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Warning: this post falls squarely into the category of “cantankerous rant about thing I should probably stop getting so worked up over.” You’ve been warned.

I’ve noticed a troubling tendency in some scientific communities (maybe I should put “scientific” in quotes…I’m lookin’ at you, Facebook) to treat science as some kind of Truth, where certain issues can no longer be questioned or examined because “science” has already had the final word. And this all while maintaining a smug, condescending, high-horse attitude towards anyone who doesn’t act the same way and believe the same things. And it’s pervasive, and often by people I love and respect, which has made me question whether it’s just me being sensitive, and it’s not actually a problem. But it’s infuriating, and I DO think it’s a problem. [Read more…] about A rant about science (alternately: All Hail Nuance and Skepticism)

Body image and self-love are hot topics in the blogosphere these days, and I don’t know how I feel about it.

Before I come off as the worst kind of person, let me just say that I’m thrilled people are learning to not be so hard on themselves for not being “perfect,” and for recognizing the beautiful things about themselves. I know I have my fair share of insecurities, and often I could do with a healthy dose of self-love.

But with almost every article I read in the continuously evolving collection of body image media, I’m left feeling not quite satisfied. Like the author has almost spoken to me, but was really speaking to a spot on the wall about a foot to the left. [Read more…] about What if you can’t love your body?

Note: this is one of my oldest posts, written when I was 19. My philosophy about food ethics has evolved considerably over the past decade – for instance, I no longer believe that the most “compassionate” diet is necessarily one devoid of any animal products, since the animals we’ve domesticated arguably have much to gain through their symbiotic relationship with humans – but in any case, most of what I wrote below still resonates deeply with me, and I’m quite proud of my past self to have realized many of these things at a relatively young age.

I’m sure you’ve all seen the recent story about this man who has eaten nothing but raw meat for the past 5 years. Chances are, you reacted in disgust, recoiling at the mere thought of eating the raw flesh of an animal (despite the fact that you have, in fact, eaten sushi on numerous occasions). I have to admit, some of the pictures definitely made my stomach turn a little bit.

I wasn’t surprised by the comments on the various news articles, calling him vile, disgusting, and mentally ill, and calling his diet a ‘weird food addiction.’ But I was surprised that even in Paleo circles, his story elicited a similarly negative reaction. I would’ve expected ancestrally-minded people to be a little more open-minded, and I don’t want to call out anyone specifically, but some of the comments were unbelievably ignorant.

I just want to bring a little perspective to the situation. The first complaint is that eating raw meat is ‘disgusting.’ I hope it’s pretty obvious to everyone that this reaction is only because we aren’t used to the idea. If you grew up in a completely vegan society, you would think that eating any meat at all is ‘disgusting,’ but because we’re so used to it, nobody bats an eye at the thought of eating a cooked chicken breast. As Americans we tend to find the idea of eating bugs revolting, even though billions of people around the world eat bugs regularly without a second thought. And if we weren’t used to consuming dairy, the thought of drinking the warm liquid from a squishy pink appendage dangerously close to the rear end of a cow would probably not be that appealing.

[Read more…] about A word on raw meat, carnivory, and compassion towards animals

This marks one month of my official nutrition studies at UNC, and it’s been surprisingly enjoyable! I absolutely feel like I’m in the right major, and I never had that feeling with Public Policy. (I do still have to be admitted to the School of Public Health though, so fingers crossed I get in!) There have been plenty of ‘facepalm’ moments, but I’ve also been impressed by some of the readings we’ve been assigned, and the overall scientific focus of the class. [Read more…] about My nutrition studies: awesomeness and facepalms (plus cat pics)