My Problem with Gluten-Free

I live in the gluten-free capital of the world. I can’t go to a single restaurant in this city without seeing “gluten-free” all over the menu. Last month I saw someone selling gluten-free dog treats. Gluten-free’s super-SWPL, and likewise my city’s full of bike paths, farmer’s markets, microbreweries, tea shops, yoga classes, dispensaries, and Priuses, all of which are great to make fun of while being generally good things.

I have a problem with gluten-free, though. It’s a health issue for people with celiac, but only 8% of people buying gluten-free products have it. The other 92% are likely people who think they’re “gluten sensitive.” Here are some symptoms of gluten sensitivity – gas, headaches, fatigue, irritability, depression. Nice. If you don’t experience at least one of those every week, you may be dead or not a mammal. A recent study said “a third of the population can be sensitive to gluten or have the potential to be sensitive to it.” That’s some great wording. I’m doing a study that shows 100% of the population as the potential to develop cancer, want to compare notes? This is starting to sound like an old post of mine. The strategy’s as old as time, and it’s called “scare tactics.” Make them think they’re sensitive to gluten, and they’ll pay a premium for the gluten-free stuff.

Of course, the idea that gluten is bad isn’t wrong, money just fucked it up as usual. There’s a ton of research out there that says avoiding gluten can have positive health effects. So here’s how you avoid gluten – you don’t eat grains. You know what’s gluten-free? Meat. Fruits. Vegetables. Ever heard of PHD? Taking the gluten out of a sugar cookie doesn’t make it a health food, bloggers. The problem isn’t just wheat protein; if I got 1000 calories from white sugar I’d have a headache too.

Gluten-free bread is like fake meat, something else I think is ridiculous. If you give up meat, you give up burgers and hot dogs. If you give up gluten, you give up bread and pasta. Self-discipline is part of a healthy diet. Here’s a nice quote from someone who’s not an idiot:

If you choose to be gluten-free, it’s best to avoid the “Gluten-Free” products as well, because they are often processed, starchy substitutes that are no better than their gluten-containing counterparts.

And gluten-free dog food? All for it. It’s called raw meat, something carnivores used to eat. Believe it or not.

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New Edition – Can You Stand The Rain || 1988/Heart Break

Fiscal Responsibility

It was against this backdrop, namely, the ultimate and the infinite, that an organization known as the Vietnam Day Committee invited Kesey to come speak at a huge antiwar rally in Berkeley, on the University of California campus. I couldn’t tell you what bright fellow thought of that, inviting Kesey. Afterwards, they didn’t know, either. Or at least none of them would own up, despite a lot of interrogations and recriminations and general thrashing about. “Who the hell invited this bastard!” was the exact wording.

He comes on soft, in the Oregon drawl, like he’s just having a conversation with 15,000 people:

“You know, you’re not gonna stop this war with this rally, by marching… That’s what they do… They hold rallies and they march. They’ve been having wars for ten thousand years and you’re not gonna stop it this way… Ten thousand years, and this is the game they play to do it… holding rallies and having marches… and that’s the same game you’re playing… their game…

There’s only one thing to do… there’s only one thing’s gonna do any good at all… And that’s everybody just look at it, look at the war, and turn your backs and say… Fuck it…”

They hear that all right. The sound of the phrase—Fuck it—sounds so weird, so shocking, even here in Free Speech citadel, just coming out that way over a public loudspeaker, rolling over the heads of 15,000 souls.

There was no way one could prove Kesey had done it. Nevertheless, something was gone out of the anti-war rally.

-Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Whenever someone mentions the occupy Wall Street protests I think of that scene, especially poignant when you compare the weight of the war with our current grievances. Let’s set some things straight.

