Peat Diet and Pleasure: Your Personal Experience; No Discussion
Let's gather some information from members, readers, Peatians.
Let's make this a non-discussion thread:
just descriptions from posters about their own, subjective experience of a Peat diet--
no commentary by others, no discussion.
Let's leave aside health aspects here.
Let's just focus upon your subjective experience of a Peat diet
in terms of diet pleasure:
deliciousness, satisfaction, variety, fun, excitement, ease, freedom, etc.
In order to be fully inclusive,
it may be that some will feel it impossible to separate health concerns from pleasure factors.
No problem--your input is still valued.
Just state that that is the case.
Also, your experience may have evolved over time:
by all means feel free include such evolution.
In order to explore this subjective and therefore somewhat hidden area
more thoroughly and accurately,
let’s lay out some of the things you might consider and address in your responses.
These are not mandatory considerations,
just suggestions and starting points designed to illicit
full, thorough, thoughtful, accurate information.
What Kind of Eater Are You?
1. Describe what kind of an eater you have been over the course of your life:
-Someone who loves food and places a lot of importance on it,
someone who thinks about food a lot, looks forward to eating, perhaps considers eating a need,
perhaps forms a big part of one's life around eating together with others, maybe thinks eating out is part of what makes life fun, maybe someone who feels they place too much emphasis on food, etc?
-Someone who doesn’t care that much about eating; maybe someone who prioritizes enjoyment of other thing in life like the arts or the intellectual world or love or sex, and food is not that important in the scheme of things; maybe the kind, like a couple of my friends, who would simply "inject" nutrients if that were healthy and painless; etc.
-Someone who has had eating difficulties like digestive problems, bowel problems, constipation, etc; maybe someone who has had some other kind of difficulties in relation to food, like anorexic tendencies; or maybe the type who is very conscious or worried about weight and body image, and therefore assigns a high priority to eating not primarily for taste and pleasure, but rather for weight control; etc.
-Someone who has been a serious athlete or bodybuilder who sees eating mainly as a way of achieving the best athletic results--as opposed to eating mainly for pleasure.
-Someone who struggles with health concerns and therefore does not place the highest priority
upon food pleasure, but rather upon food healthiness.
These are just some common types that come to mind.
There are probably infinite variations.
They are intended as food for thought/starting points.
Thought Experiments to React To
Consider in your response some of these "thought experiments"
and, if you like, weave responses to them into your post.
These thought experiments
are just intended to stimulate and encourage subtle and complex responses
in this subjective area.
Response to the thought experiments is encouraged, but optional.
Thought Experiment #1:
Imagine that tomorrow we get a newsletter from Dr. Peat.
In it he says that he has shifted his opinion even more towards
the statement he has already made about diet:
that one should eat primarily to raise metabolism, rather than eating specific foods.
Peat now says he believes the following is the best path to great health:
don't even worry about metabolism; rather, just stay true to your Appetite, your Desire for foods.
In other words, Peat now advises to eat whatever you Want.
Eat for desire, pleasure, variety, satisfaction, etc.
There is no need--in fact it will be unhealthy--to worry or restrict yourself
when it comes to grains or vegetables or even PUFA.
Peat no longer, in this thought experiment, places much importance on that.
The healthiest foods for you, he says,
will be the most delicious.
Just be true to and be guided by what you Want.
With that imagined Peat shift in mind,
please address in your response these kinds of questions:
How much, if any, do you think you might change your diet?
Do you think you would still stick very closely
to the Peat diet you had been eating,
because you have come to feel that it is indeed, say,
the most delicious and satisfying diet?
Or do you think you might include other kinds of foods,
or move away from the foods you had been eating?
(If you have any qualms or difficulties about entering into and responding to
such imagined scenarios--no problem. Just say that this is the case and, if you like, explain why.)
Thought Experiment #2:
Let's imagine that a writer for the New Yorker magazine comes to our site
and asks members about a Peat diet.
Let's imagine that this reporter has already written a glowing article
about the health benefits of a Peat diet.
Now he is here to gather information about
the relative pleasure (or non-pleasure) of a Peat diet.
He puts his question to you in this form:
"How would you describe to our (the New Yorker's) readers
what you guess they would experience if they tried a fairly strict Peat diet--
not in terms of health benefits,
but just in terms of
how they would most likely experience the diet's relative
pleasure, variety, ease, difficulty, deliciousness, restrictiveness, freedom, etc?"
So please try to imagine what your answer
to the imagined reporter might be
and weave that into your response.
(Of course, such a question calls upon you to form some notion
of what a typical or average New Yorker reader would be like in terms of diet and pleasure.
It is obvious that most such readers will be a part of the developed world,
and probably will tend to have a decent amount of money.
Beyond that, you will just need to form a rough estimate of what such people are like
in terms of their food preferences.
