Notes on "The Park Avenue Diet Show: What Should I Have for Lunch?"; February 13, 2011

Lunch means different things to different people. Having traveled the world and temporarily becoming immersed in dozens of different civilizations. I have experienced as wide of a variety of noon-time meals as anyone I know. In Mexico I enjoyed ceviche, raw fish served as a beach food on the sands of Puerto Vallarta overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In Sherpa villages near Mount Everest, Nepal, I enjoyed momos, a type of dumpling. And in Ouarzazate, Morocco, I dug into chicken tajine, a hearty stew eaten native-style with both hands.

None of these exotic lunches is available in the United States. Moreover, these meals are part of a total cultural experience. A visitor to New York City from Puerto Vallarta, Nepal, or Morocco would probably be fascinated by and drawn to the same fast food franchises that millions frequent every day.

When I was about ten years old, a drive-in hamburger joint named Wetsons opened on Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue, near my home. My mother was shocked that anyone would deny himself or herself the pleasures of a home cooked meal for a boxed cheeseburger and greasy fried potatoes. Unfortunately this was the shape of things to come, as H. G. Wells might have said.

The shape of things to come might also have included the shape of 21st century Americans. Although you can download, print, or read the nutritional content of your local chicken/burger/pizza/hero sandwich menu, few people if any read the fine print.

Except in individuals with highly physical jobs, lunch should never exceed 500 calories. Inattention to caloric content has immediate implications for weight. Inattention to salt and/or macronutrient content has immediate implications for blood pressure, fluid balance, and blood sugar. A high triglyceride level after a meal usually means that the person has the metabolic syndrome and is rapidly transforming dietary glucose into circulating, potentially dangerous fats.

A healthy lunch is not impossible to find. The choice is up to you. Please consider substituting the immediate gratification of fast foods for the delayed gratification inherent in longer life and better health. Which will you have for lunch?