Sign up for a free recipe e-book →

Clarissa's Blog

Way Too Healthy

Published by

Clarissa

on

Turns out JD Salinger was a health food nut and a practicing homeopath. His understanding of healthy eating was very touchingly American.

He was adamantly opposed to eating anything but nuts, seeds, raw vegetables, and raw milk. Rarely, he’d consent to cheese. Nothing processed, nothing with sugar, and nothing cooked at over 150°F. No coffee. No beverages at all except water. And, incomprehensibly, no tomatoes, not even the raw variety.

The only exception to these rules were popcorn, bagels, and smoked salmon. It would not occur to anybody but an American, and a Jewish American at that, to list these as indispensable and healthier than tomatoes.

8 responses to “Way Too Healthy”

  1. ad2262 Avatar
    ad2262

    I really enjoyed this book, her writing skills are impressive.

    Did you get yo the orgone box yet?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      No, I’m not there yet.

      It’s definitely an excellent book. I’ll write a lot more when I finish it.

      Like

      Reply
  2. Ed Frey Avatar
    Ed Frey

    I also avoid/limit tomatoes; I do so because they are a nightshade vegetable. I also limit or avoid potatoes and eggplants for that same reason. Some people, I think I’m among them, that have psoriasis experience ‘psoriasis flares’ if the consume too much nightshade vegetables.

    My diet is not quite a constrained as Salinger’s but nearly so. A lot of whole grains, no dairy (also associated with psoriasis flares) but lots of non dairy yogurt and milk, beans, oily fish and vegetables with exclusions.

    It has been a healthy diet for me and seems to have limited flares although I can not say that it has eliminated them all.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      My main thing here is how come popcorn and bagels are healthier than … anything, pretty much? Popcorn is the definition of junk. And bagels are about the worst bread you can find.

      I’m very glad you are controlling the psoriasis so well!!

      Like

      Reply
      1. Stringer Bell Avatar
        Stringer Bell

        Wait, why is popcorn junk? Is corn essentially bad for you?

        Like

        Reply
  3. Pen Avatar
    Pen

    Tomatoes are a common reflux trigger. Not saying that this was necessarily the case for Salinger, but I can absolutely see someone with severe reflux or GERD cutting out acidic foods like tomatoes.

    Like

    Reply
    1. methylethyl Avatar
      methylethyl

      Yeah, I like tomatoes, but can’t eat them any time after lunch, because of the reflux thing.

      Like

      Reply
  4. oldcowboy3 Avatar
    oldcowboy3

    Yeah, raw tomatoes give me hives, but cooked is okay. Helped my wife grow a couple of dozen plants every year. Mostly Romas for canning, but a couple of heritage Brandywines for fresh eating. A good one is almost the size of a softball. On warm afternoons, she and the adopted kids would sit on the picnic table with a salt shaker and eat them, happy as clams ;-D

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

A conservative literary critic and college professor

Recent posts