How Can You Eat That?

I still remember my college dining hall:

Breakfast bar. Sandwich stations. Entrees made to order. Fresh fruit, salad bar, pasta, pizza. When touring colleges, a tour guide once joked: "Your parents won't be around. You can eat pizza for every meal!"

Unfortunately, I took her literally. Once I got to college, I took full advantage of my campus meal plan. Each lunch and dinner I would grab a mix of goods, whatever they served that day. But I always, always grabbed a slice of pizza. Why not? It was endless, "free", and went well with any lunch or dinner.

Back then, I'd never heard of gluten levels. I didn't know about the "gut-brain axis". I'd never read about how your food affects your focus. Meanwhile, I was extremely well acquainted with the joys of sinking your teeth into the first bite of a slice of pepperoni. That pleasing trio of sauce, cheese, and crust.

My family ate healthy meals growing up. But in college, my healthy eating instincts vanished. I ate poorly, and unknowingly suffered the consequences (stress, fatigue, inability to focus), without making the connection. I was blind to the problem.

My roommate Mike was different. He ran triathlons in his spare time, and his diet proved it. He'd hit the salad bar while I loaded up on carbs. He loved all healthy foods; chicken, veggies and chick peas in particular. I didn't know what chick peas were.

One day, Mike called me out. As I sat down ready to scarf a slice, he looked at my greasy plate and asked simple question: "How can you eat that?" His call-out struck me. Eventually my diet improved. But here's the twist:

Information is food. The Internet is a college dining hall: endless options. Most people pile their plates high with greasy pizza each day and start shoveling. They’re blind to the problem.

See the junk for what it is. How can you read that? How can you watch that? When faced with a pleasing slice of clickbait, don't bite. Be like Mike.