Wall Street’s fucking beautiful. Because it’s going to destroy capitalism. Capitalism requires infinite growth to survive, but it’s a system based on finite resources. See the flaw? Capitalism was born in a time when labor produced product and product produced money; in that reality it’s a viable system. The stock market created a reality where money is both product and payment, a feedback loophole that literally makes money. Money’s created from money, and in the process it’s become less real. Money went from gold coins to fiat currency to pure mathematics. The problem isn’t Wall Street; Wall Street is the solution. Running capitalism in the 21st century is like trying to run CS5 on an Amiga. Wall Street is waving the flaws of capitalism in our face; it’s the herald of change, and it’s going to run the system into the ground by turning money into valueless, meaningless numbers.

That said:

In the meantime, here’s how you occupy Wall Street. You don’t. You don’t invest in stocks, you don’t get a portfolio, you don’t get an IRA. Don’t own a credit card. Don’t get a loan. Stop shopping at chains. Keep your money local. Rent from a person instead of a corporation, buy your food from farmers, put your money into a local bank or under your mattress. Don’t go to college. Live in a different country. If you can’t walk the walk, don’t bitch. Getting mad at Wall Street execs because your investment portfolio lost money is like protesting soccer because you got your ass kicked by Pelé.

If you don’t like a system, you don’t hold a rally. That’s their game. If you don’t like a system, stop being a part of it. That’s the only thing’s gonna do any good at all.

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Chad Valley – Ensoniq Funk|| 2010/Chad Valley EP

Why I Don’t Give a Shit About Retirement

2011

As of now I’m self-employed, and I plan to be for as far ahead as I care to plan. When you’re self-employed you pay twice as much in taxes, you don’t get a 401k, you don’t get cheap insurance, and you don’t get a pension. People don’t want you to be self-employed. They’ll remind you that you need those things to have a comfortable retirement.They get a little worried when you tell them you don’t give a shit about a comfortable retirement.

Most people work safe, incorporated jobs for 40-odd years, saving up their sick days to take a three-week vacation one year. Retirement’s the carrot on the stick, the milk and honey exchanged for a lifetime of devotion. And then they spend most of it sleeping and watching TV. Sure, I could do that. Or I could live like I do now.

I have an extremely low cost of living, mostly because I’m not in debt and I don’t feel the need to buy useless shit or throw money into funnels like smartphones and mixed drinks. I live in a gorgeous area where everything I need is within biking distance. I’ve mastered a skill that allows me to earn money without a college degree. If I want, I can pay the bills working 30 hours a month. If I feel like saving up for something worthwhile like a month-long road trip, I’ll work a little more. I happen to love what I do, so it’s no sweat if I have to work three hours a day.

Sure, I could work 40 hours a week, make twice as much. Math: that’s a 400% increase in labor for a 100% increase in earnings. Besides, I don’t need the money. Nothing I want costs $20,000. I’ve got no desire to buy a house. If I want, I could do this for the rest of my life. If I felt like it I could save for retirement. I could get a Roth IRA; $100 a month would make me a millionaire by seventy. The thought makes me laugh – I’d have even less use for a million dollars at that age than I would now. Nope, I’m not doing either of things, not now. I don’t give a shit about retirement.

What’s retirement, anyway? Twenty years of not working with a little travel thrown in? That sounds exactly like what I’m doing now, only I’m in the prime of my life when I can truly appreciate it. I don’t need anything a retirement has to offer; I have it already. Everything I want to be doing I’m doing. I’m pursuing my happiness in the present, not the future. I could die today with no regrets. I feel like I’ve lived. To have this for thirty, forty more years? So much life – the thought almost scares me.

I could go on living into old age, if I’m in good health and feel like sticking around for things. Still, those of us who make their mark on the world do it in youth and adulthood; rarely is something notable accomplished in senescence. Nor do I have any desire to linger on past my due; when my health, strength or mind reaches its limit, so do I. I look forward to dying as much as I look forward to living. After a life like this, I’ll be happy to retire permanently. That’s my retirement. Choose yours.

