Revitalizing Health Through Thoreau's Diet Philosophy

Healthy living has become a major concern in today’s world. The emergence of diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart-related complications has led to the adoption of healthy practices. Many doctors worldwide emphasize healthy diets as a preventive measure for complex illnesses and disorders. Many people are embracing organic food commodities and low-cholesterol products to avoid diseases. In Walden, Thoreau gives us an insightful and thoughtful discourse on dietary matters.

Henry David Thoreau, born in the early nineteenth century in the state of Massachusetts, was a writer and philosopher. The terms used to describe him from the point of his philosophy and ideology are a social reformer, scientist, naturalist, and transcendentalist. This adversity is perhaps due to his many “lives.” His works were comprehensive and immense but remained underutilized and unknown by many until his untimely death of tuberculosis and poor health in general. Thoreau died relatively young at the age of forty-four; however, his books and journals would become significant and influential only several years later. His works comprised a culmination of notes, journals, poetry — that approximated a total of over two million words — and, ultimately, books that would become essential for the research on ecology (Wulf).

Despite his meager upbringing, Thoreau attended Harvard, where he gained knowledge of nature and humanity. He was a great reader and sought access to books by all means — his intellect was paramount (Harding 15). Thoreau lived for two consecutive years near Walden Pond in Concord. His time in the woods became a model of deliberate ethical living. His deeds and words continue to inspire many people worldwide who seek solutions to societal and environmental challenges, including dietary habits. At the beginning of his most famous novel, Thoreau dedicates his experiment to the aim of learning life’s gross necessaries — a choice of metaphor choice that reminds a reader of how much of his political and personal reform project hinges on a diet (Talley 86). Thoreau encouraged the virtue of simplicity in any human endeavor. The simplicity stems from the idea that a “simpler life” characterized by reduced energy and resource consumption is a desirable and viable alternative to consumer culture.

During his stay at the pond, Thoreau used to grow the bulk of the food he consumed by himself, especially beans, but also a few rows of corn, potatoes, peas, and turnips. These were just simple crops that needed less attention. From this experience, he understood and learned that, among other things, obtaining the necessary costs little trouble and that a man can live following a simple diet and modest habits, just like other animals, yet retaining strength and health. This concept goes contrary to today's consumer behavior, where junk and processed foods are the norm in every family. Many people today prefer foods that require less preparation. Apart from providing for his consumption needs, Thoreau cultivated about two and a half acres of beans for sale to meet his miscellaneous expenses, including rice, seeds, salt, and Indian meal for making his bread and oil for his lamp (Thoreau 116).
By simplifying his life and practicing self-reliance, Thoreau was more independent than other farmers in the area. This experience is significant since it shows that Thoreau's life experience was met with some actual success. He went into the wilderness to have freedom in his pursuits and earn an honest living, and a life of self-reliance and simplicity provided a promising response (Thoreau 116).

Voluntary simplicity affirms “downshifting” or “the simple life” by rejecting the materialistic and high-consumption lifestyles of consumer culture. The rejection of consumerism results from the recognition that the consumption habits of the Western culture are degrading the planet. The notion is that lives of high consumption are both unhealthy and unethical in today’s world of diseases and great human needs. Acquisitiveness and extravagance are an unfortunate waste of life and do not deserve the admiration and social status they seem to attract today. Simplicity affirmation results from the recognition that people need little to live well. Besides, abundance refers to a state of mind rather than consumer products’ quantity (Boujbel and d'Astous 490).

This life approach involves satisfying our material needs as directly and simply as possible and reducing expenditure on both consumer goods and services. It also entails progressively directing more time and energy into pursuing non-materialistic sources of meaning and satisfaction. This approach means acceptance of a lower income and consumption level in exchange for freedom and time to pursue other goals in life, such as social or community engagements, pleasure-seeking, relaxation, body exercises, family time, and sustainable living (Boujbel and d'Astous 491).

Voluntary simplicity’s grounding assumption is that all people have the potential to live healthy, happy, free, and meaningful lives. According to this view, the flagrant display of status or wealth does not indicate personal and social progress. Increases in qualitative richness in all aspects of daily living, managing our food sources, cultivating healthy relationships as well as the development of intellectual, artistic, social, and spiritual potential indicate progress. The meaning of voluntary simplicity is not living in poverty; it means examining our association with material possessions, diets, money, ourselves, and the planet (Boujbel and d'Astous 488) afresh.

