I just got back from spending 2 weeks living and working in Portugal. I have too many reflections to list, but let me focus on one for now:
In the U.S., we have a growing niche of weirdos like myself who obsess over health and wellness. It’s unlike anywhere in the world. Do you know why the U.S. is leading the charge on health and wellness? Because we have the biggest problem to fix. Our agriculture, food traditions, medical practices, and the pharmaceutical domination over our population, have driven us to such a state of imbalanced health that we’ve reached a tipping point. Now people orient their lives around healthy eating and wellness practices just to stay well. In the U.S. I work so hard to be well. I shop at farmers markets, I filter my tap water, I soak in epsom salt baths, I avoid the pizza at my daughter’s classmate’s birthday parties (that last one is by far the biggest sacrifice). Do I do this to torture myself, or because I hope to avoid my own mortality? No. I do this because when I don’t, I get acne, bloating, constipation, irregular periods, my mood plummets and I can’t focus. Believe me, I have tested this theory about a thousand times. When I’m in Portugal, I just eat. Whatever looks good. I listen for what my body needs, and I reach for the food that’s around. I eat the pizza, and the pasta, I drink the cappuccino, and the beer. And my body stays in a state of balance. The produce is not sprayed with RoundUp, the cows are not a strange Holstein breed producing more inflammatory milk, the farms are small and the soil is rich in nutrients. The reason there isn’t a billion dollar wellness industry in Portugal is that you can be well just living your life. Is there any hope for us in the U.S.? RoundUp legislation alone would get us part of the way there. I believe it’s possible…
