Mais uma prova da decadência ocidental
And in the end, after the dishes are all cleared and Adam and I have waved good-bye to all my calorie-restricted dinner guests, it’s the adrenaline burst of that final proposition that still buzzes in me. The sure-bet benefits—the lowered risks of cancer, diabetes, heart attack, the very probable addition of several years’ peak performance to my sex life and my mental life—these all sweeten the pot, to be sure. But I’d be lying if I said it’s not the straight, long shot at immortality I have uppermost in my mind as I shut the door, walk back into the kitchen, and turn to Adam, one eyebrow raised, for confirmation that a calorie-restricted life might be worth living.I’m just about sold myself. But Adam is an independent observer, his judgment far less likely to be compromised by traces of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and he has seen all he needs to see of CR. He’s heard the many arguments in favor of Calorie Restriction and the few that carry any weight against it; he’s met some of its smartest and most likable practitioners. He’s even tasted and declared “not bad” the best of its cuisine.
“So, whoa,” says Adam. “I have got to say that that was probably the blandest-tasting meal I’ve had since, like, ever.”
I’m confused. “But you said—”
“I was being nice.” An awkward silence reigns until at last Adam puts his hand on my shoulder, looks me in the eye, and says, “Dude. It was bad.”
Late in the morning on the first day after my dinner party, I awaken hungry, go downstairs, walk into the first McDonald’s I encounter, and consume, for breakfast, an entire Quarter Pounder with cheese and a 12-ounce chocolate triple-thick shake.
Julian Dibbel, da New York Magazine, passou dois meses fazendo a dieta de restrição calórica, nova moda entre as pessoas propensas a fanatismos e distúrbios alimentares. Essa até não chega a ser a moda dietética mais imbecil por aí, pois ao menos tem farta evidência científica a seu favor. Ainda assim, é mais uma prova de até onde o nosso medo da morte pode levar.
Veganismo, Atkins, macrobiótica, ayurvédica. Nenhuma dessas filosofias alimentares responde à questão central que quaisquer dietas cuja promessa seja prolongar a vida deveriam responder: para quê serve ganhar 5, 10 ou 20 anos a mais de existência, só para passá-los obcecado com suas refeições diárias e, vamos ser francos, prejudicando seu juízo a tal ponto que passa a considerar carne de soja algo gostoso de se comer?
Isso não é vida, é um pós-vida no inferno da insegurança e paranóia que tomou conta do Ocidente. Aceitem de uma vez por todas: todos têm de morrer. Passar 50 anos sob uma dieta de restrição calórica não vai adiantar nada no dia em que você for atingido na cabeça por um vaso caindo de um parapeito no décimo andar.