319: Avoid doof

03-04-2020 • 7 mins

Food is fundamental to our environmental problems.

Most of what American restaurants and supermarkets sell looks like food but isn't by my definition. It makes us obese, diseased, fatigued, poor, dependent, and such, whereas food, like fruits and vegetables, bring us together. Many of us are addicted to salt, sugar, fat, and convenience.

Yet people addicted to salt, sugar, fat, and convenience can point to addicts to other things, like alcohol or cocaine, and say, "they don't need their thing but we need to eat." But no one confuses Doritos with broccoli. But the terms "junk food," "fast food," and even "frankenfood" have the term food in them, leading people to confuse them with food.

I introduced the term doof---food backward---to distinguish between doof and food. Doof is all the stuff sold to go in your mouth refined from food, usually designed and engineered to cause you to crave more of it, usually through salt, sugar, fat, convenience, or other engineering.

Here are my notes I read from:

What motivated the problem: reading about food, nutrition, health, and the environment
My favorite food writers, and podcast guests, Drs. Joel Fuhrman and Michael Greger
Their books Eat to Live, Fast Food Genocide, How Not To Die, and How Not To Diet
Their videos
The problem: the term "food" in junk food, fast food. Other addictions, like tobacco or alcohol, people say you don't need them, but they need food.
Beer versus water versus Doritos versus broccoli
Solution: New term
One that isn't sticking as well: craving-oriented mouth filler
One that people like: doof
Sounds like doofus. Helps you not confuse doof with food, like you don't confuse poppy seeds with heroin.
Next episode I'll share my story of shopping in a supermarket for the first time in years, nearly all doof.
Michael Pollan's "Eat food, mostly plants, not too much." Doof clarifies.
Won't confuse McDonald's, Gatorade, Starbucks with food since they don't serve it.
Enjoy food. Avoid doof.
Spread the word!