I would think they would be like many of the people we know in our day-to-day experience.
And again, as with both of the thought experiments,
if you have any qualms or difficulties about entering into and responding to
such imagined scenarios--
no problem. Just say that this is the case and, if you like, explain why.)
Your Personal Definition or Notion of a Peat Diet
Roughly, how do you personally define a Peat diet?
For instance, some adhere to a quite strict interpretation of a Peat diet,
while others consider a Peat diet to be just about anything
so long as it is slathered in coconut oil.
Some even say there is no such thing as a Peat diet.
Please provide a brief description of your view in this regard.
Avoidance of “Shoulds”
Try not to let any pressures in the form of “shoulds” affect your responses--
what you think you “should” say versus what you actually experience.
If you have a positive reaction about the pleasures of a Peat diet, by all means state that.
If, on the other hand, you have had some less-than-positive reactions,
don’t hesitate to state those kinds of experiences.
Here are some questions to consider in regard to “shoulds":
(Don't feel that you have to respond to these unless you want to:
they are simply meant to stimulate critical thinking about this topic.)
-Is “making the best” of a Peat diet the same as saying a Peat diet is delicious, varied, satisfying, etc?
-Is making a negative statement about the pleasures of a Peat diet the same thing as “whining” or “being a baby”?
-Does it mean that you are an “ungrateful” or “unthankful” person if you say something negative about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
-Does it mean that you are trying to “bring people down” or are being a “troll”
or “trying to discourage” fellow Peatians
if you say something negative about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
-If you have been eating a rather strict Peat diet for a long time
and have become used to it or habituated to it,
and therefore you do not struggle with it much anymore
and are to some degree at peace with it--
is this the same thing as saying that the diet is
the most delicious or most satisfying?
-Does it mean you disrespect Dr. Peat if you make a negative comment
about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
The point behind all such questions is to encourage accuracy.
Being “positive” is a highly valued trait in our society,
but it is not always the same thing as being accurate.
The same could be said of being negative.
So, respond away!
As I say, my wish would be that this be a thread
in which Peatians post just their own subjective experiences.
No commentary or discussion or evaluation of those posted experiences.
This, I think, may allow posters to feel more free to post freely and accurately.
Remember, this thread focuses upon your experiences with
your Peat diet and its Pleasures: deliciousness, satisfaction, ease, fun, variety, etc.
Not commentary about health aspects of a Peat diet
Let's gather some information from members, readers, Peatians.
Let's make this a non-discussion thread:
just descriptions from posters about their own, subjective experience of a Peat diet--
no commentary by others, no discussion.
Let's leave aside health aspects here.
Let's just focus upon your subjective experience of a Peat diet
in terms of diet pleasure:
deliciousness, satisfaction, variety, fun, excitement, ease, freedom, etc.
In order to be fully inclusive,
it may be that some will feel it impossible to separate health concerns from pleasure factors.
No problem--your input is still valued.
Just state that that is the case.
Also, your experience may have evolved over time:
by all means feel free include such evolution.
In order to explore this subjective and therefore somewhat hidden area
more thoroughly and accurately,
let’s lay out some of the things you might consider and address in your responses.
These are not mandatory considerations,
just suggestions and starting points designed to illicit
full, thorough, thoughtful, accurate information.
What Kind of Eater Are You?
1. Describe what kind of an eater you have been over the course of your life:
-Someone who loves food and places a lot of importance on it,
someone who thinks about food a lot, looks forward to eating, perhaps considers eating a need,
perhaps forms a big part of one's life around eating together with others, maybe thinks eating out is part of what makes life fun, maybe someone who feels they place too much emphasis on food, etc?
-Someone who doesn’t care that much about eating; maybe someone who prioritizes enjoyment of other thing in life like the arts or the intellectual world or love or sex, and food is not that important in the scheme of things; maybe the kind, like a couple of my friends, who would simply "inject" nutrients if that were healthy and painless; etc.
-Someone who has had eating difficulties like digestive problems, bowel problems, constipation, etc; maybe someone who has had some other kind of difficulties in relation to food, like anorexic tendencies; or maybe the type who is very conscious or worried about weight and body image, and therefore assigns a high priority to eating not primarily for taste and pleasure, but rather for weight control; etc.
-Someone who has been a serious athlete or bodybuilder who sees eating mainly as a way of achieving the best athletic results--as opposed to eating mainly for pleasure.
-Someone who struggles with health concerns and therefore does not place the highest priority
upon food pleasure, but rather upon food healthiness.
These are just some common types that come to mind.
There are probably infinite variations.
They are intended as food for thought/starting points.
Thought Experiments to React To
Consider in your response some of these "thought experiments"
and, if you like, weave responses to them into your post.
