Part Three: Food and Body relations (of the non-sexy variety)

3) A conclusion…

…of sorts.  If you’ve read my last two posts, you’ll know I asked some close male friends about their relationships with a) their bodies and b) food.  My third and final installment looks at their responses to the last question c) what they think about the relationship between the two.  (I feel so science-y.  For the rest of this entry I’d like you to picture me at home in a white lab coat; swishing test tubes of snips, snails, and puppy dog tails.)

So what do you think about the food you consume, and how it translates into your physical well-being?  Seems like an obvious answer, but I’m learning that simple questions often result in the most interesting stories.  One friend commented that he thinks the two are “intimately and inextricably linked” and I’d have to agree there.  Since my cholesterol scare I’ve cut down on a lot of dairy-rich foods, which I know has translated directly into how my body feels and works.  I feel less sluggish and tired.  Just, cleaner— if that makes sense.  There are other, smaller food/body associations as well; like the caffeine headaches I get without a cuppa joe in the morning (a problem.  I’m aware) or the vivid dreams that come with eating cheese before bed. 

But when thinking about food, it seems to often translate into fuel.  I was given this story:

“When I was a kid they made an American version of "Speed Racer" that I watched because... well, it was on. The concept for the show is that this kid has a sweet car and he races it. There was an episode that I remember where the kid's coach had invented a type of super advanced fuel so the kid didn't have to refuel his car at all during races... the fuel was blue and solid and it came in a glass jar... I remember the image of the blue chunk of fuel...

So, let's pretend that my body is the kid's super awesome car and the Blue chunk of fuel is a well balanced diet... When my car isn't in a race it pretty much stays in the garage and when I take it out for a spin I just use cheap shitty gas. But when I'm in a race, like when I'm doing a show or have a string of auditions coming up I use the blue chunk of fuel so that I can win the race... You get what you put into it.”

I think this makes total sense.  But the trouble (in my case at least) is that more often than not life becomes busy, and I don’t “have the time” to use that blue chunk of fuel.  Instead, when I need nourishment the most, I rely on trailmix to get me through the day and then wonder why I feel rotten by the end of it.

However, here’s a strong argument for the alternative as well:

“I wish I could see the very simple black and white truth that food is fuel for your body. You eat bad food, you're giving your body bad fuel, your body creaks and cranks and slowly shuts down. But I can't acknowledge that because it means changing so much about myself. I could never have a whole bag of chips because I'm sad- if I lived the food is fuel connection, for instance. Honesty about my body and food would mean I'd have to really think about why I alternately exercise or don't, eat garbage food or don't, even watch porn and jerk off or don't. And I'm just not ready to question those parts of my life yet, while I can still get away with letting them slide.”

… which illustrates an important point.  Is the only positive means of fueling ourselves by eating our fruits and vegetables, while also avoiding anything high in refined sugar, dairy, hormones, or anything questionably “fun”?  Or can we instead say “…ok.  My car needs those fuggin’ Reese’s peanut butter cups to fuel my AWESOME sector for the day.  And you know what? I’m gonna keep it parked in the garage too— because it’s raining, and it’s cold, and I want to eat grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup…. and while I’m at it will someone just wrap up in a blanket and hold me please?!?”
I agree that good food (fuel) translates into generally feeling better— more often than not.  But I also won’t argue that a glass of Jameson and a piece of cheesecake can fill a certain void that a bag of organic carrots, just won’t.  Being honest about the times we’re eating out of emotions or boredom (or emotional boredom) is key. 

So to fuel, not to fuel.  Either way it seems to boil down—across the board— to the fact we love what we eat; I just wish that could translate more often into we love what who we are.   Sometimes people want to keep food and body as two very separate entities, like another friend who goes on to say “ … there isn't a huge relationship between the two for me. I mean I guess I view the body as "technology" which needs to be cared for. And food as sort of the "spiritual" or sustaining element of that.”

This resonates with me because even though taste is an immediate sensation, the benefits or downfalls we experience as a result of the food we eat— is something less perceivable.  Or less immediate at least… but even if you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.  Maybe it’s not as clear as stubbing your toe and feeling pain, or having an orgasm to feel pleasure.  But what we eat directly translates into a physical and mental component, the way same anything we “consume” does: the news we watch, the books we read, and the conversations we surround ourselves with.  It’s more like building a muscle, really.  Take the Doctrine of Signatures…  something that not only recognizes the health benefits that result from consuming particular foods, but that those foods actually mirror body parts, as well.

Ok.  So now I feel the need to draw some sort of conclusion from all of this, except that every attempt I’ve made seems like copping out.  But if I were to try, I guess I would say, hey—blog readers— we’re all different; wouldn’t it be nice to get treated that way?  And not only different, but always-changing!  So be easy with yourself.  Understand that in order to hear, you have to listen.  Or, when in doubt, just take a page out of this dear one’s noggin… utterly succinct in saying “Connection between the two? I was skinnier when I didn’t eat anything, and pizza gives my heart burn.” Maybe all kinds of heartache (excuse me- burn) and body image have the potential to be boiled down to a starting point that simple.  Other times, a+b…. just equals banana. 

Either way, touche, friend.  Touche.