Consumer culture can no longer fulfill the promise of real life. It is even depriving us of the things our wellness depends on, including the balance between work and life, community life, and excellent natural surroundings. People must seek alternative ways of living. A simple life is a desirable and viable alternative to current consumer behavior. It improves not only our lives but also the lives of other people while saving the earth from environmental catastrophe (Boujbel and d'Astous 487).

Thoreau's simplicity in diets was among the ways that ensured a healthy life for him. He seems to counsel his readers with the statement: "Instead of three meals a day if it is necessary to eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion." (Thoreau 69). Thoreau understood the importance of a healthy life and how overconsumption adversely affects one's well-being. He encourages individuals to have moderation in their meals and eat when it is necessary. Moderation entails providing the body with the right amount of food, neither much nor less. It also involves a balance of fat, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, and fiber to maintain a healthy body. This concept applies best in today's generation of obesity. Many people tend to consume more due to the availability of food, which can be detrimental to their health. Moderating one's meals can promote general health (Thoreau 69).

Thoreau advocates reducing the number of meals we have in a day to remain healthy. Technological advancements in the twenty-first century allow individuals to reduce their physical activity since machines perform most of the work. Despite these low activity levels, some people eat more than three meals daily, posing significant health risks. Thoreau encourages people to eat when necessary and moderate their meals for healthy living (Thoreau 69).

Thoreau cultivated his food on a farm, meaning he controlled every ingredient that went into the crop commodity. He never used chemicals or fertilizers to improve crop productivity. His products were healthy for human consumption. By farming his food, Thoreau encouraged people to control their consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle. Individuals should be key determinants of what goes into their meals and finally into their bodies, therefore avoiding health complications witnessed in today’s generation (Thoreau 116-125).

Vegetarianism

Thoreau preferred a vegetarian diet and advocated it as a means of self-improvement. He restricted his appetite for commodities and foods of animal origin to reform, reshape, and remake what he saw as a flawed democratic human body, thus reimagining the limits of civic participation and citizenship in the process (Neely 47). Despite not being a strict vegetarian, he spoke against fishing, hunting, and eating meat.

Thoreau sometimes pursued hunting when he was young, before his life experiment at Walden Pond. He talks about his experience and the instincts of a huntsman to convey his message against the practice. Thoreau praised hunting among boys in their pursuit of discovering nature and preached against it among grown-ups (Altherr 345). By the time of his experiment at Walden, Thoreau no longer hunted unless necessary and stopped fishing: he writes in Higher Laws that “At present, I am no fisherman at all” (Thoreau 261).
Thoreau thought hunting was fine for the youth, but men ought to outgrow it and do something else like poetry or ornithology. He was trying to tell his readers, especially adults, to shun animal foods and commodities for healthy living. Thoreau gave profound reasons to defend his stand against eating meat. He talks of a sense of brotherhood and sympathy for animals. Some animals are not entirely different from human beings, and therefore, people have the same reasons not to kill and eat them as they have not to kill fellow human beings (Thoreau 260).

In light of such a perspective, Thoreau recommends a vegetarian diet to his readers, which he perceives as “more innocent” than usual foods. Thoreau sometimes ate meat, including pork, fish, etc. But most of the time, he followed vegetarian rules and felt guilty whenever he strayed from them. Thoreau says: “I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals” (263). He uses the concept of superiority of the spiritual nature over animal one to stand against fishing, hunting, and meat-eating. Whenever men fish, hunt, and eat flesh, their actions are similar to that of the beasts of prey. They identify with, exercise, and nourish the animal rather than the spiritual part in themselves. Thoreau demonstrates this concept by not pitying the worms or the fishes. However, he claims that he did fall in self-respect during fishing practices (Thoreau 259).

Thoreau's practical objection to meat was its uncleanness. Also, he claims that after he caught, cleaned, cooked, and ate his fish, he did not receive the satisfaction associated with eating a few potatoes or a little bread, which are, moreover, the products of less filth and trouble. The killing of animals to provide for one's dietary needs troubled Thoreau. He even admitted that it was unnecessary and insignificant. Thoreau had many reasons for rejecting meat: it was (and is) too costly, unnecessary, and repugnant to the sensibilities of a human. Some of these reasons came out of health concerns. The uncleanness of meat means that it may possess some substances with adverse consequences to the human body. Thoreau also refers to some animal commodities as filth since they may contain bacteria or germs that cause illnesses and even death (Thoreau 259). By advocating for a vegetarian diet, Thoreau knew its benefits to humans and their health.