These thought experiments
are just intended to stimulate and encourage subtle and complex responses
in this subjective area.
Response to the thought experiments is encouraged, but optional.
Thought Experiment #1:
Imagine that tomorrow we get a newsletter from Dr. Peat.
In it he says that he has shifted his opinion even more towards
the statement he has already made about diet:
that one should eat primarily to raise metabolism, rather than eating specific foods.
Peat now says he believes the following is the best path to great health:
don't even worry about metabolism; rather, just stay true to your Appetite, your Desire for foods.
In other words, Peat now advises to eat whatever you Want.
Eat for desire, pleasure, variety, satisfaction, etc.
There is no need--in fact it will be unhealthy--to worry or restrict yourself
when it comes to grains or vegetables or even PUFA.
Peat no longer, in this thought experiment, places much importance on that.
The healthiest foods for you, he says,
will be the most delicious.
Just be true to and be guided by what you Want.
With that imagined Peat shift in mind,
please address in your response these kinds of questions:
How much, if any, do you think you might change your diet?
Do you think you would still stick very closely
to the Peat diet you had been eating,
because you have come to feel that it is indeed, say,
the most delicious and satisfying diet?
Or do you think you might include other kinds of foods,
or move away from the foods you had been eating?
(If you have any qualms or difficulties about entering into and responding to
such imagined scenarios--no problem. Just say that this is the case and, if you like, explain why.)
Thought Experiment #2:
Let's imagine that a writer for the New Yorker magazine comes to our site
and asks members about a Peat diet.
Let's imagine that this reporter has already written a glowing article
about the health benefits of a Peat diet.
Now he is here to gather information about
the relative pleasure (or non-pleasure) of a Peat diet.
He puts his question to you in this form:
"How would you describe to our (the New Yorker's) readers
what you guess they would experience if they tried a fairly strict Peat diet--
not in terms of health benefits,
but just in terms of
how they would most likely experience the diet's relative
pleasure, variety, ease, difficulty, deliciousness, restrictiveness, freedom, etc?"
So please try to imagine what your answer
to the imagined reporter might be
and weave that into your response.
(Of course, such a question calls upon you to form some notion
of what a typical or average New Yorker reader would be like in terms of diet and pleasure.
It is obvious that most such readers will be a part of the developed world,
and probably will tend to have a decent amount of money.
Beyond that, you will just need to form a rough estimate of what such people are like
in terms of their food preferences.
I would think they would be like many of the people we know in our day-to-day experience.
And again, as with both of the thought experiments,
if you have any qualms or difficulties about entering into and responding to
such imagined scenarios--
no problem. Just say that this is the case and, if you like, explain why.)
Your Personal Definition or Notion of a Peat Diet
Roughly, how do you personally define a Peat diet?
For instance, some adhere to a quite strict interpretation of a Peat diet,
while others consider a Peat diet to be just about anything
so long as it is slathered in coconut oil.
Some even say there is no such thing as a Peat diet.
Please provide a brief description of your view in this regard.
Avoidance of “Shoulds”
Try not to let any pressures in the form of “shoulds” affect your responses--
what you think you “should” say versus what you actually experience.
If you have a positive reaction about the pleasures of a Peat diet, by all means state that.
If, on the other hand, you have had some less-than-positive reactions,
don’t hesitate to state those kinds of experiences.
Here are some questions to consider in regard to “shoulds":
(Don't feel that you have to respond to these unless you want to:
they are simply meant to stimulate critical thinking about this topic.)
-Is “making the best” of a Peat diet the same as saying a Peat diet is delicious, varied, satisfying, etc?
-Is making a negative statement about the pleasures of a Peat diet the same thing as “whining” or “being a baby”?
-Does it mean that you are an “ungrateful” or “unthankful” person if you say something negative about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
-Does it mean that you are trying to “bring people down” or are being a “troll”
or “trying to discourage” fellow Peatians
if you say something negative about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
-If you have been eating a rather strict Peat diet for a long time
and have become used to it or habituated to it,
and therefore you do not struggle with it much anymore
and are to some degree at peace with it--
is this the same thing as saying that the diet is
the most delicious or most satisfying?
-Does it mean you disrespect Dr. Peat if you make a negative comment
about the pleasures of a Peat diet?
The point behind all such questions is to encourage accuracy.
Being “positive” is a highly valued trait in our society,
but it is not always the same thing as being accurate.
The same could be said of being negative.
So, respond away!
As I say, my wish would be that this be a thread
in which Peatians post just their own subjective experiences.
No commentary or discussion or evaluation of those posted experiences.
This, I think, may allow posters to feel more free to post freely and accurately.
Remember, this thread focuses upon your experiences with
your Peat diet and its Pleasures: deliciousness, satisfaction, ease, fun, variety, etc.
Not commentary about health aspects of a Peat diet