Good Energy?
So I did not know that Casey Means’ brother, Calley was such a piece of shit until I watched a recent episode of Last Week Tonight about him (well them), but I did know that Casey largely leans Republican. She is a hardcore MAHA supporter. Like, so hardcore that she may be the next Surgeon General. She’s on Trump’s good side and likes it that way. Calley is just some shithead Republican figure that is very outspoken about things that the left wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. And thus, it is these two who authored the book, Good Energy.
For me, the question becomes, is it possible to read this book with an unbiased perspective? Well, initially no. I blocked her from social media after she posted some pro-Trump crap and didn’t put her book on my goodreads when it came out (and I put almost every health book that comes out on there). But then I changed my mind. I listened to her interview on the On Purpose podcast and actually liked her story. Politics aside, she dealt with her mom’s untimely death that could have been prevented with the right diet and lifestyle changes. When it came to her perspectives on health, I largely agreed with her. I decided to read her book.
I really liked the book. Like, a lot.
It’s a book I almost wish I had written. Sorta. It just summarizes the whole picture and largely distills it down to these three rules:
- No sugar
- No refined grains
- No seed oils
Those are rules I can agree with. It’s essentially an anti=inflammatory lifestyle.
There was a LOL moment when I was reading the book that I actually thought was a joke. She listed out the principles of a healthful lifestyle and it consisted of eating free-range, pasture raised, unpasteurized, wild, etc. etc. [food]. It was so extreme that almost nobody can actually live that way. Yes, I am a huge sucker for all of those things and am willing to pay a mark up for them. But sometimes it’s not possible, and for many people, largely impractical. To the point where it just feels utterly unapproachable. That aside, I do think the gist of what she says is realistic and intuitive.
Really, you could chalk a lot of this up to “don’t eat UPFs”. Most people get there sugar, refined grains, and seed oils from UPFs. I supposed Casey’s 3 rules are more encompassing, but for the most, you can get mostly there by avoiding ultra processed foods.