A vegetarian diet is nutritionally adequate and provides advantages in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. The diet mainly consists of beans and lentils as the principal protein sources rather than meat and fish in the omnivorous diet. Scientists associate the consumption of food composed of whole grains, vegetables, and fruit with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and less obesity. Omnivores have a higher prevalence of heart disease, hypertension, gallstones, diabetes, cancer, and food-borne illnesses when compared to vegetarians. The number of individuals abstaining from products of animal origin is on the rise. Scientific research shows increased health benefits with decreased animal sources in a diet. So, at large, vegan meals are healthier (Amato and Partridge 8-31).

Vegetarian diets, being high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and containing large amounts of cancer-protective phytochemicals, can help in cancer prevention. Most of the plant foods possess cancer-protective properties including cruciferous and umbelliferous vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, flaxseed, and many seasoning herbs. All these foods form the bulk of the vegetarian diet. The phytochemicals in these foods include phenolic acids, carotenoids, isoflavones, limonoids, sulfide compounds, and so on. These compounds alter the hormonal actions and metabolic pathways associated with cancer development, induce the immune system, and stimulate antioxidant activity. There is firm evidence that individuals who do not eat meat have a lower cancer incidence than meat-eaters. Dairy products and meat contribute to various forms of cancer, such as that of the breast, colon, prostate, and ovaries. Vegetarians avoid animal fat that can cause cancer and consume abundant vitamins, fiber, and phytochemicals (Amato and Partridge 20-22).

Vegetarianism helps prevent diseases of the heart. Animal products are the sources of cholesterol and saturated fat in one’s diet. Fiber reduces cholesterol levels in the human body, and animal products do not contain fiber. There is a close relationship between vegetarianism and reduced risk of heart disease. Most vegetarian diets contain plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, which reduce the damage resulting from oxidative stress and atherosclerosis (Amato and Partridge 22).

Vegetarian diets lower the blood pressure. Several reports from nutritionists show that the blood pressure of those who eat no meat in their lives is generally lower than that of other people. Avoiding meat, added fats, and dairy products reduces the viscosity, or thickness, of the blood, thereby bringing down blood pressure. All plant products have low sodium and fat levels and no cholesterol. Fruit and vegetables contain potassium important in lowering blood pressure (Amato and Partridge 20).

Vegetarianism helps prevent and reverse diabetes. A diet with high levels of carbohydrates and fiber and low in fat enables insulin to work effectively. Nutritionists associate high consumption of whole grains and nuts with low rates of diabetes. There is an inverse relationship between vegetable and fruit intake and diabetes incidences, especially among women. Therefore, an increased consumption of vegetables, essential in a vegetarian diet, can contribute to diabetes prevention (Amato and Partridge 25).

Vegetarian diets reduce the risks of forming gallstones and kidney stones. High protein diets cause excretion of more oxalate, calcium, and uric acid, which form the components of kidney stones. The intake of high animal protein is a contributing factor in the high prevalence of this disorder in developed countries. High cholesterol and fat diets contribute to gallstone formation. Meat doubles gallstones risk for women (Amato and Partridge 27)

Conclusion

Dietary and health concerns are receiving more attention in the contemporary world than ever before. The emergence of chronic diseases and decreased life expectancy require individuals to take control of their diets. Despite the critique and uncertainty, a majority of people view Walden as a guide to thoughtful and healthy living. Thoreau’s writings provide insight into a healthy and meaningful life by advocating for simplicity and vegetarianism.

Works Cited

Altherr, Thomas L. "Chaplain to the Hunters": Henry David Thoreau's Ambivalence Toward Hunting." American Literature, vol. 56, no. 3, 1984, pp. 345–361.

Amato, Paul R., and Sonia A. Partridge. The New Vegetarians: Promoting Health and Protecting Life. Springer, 2013.

Boujbel, Lilia, and Alain d'Astous. "Voluntary simplicity and life satisfaction: Exploring the mediating role of consumption desires." Journal of Consumer Behaviour, vol. 11, no. 6, 2012, pp. 487-494.

Harding, Walter. The Days of Henry Thoreau. New York: Knopf, 1965.

Neely, Michelle C. "Embodied Politics: Antebellum Vegetarianism and the Dietary Economy of Walden." American Literature, vol. 85, no. 1, 2013, pp. 33-60.

Talley, Sharon. "Thoreau's taste for the wild in Cape Cod." Nineteenth-Century Prose, vol. 31, no. 1, 2004, pp. 82-91.

Thoreau, Henry. Walden, or Life in the Woods. San Bernardino: Cavalier Classics, 2015.

Wulf, Andrea. "A Man for All Seasons." The New York Times Sunday Book Review, 21 April 2013. nytimes.com/2013/04/21/books/review/a-man-for-all-seasons.html. Accessed 12 November 2016.