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Brokenchord – A Girl of 13 Summers|| 2011/A Girl of 13 Summers/Orion

Achieving Incredible Nutrient Density through Whole Foods

2011

My pet project for the past few months has been working on getting a very high amount of nutrients from whole foods (no supplements) while eating mostly Paleo, balancing Omega-3/Omega-6 fats, and maintaining healthy gut flora. I’ve been tracking my results and so far it’s been a great success, so I thought I’d share my strategy.

Here’s nutrient density in 8 words – beef, salmon, eggs, liver, almonds, dark green vegetables. If you ate nothing but those six foods you’d be hitting hundreds and thousands on your DV’s every day. To keep your Omegas balanced, cook with coconut oil. To boost your gut flora, eat live fermented foods. That’s it in a nutshell. Here’s the specifics.

I – The Basics

Meat & Fish

Per calorie meat and fish are very nutritionally dense, and can easily provide the majority of your nutrients. Here are my two staples:

Grass-Fed Beef

Grass-fed beef is my go-to meat – it’s a great source of B-Vitamins and minerals, low in Omega-6, absolutely delicious, and cheaper than salmon.

12 oz. gives you: B2 – 40%, B3 – 125%, B5 – 50%, B6 – 150%, B12 – 250%, Copper – 30%, Iron – 90%, Magnesium – 20%, Phosphorus – 100%, Potassium – 20%, Selenium – 125%, Zinc – 150% (average of several cuts)

Wild Salmon

Wild Salmon is incredibly nutritious and one of the best sources of Omega-3 fats. If you’re rich you can eat it every day. Otherwise, aim for at least a lb. a week to balance your Omegas. Fish should be part of your diet, and salmon is king.

12 oz. gives you: Omega-3 – 9g, B1 – 80%, B2 – 130%, B3 – 220%, B5 – 135%, B6 – 255%, B12 – 450%, Folate – 25%, Copper – 125%, Iron – 45%, Magnesium – 30%, Phosphorus – 130%, Potassium – 45%, Selenium – 300%, Zinc – 25%

You can substitute goat, lamb or bison for beef as long as they’re pastured/grass-fed, but they’re generally a little more expensive. Eat all the other fish you want, but eat them in addition to salmon, not in place of it – nothing beats wild salmon for nutrients and Omega-3’s.

Priorities, Love (II)

2011

When I began Priorities, Love I’d set out to write something fairly concrete, but as the piece took shape it became wonderfully prosaic. While the ideas are abstract, this is day-to-day stuff. As I move into a new phase of my life it’s become important to look at my life in terms of priorities. As such, they’re as follows - my mission before my self, my self before my friends, and my friends before my lovers.

We’ve seen what happens when people put their priorities in the wrong order. When people put their lovers before their friends, they sacrifice deeper bonds for fleeting emotions.When people put their lovers before their selves, they sacrifice their power and self-respect. When people put their friends before their selves, they find themselves dragged around by the lives of others. When people put their friends and lovers before their mission, they sacrifice their potential and purpose. When people put their selves before their mission, they fall into hedonism, narcissism and nihilism.

You must always be willing to sacrifice that which is lesser for that which is greater. People tend to do this in levels. Most people in time come to value friendship over romance. Many will realize that no person is worth giving up their own self-respect. But people tend to stop at the final level - putting their mission before their selves. By the millions, we choose lives of comfortable mediocrity over risk. We lean against the wall instead of approaching her. We stay in the cubicle rather than start our own business. Our mission is to fulfill our truest potential; it is the core of life, the highest expression of evolution, and daily, in droves, we deny it. We’re unable to sacrifice ourselves even as the risks grow lighter with every year. For a samurai the highest honor was to die in the virtue of Bushidō. For centuries men have sacrificed their lives for something greater, and yet often we find it unthinkable even to sacrifice our comfort.

Through love, we move upwards. We love through sex, friendship, and honesty; through wisdom, respect, and compassion. Extend that love to the world. Give to the world what the world has given you – everything.

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Floating Points – Faruxz|| 2011/Faruxz