Pay attention to the conversations of people around you, and notice how often the subject of time comes up:

“I’m fine, just crazy busy . . . ”
“I just don’t know when I can find the time . . . ”
“I can’t really talk now — I’m running late . . . ”

People used to be tied to things like families, communities, rituals, worship, curiosity, and beauty. Now we are tied to schedules, watches, date books, computers, and keeping up with the latest gadgets that start with i. It seems like time is going by faster than ever these days, and we’re all exhaustively trying to find, chase, save, and manage time.

Everyone is different. We have different body chemistry, different nutritional needs and restrictions because of genetics or allergies, and different upbringings and emotional states that cause us to associate certain aromas and flavors with feelings and memories. The sum of all this, multiplied by some very powerful advertising, results in the foods that we choose to consume. If we toss genetic anomalies, emotion, social stigma, 60 years of “meat marketing,” and even ethical and environmental considerations out the window, we're left with a simple question: What are we really supposed to eat?

What’s the first thing we do when we set a dieting goal? We aim at the final destination: “I want to lose 25 pounds.” This immediately sets up a perspective that breeds struggle and beckons failure before we have made that first step onto the treadmill or passed up that first donut. Why?