we're just plants in the ground. If, as my friend and teacher Tad Hargrave reminds us, the soil itself is toxic, there are severe limits on how healthy and fulfilled each of us can be.
Evolve or Die
What's needed now is a quantum leap in human evolution. Not something dramatic like growing wings or fins, but arguable more profound: to democratize the spiritual quest so it's not just the purview of yogis and monks and Western elites.
To make the care of our souls our top priority. To discover how to be loving. How to be Love.
How to metabolize all our past and present suffering and turn it into the compost in which our souls can grow.
How to surrender our domestication and get in touch with the healing wildness within.
And then to live like Avatars, like archetypal royalty, so that everyone around us is drawn to drink from the same well.
It's no longer enough to chase our own enlightenment and our own physical health and dismiss the rest of the world.
Learn.
Do.
Teach.
We're all in this together. And, to steal a beautiful line from Robert Moss, the time is GO.
Looking for Transformational Change?
You know how when you discovered plant-based eating, you basically went, “Holy shit, how come the entire healthcare system isn't totally embracing this as one of the most powerful keys to disease prevention and reversal!”?
That's how I feel now about a psychological approach to transformational change called “Memory Reconsolidation.” Few psychologists have heard about it, and when they do hear the radical transformations it can bring about in a very short time, they're often skeptical to the point of disbelief.
But I've added Memory Reconsolidation work to my own coaching, and can attest to its amazing efficacy. So much so, that I'm devoting the next year to mastering it, studying with the best clinicians and teachers in the world, and then introducing it into health coaching through my trainings.
Right now, I want to triple my coaching practice to get more and more opportunities to do this work. And I'm lowering my fees – a lot – to make it easier for people to work with me.
If you're interested in working with me (and willing to commit to a minimum of 2 months), click the link below to open the form in a new browser tab and I'll get back to you within 3 business days.
Yes, I'm interested in Memory Reconsolidation Coaching.
You CAN Change Other People!
Well, that's what Peter Bregman and I claim in our provocative book of that title.
What we really mean is, you can help the people around you make behavioral changes in their own best interests. If you think you're powerless to help people change, it's because you've been going about it the wrong way.
Discover our straightforward, replicable process here: You Can Change Other People.
Audiobook: Use the Weight to Lose the Weight
Listen to Josh LaJaunie and me narrate our latest audiobook, about how to start moving when you're obese.
It's $10, and Josh and I split it evenly 🙂
Tip Jar
This podcast is not underwritten by advertising, so I can experience complete editorial autonomy without worrying about pissing off the person paying the bills. Instead, I pay the bills, with your help. It's free for those who can't afford to pay, and supported by those who can. You can contribute to the growth and improvement of the podcast by clicking the “Support on Patreon” or “Donate” buttons on the right to help out.
Music
The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.
It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.
You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.
Gratitudes
Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons – Kim Harrison – Lynn McLellan – Brittany Porter – Dominic Marro – Barbara Whitney – Tammy Black – Amy Good – Amanda Hatherly – Mary Jane Wheeler – Ellen Kennelly – Melissa Cobb – Rachel Behrens – Tina Scharf – Tina Ahern – Jen Vilkinofsky – David Byczek – Michele X – Elspeth Feldman – Leah Stolar – Allan Kristensen – Colleen Peck – Michele Landry – Jozina – Sara Durkacs – Kelly Cameron – Janet Selby – Claire Adams – Tom Fronczak – Jeannette Benham – Gila Lacerte – David Donohue – Blair Seibert – Doron Avizov – Gio and Carolyn Argentati – Jodi Friesner – Mischa Rosen – Michael Worobiec – AvIvA Lael – Alicia Lemus – Val Linnemann – Nick Harper – Bandana Chawla – Molly Levine – The Inscrutable Harry R – Susan Laverty the Panda Vegan – Craig Covic – Adam Scharf – Karen Bury – Heather Morgan – Nigel Davies – Marian Blum – Teresa Kopel – Julian Watkins – Brid O'Connell – Shannon Herschman – Linda Ayotte – Holm Hedegaard – Isa Tousignant – Connie Haneline – Erin Greer – Alicia Davis – Heather O'Connor – Carollynne Jensen – Sheri Orlekoski of Plant Powered for Health – Karen Smith – Scott Mirani – Karen and Joe Crabtree – Kirby Burton – Theresa Carrell – Kevin Macaulay – Elizabeth Rothschild – Ann Jesse – Sheryl Dwyer – Jenny Hazelton – Peter W Evans – Dennis Bird – Darby Kelly – Lori Fanney – Linnea Lundquist – Emily Iaconelli – Levi Wallach – Rosamonde McAtee – Dan Pokorney – Stephen Leinin – Patty DeMartino – Mike and Donna Kartz – Deanne Bishop – Bilberry Elf – Marjorie Lewis – Tricia Adams – Nancy Sheldon – Lindsey Bashore – Gunn Marit Hagen – Tracey Gulledge – Lara Hedin – Meg from Mamasezz – Stacey Stokes – Ben Savage – Michael K – David Hughes -Coni Rodgers – Claire England – Sally Robertson – Parham Ganchi – Amy Dailey – Brian Tourville – Mark Jeffrey Johnson – Josie Dempsey – Caryn Schmitt – Pamela Hayden – Emily Perryman – Allison Corbett – Richard Stone – Lauren Vaught of Edible Musings – Erin Hastey – Sean Owens – Sagar Naik – Erika Piedra – Danielle Roberts – Michael Leuchten – Sarah Johnson – Katharine Floyd – Meryl Fury – for your generous support of the podcast.
Disclosure
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Love this piece. Thanks for posting it Howard. You’re the best.
Many thanks, Janet!