I've been travelling for 5 months and this is so relatable. Every country is different and it is not possible to plan for everything. After a long hungry road trip in Japan (with a low blood sugar) when our planned healthy lunch spot was shut for the day, we had two options: soba noodles or a burger from a fast food chain. Buckwheat = emergency department for me, so I believe I made the healthy (smart) decision by taking the burger option. And I did not feel guilty about the circumstances that were outside my control.
Honestly, black and white thinking and the all or nothing attitude is what drives some people crazy, and others hate the health space.
Longevity Rule 1: don't die, don't faint, don't have an allergy attack, don't injure yourself.
So, yeah, I'd always pick some lollies over a very very low blood sugar.
I really like the sound of that. Personalised health is so much better than generic advice. I have similar observations and my work in mental health often involves helping people without getting in the way. This means helping people within the framework of their world, preferences, goals and values - not mine or the group average. Health and mental health are so individual, and boxing people to offer generic advice is what often causes more harm than good. I really like your mindset Doa.
Thanks for sharing, Doa. Your story is a perfect example of how personal and context-dependent these decisions are, and how often a “bad” decision can actually be the healthiest one available in that moment.
I completely agree that planning for everything is impossible. I also think the stress of excessive planning can sometimes be more unhealthy than eating the “unhealthy” food. Do you find that, because of your allergy and specific health needs, a lot of common health advice simply doesn’t apply to you?
I think common health advice doesn't apply to a lot of people. It skews towards the average which creates average results, rather than great results. I'm a big fan of personalised health. For example, most health advice focuses on ways to lower blood pressure because an average person tends to struggle with high blood pressure as they age. However, some people naturally run on the lower end of the healthy range, which is not a bad thing at all. But going to sauna may put them to hospital. They'd most likely faint. What baffles me is that some people think generic health advice is for healthy people and if one can't follow it, it must mean they are unhealthy or there is something wrong with them. I occasionally hear judgey comments because I write about health but can't have buckwheat and go to sauna. Kind of funny.
I agree that one meal probably isn't going to make or break your health. What you do consistently matters a lot more than the occasional fast food meal.
I've been travelling for 5 months and this is so relatable. Every country is different and it is not possible to plan for everything. After a long hungry road trip in Japan (with a low blood sugar) when our planned healthy lunch spot was shut for the day, we had two options: soba noodles or a burger from a fast food chain. Buckwheat = emergency department for me, so I believe I made the healthy (smart) decision by taking the burger option. And I did not feel guilty about the circumstances that were outside my control.
Honestly, black and white thinking and the all or nothing attitude is what drives some people crazy, and others hate the health space.
Longevity Rule 1: don't die, don't faint, don't have an allergy attack, don't injure yourself.
So, yeah, I'd always pick some lollies over a very very low blood sugar.
I really like the sound of that. Personalised health is so much better than generic advice. I have similar observations and my work in mental health often involves helping people without getting in the way. This means helping people within the framework of their world, preferences, goals and values - not mine or the group average. Health and mental health are so individual, and boxing people to offer generic advice is what often causes more harm than good. I really like your mindset Doa.
Thanks for sharing, Doa. Your story is a perfect example of how personal and context-dependent these decisions are, and how often a “bad” decision can actually be the healthiest one available in that moment.
I completely agree that planning for everything is impossible. I also think the stress of excessive planning can sometimes be more unhealthy than eating the “unhealthy” food. Do you find that, because of your allergy and specific health needs, a lot of common health advice simply doesn’t apply to you?
I think common health advice doesn't apply to a lot of people. It skews towards the average which creates average results, rather than great results. I'm a big fan of personalised health. For example, most health advice focuses on ways to lower blood pressure because an average person tends to struggle with high blood pressure as they age. However, some people naturally run on the lower end of the healthy range, which is not a bad thing at all. But going to sauna may put them to hospital. They'd most likely faint. What baffles me is that some people think generic health advice is for healthy people and if one can't follow it, it must mean they are unhealthy or there is something wrong with them. I occasionally hear judgey comments because I write about health but can't have buckwheat and go to sauna. Kind of funny.
I agree that one meal probably isn't going to make or break your health. What you do consistently matters a lot more than the occasional fast food meal.
Agreed! We don’t need nutritional perfection. Our bodies can handle occasional unhealthy meal 😊