A Warrior's Instinct

About his seminal life changing tome, "The Warrior Diet," Ori Hofmeklern says "its breaks all the rules and shallow-minded restrictions placed on [us] by society. Thousands of years ago, these warriors were common. They lived entirely by instincts. In fact, whole societies were [comprised] of warrior clans. They spent days defending their lives. They moved from place to place, never stopped long enough to settle down. Generally, they only sat down to eat one meal a day, and that was always at night after the battles had been fought. Their bodies were lean and hard. Their instincts were honed to perfection.” I have never read anything - except maybe by action adventure writer Eric Van Lustbader - that has come as close to characterizing my life and style, which I live unapologically. We have lost our natural instincts and impulses, which is why we modern day humans have become prey… of lethargy, conspicuous consumption, debauchery, idolatry or to those with intent of taking our treasure or lives. We have become literally and figuratively speaking "soft" and round because of these devastating lifestyle choices but also because of the harmful hormones - often estrogen - found in our commercial food supply, which causes men to acquire fat deposits around their bellies that is extremely difficult to lose. But that “hair rising up on the back of your neck” as you depart down a long dark corridor; visceral reaction that you try desperately to quell when you meet someone of ill-intent is an instinct that use to fuel our “fight or flight” response. It is an instinct we have lost, and one I used to tell my jujitsu students is “situational awareness,” the first major precept of self-defense. Ori’s book turns convention on its head because he argues – persuasively given his own lean physique and years as a member of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), which is universally regarded as one of the world’s best trained army – that if we simply live as close to our inner spirit and, if possible, food source, we can regain much of the vigor and eliminate most of the bad fat we try to do now chemically – Viagara ™, Oristat ™ and its less potent cousin Alli ™ come to mind to name a few of the more popular drugs we spend huge sums of money on to often disastrous side effects. "Better Living Through Chemistry," which is a variant of a DuPont advertising slogan has only been good for Dupont and its shareholders. I have always lived like a “warrior,” and so has my son. He eats when he wants, and what he wants. I typically feed him as much yogurt, whole grain bread, peanut butter, fresh fruit and vegetables as he wants with very little if any other processed meats and foodstuffs beyond the yogurt and peanut butter. (God knows the little tyke is probably not getting the huge bowls of fresh fruit he loved thanks to Justice Henry Dupont ironically - a plight that has been detailed in another post. It is what drives me to shake off my own lethargy and regain fighting shape. The two are not mutually exclusive. Instinct and fitness are related. And I have to fight for my child.) I watch often in bemusement as people who are grossly out shape, leading sedentary lives embrace conventional dietary orthodoxy to justify self-destructive eating habits. Grease laden breakfasts, huge lunches, continuously snacking throughout the day as they rush to drive the bus, sit behind a computer terminal, desk, or, worst, that inviting overstuffed couch. Until I read Ori’s book, I honestly thought there was something wrong with me for only eating when I wanted, which is called “intermittent fasting.” I was just doing what warriors of old did instinctively. Now that I can put a name to how I eat, how it can dramatically improve my health, help as I regain peak physical conditioning, and, concomitantly, reduce stress, I am formally integrating his diet into my “warrior” lifestyle. Stayed tuned for reports on my progress...