Am I Just Pissin’ In The Wind?

I’ve been a fan of Neil Young ever since I first listened to my sister’s “Harvest” album when I was a teenager. I’ve listened to a lot of his songs since then and have memorized many of their lyrics.  One of my favorite bits of Neil Young lyrics are from a song called “Ambulance Blues”:

“You’re all just pissin’ in the Wind

You don’t know it, but you are

And there ain’t nothin’ like a friend

Who can tell you that you’re pissin’ in the wind”

I’ve always liked these lyrics.  I read them to mean that I should consider myself lucky whenever a friend, or any knowledgeable person with good intentions tells me that any time and energy I’m spending on a particular pursuit can be better spent. If I’m struggling to climb a hill on a bike because I’m in a high gear, I would benefit from a friend suggesting that I try a lower gear. Pedaling uphill in a lower gear might still be difficult, but it will be a whole lot less difficult than pedaling in a high gear.

If I’m clueless enough to piss in the wind and I continually experience the unwanted consequences, I’d benefit if a friend took the time to explain to me how wind works.  I would be a fool if I shrugged off such a friend.

Is Promoting a WFPB diet Pissin’ In The Wind?

On my own, I’ve concluded that promoting a WFPB diet is likely to be pissing in the wind.  Both are fighting against natural forces, the former fights “The Pleasure Trap”, the latter the wind.

With the help of a knowledgeable person with good intentions, I’ve changed my conclusion slightly. I now believe that promoting a WFPB diet is VERY likely to be pissin’ in the wind. In Episode # 185 of the Beat Your Genes podcast, Dr. Doug Lisle estimates that only 1 to 2% of the population will be able to transition to a WFPB diet and he provides good arguments for his estimate.   Even though I had already concluded that transitioning to a WFPB diet is extremely difficult for most people, hearing the likelihood expressed as such a small percentage is disheartening. In essence, only one or two people out of 100 who express an interest in transitioning to a WFPB diet will be successful in doing so for the rest of his/her life.  

Why Bother?

Why should I bother to continue posting articles, having pot luck dinners, posting recipes, linking to WFPB resources, publishing cookbooks, etc.?

At first, my answer was I shouldn’t. Although I’m using the metaphor of pissing in the wind, it is not a perfect metaphor. Both the wind and “The Pleasure Trap” are natural forces, but there are two big differences between the two. The wind is not hidden and it is not always there.  If I’m stupid enough to piss into the wind, the solution to the problem is both simple and easy – stop pissing into the wind!

The Pleasure Trap is a hidden force that undermines health and happiness. If someone is lucky enough to have read Lisle’s and Goldhamer’s book, they’d be aware of The Pleasure Trap.  This awareness rids The Pleasure Trap of its hiddenness and helps people to understand that the feeling that causes them to strongly prefer the chocolate cupcake over the steamed broccoli is the work of the trap.  What makes the trap so difficult to beat is that it is ALWAYS there.  And it’s a hurricane that blows in all directions.

The solution to avoid the trap is to primarily eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and a few nuts and seeds and to avoid meat, fish, poultry, dairy, eggs and highly processed foods containing added fats/oils and sugar.  This solution is simple, but it is NOT easy for 98% to 99% of people.

Should I Surrender the Fight and Concede Victory to The Pleasure Trap?

Maybe.  I’m getting close to that point. I don’t like fighting losing battles. Or perhaps I should just acknowledge the immense power of The Pleasure Trap and change my approach to promoting a WFPB diet.   

Dr. Lisle’s Recommended Approach

In Episode # 185 of The Beat Your Genes podcast, Dr. Lisle advises people seeking to help someone heal from chronic disease to gently suggest he/she watch the film Forks Over Knives.  He recommends that the suggestion contain the following caveat:

 “I’m not sure this film will help you, but it seems to have helped others”.  

Dr. Lisle states that good Samaritans do not need to invest any more time and effort.  This advice was an answer to a non-health professional’s question.

My initial response was that this is perfect advice for a non-health professional, but not for a dietitian. Would it be ethical for me to include the caveat? I’m pretty sure that the recommendations in the film are likely to benefit anyone who implements them.

But the more I think about it, the more I think Dr. Lisle’s advice might be appropriate for me. If I recommend Forks Over Knives with the caveat “I’m not sure it will help you, but it seems to have helped others”, I won’t be lying.  Although I believe the recommendations made in the film are likely to be helpful, the film itself may not be.  In fact, the film is not likely to be helpful.  It’s likely to be helpful to the 1 to 2% of the population who have the right mixture of motivation, conscientiousness, and intelligence to significantly change their eating behavior.

After recommending the film along with the caveat, I can inform people that they can contact me after they watch the film in case they have questions.   Anyone who contacts me is sufficiently motivated to want to learn more.  This does not mean that they are part of the 1 to 2%, but they are more likely to be than the average Joe or Mary.

This approach will save me time and effort that I might spend on people who have 0% chance of ever making significant dietary change.  Spending time on those people will be pissin’ in the wind.  Spending time and effort on people who seek out additional information is still very likely to be pissin in the wind – but it might not be.

Final Piece of Wisdom

Something else Dr. Lisle said that helps reduce my frustration with people who don’t make the necessary dietary changes to improve their health.

 These people aren’t stupid, flakey or weak.  They’re just people. 

Some people may be smart enough and conscientious enough to transition to a WFPB diet, but they may lack the necessary motivation.  Some people may be very motivated to make the change, but they lack the intelligence and/or conscientiousness to be successful long term.  People who have the sufficient amount of motivation, intelligence and conscientiousness required to beat The Dietary Pleasure trap are quite rare.  

I wish this wasn’t true, but it is.

I suppose I’ll keep plugging along.

What the hell else am I gonna do?

Stay Healthy and Strong