For the Love of Food

I recently came across a SeriousEats post about how devoid some people are with respect to basic nutritional knowledge.  Heck, just knowledge about real food in general.  And by "real" I mean any food that has not been processed, canned, frozen, or boxed into a take-out container.  I knew those people were out there, but I did not know the extent to which their ignorance prevailed.  I understand that I am privileged by the fact that my parents use real produce and cook real food - tasty food at that - and have wisely imparted that knowledge to myself.  I know that not everyone has the resources to become acquainted with a kitchen or access to fresh groceries.  But for those who are financially secure enough to eat out every night and live in a house with an internet connection, is it really that difficult to better your health (and probably your wallet) simply by doing a little research?


Walking through the city on this scorching Saturday afternoon with my lovely SO, I came across a produce presentation held by the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.  A woman was making a miracle drink called "the green smoothie."  We didn't get to witness the exact ingredients of the smoothie but the basic concept was to combine a combination of raw green vegetables with any fruits of your choosing.  Sounds simple enough.  Not a breakthrough discovery, right?  WRONG.


Apparently, a woman by the name of Victoria Boutenko - the mother of the famous "Raw Family" - created this "revolution" dubbed the green smoothie.  From what I understand, she and her family were suffering from life threatening diseases such as juvenile diabetes, heart arrhythmias, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, and asthma.  The doctors she sought counsel from "didn't do anything" and told her that they would all have to suffer from these chronic diseases for the rest of their lives.  She subsequently sought the advice of random people on the street that she thought looked "healthy."  And no, I'm not making this up.  She would literally stalk joggers in parks and ask them what they did to stay fit.  She tried everything anyone ever said by altering her family's diet who knows how many times but finally settled on a raw food diet and went on to develop this smoothie.


Now, I'm no doctor, but my first year of medical school and a heck of a lot of wikipedia articles have actually taught me a thing or two about these ailments.  It is true that these are all chronic illnesses that don't have a complete cure.  But a very large percentage of the population suffers from at least one - if not more - of these diseases.  Doctors know how to administer their treatment but they must also be managed by the patient for their entire lives.  So either Boutenko was getting her info from some really shitty doctors, or she expected a miracle pill that would cure every complaint.


From what I gathered, Boutenko was obese and didn't know the first thing about nutrition.  I mean, she did conclude that taking the advice from a different stranger everyday would be better for her family's health than say, a dietician.  Or even the internet.  Although, I at least commend her for taking some action in changing her and her family's eating habits.


What I find really baffling though is why this smoothie is such a crazy concept.  You're led to believe it's basically the elixir of life based on all the testimonials on her website, when in fact, it's just the lazy person's way of getting their greens.  Of course you're going to experience a health boost after drinking this stuff because the people who drink it, have never had vegetables touch their tongue that wasn't attached to a BigMac.  Oh and the best component of this revolution is that people are encouraged NOT to change the rest of their diet or habits (like drinking and smoking).  Just downing a liter of this stuff will bring you everlasting life.  Well, sure, a liter of liquid consumes quite a bit of volume in your body for quite a while so it should logically cut down your food intake.  But that's not exactly going to stop you from dying of lung cancer, is it?


I suppose that the idea of the drink, if not novel, is a helpful one.  In the context of our sad society, Boutenko's fame is somewhat understandable.  No one can be bothered learning how to cook properly or actually doing the cooking.  They think vegetables taste bad because they've never tasted them prepared right.  So in essence, I shake my head in disapproval at the world that has placed the green smoothie on a pedestal, not at Boutenko herself.  And I implore the rest of you to please educate your children on how good food should taste.  Not processed in a blender or eaten from a package, but appreciated for the contribution of flavor that each fresh ingredient brings to one's palate.