I was never very interested in food, nutrition and diet until I joined my high school wrestling team. Wrestling and other one-to-one sports sometimes are divided into weight classes. I wrestled in the 128 lb class and I would have been rejected for any match if my weigh-in showed me to be too heavy. Body weight is connected to our food habits and I paid some attention to what I ate and my weight. Being disqualified from a match costs the team some points. I was never disqualified. But the experience got me thinking about food and its effects.
In my freshman year, I was required to write a research paper and I focused on food. I learned that foods are often classed as carbs, fats or proteins, plus vitamins and supplements. I read that the Japanese government recommends 30 different foods a day. On top of that, we both like variety. I have read that food novelty and variety generally stimulates appetite and interest in eating.
So, I am surprised at what reading through "Blue Zones Kitchen" by Dan Buettner has done to my ideas. He is the author of several "blue zone" books, about places on earth where people tend to be especially long-lived. That book and conversations with my wife have opened the door to greater repetition, eating the same food repeatedly. Lynn has been leaning toward more vegetarian eating and Blue Zones Kitchens advocates little or no meat. At the same time, I have been cutting back on alcohol. The book says that red wine is an important part of diet in many parts of the world. I like red wine but over the last couple of years, it seems a bit hard on my gut. I thought I wasn't a fan of beans but we have been eating more of them and I am getting to be more of a fan.
