Host: Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey
Guest: Susan Yager
Broadcast and podcast on webtalkradio.net. The podcast is also on the links below
The story of Peter Pan concluded, “All of this has happened before and will all happen again.” Barrie could have applied the same intro to the more than 100 years of diet insanity in America. Previous diet ideas keep resurfacing like moles in an arcade Whack-a-Mole.
Knowing the history and context of this insanity gives perspective and helps us be wiser in making sense of diet and weight loss advice. Susan Yager chronicled the madness with balance, humor and perspective in her delightful book, The Hundred Year Diet.
As the Simon and Garfunkel sang, “Still crazy after all these years.” The 100 Year Diet helps us see the forest instead of just the tress. The key points from more than 100 years of diet insanity are:
- We have a long history of diet gurus, some of whom are legitimate, but many of whom have dubious credentials, seize a pressing social fear, find a small poorly designed, unreplicated study and tout it as proof of the efficacy of their diet, and propagate unhealthy eating and possibly a best seller.
- In the 1980s, the American food supply radically changed with an increased emphasis on corn, soy beans, wheat, and corn syrup, not to mention trans fats and junk food.
- The key to healthy eating and to weight loss is choosing quality foods, being mindful or respectful of what we eat, and leisurely dining rather than grabbing a bite.
- For those who don’t choose a diet like Dean Ornish’s or Robert Pritkin’s, a Mediterranean style diet is one of the better choices.
The book, The 100 Year Diet, is fascinating, very readable, gets you thinking, and give you perspective. The book’s website is www.TheHundredYearDiet.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.
