Paul Rudnick's Candy Diet
There is a rather charming and seasonal article in the NY Times about the playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick's diet for pretty much his entire life:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/dining/28Rudn.html?_r=1&ref=dining
Rudnick's diet pretty much consists of no vegetables, few fruits, no real meals, and is mostly composed of processed candy, snack cakes, and the occasional handful of Cheerios.
Health-wise, his doctor and dentist says that he seems to be fine.
My reaction: through portion control (his typical daily diet seems to clock in at 1200-1500 calories--a bit of a bagel, a pack of Yodels, handfuls of cereal, candy) he seems to maintain a healthy weight. As a kid,he would have been my 'hero' and like Rudnick, even today I'm a grazer, not a bit meal person, which helps keep my own weight stable. Personally, the types of cakes, cereal and candy he eats aren't that tasty to me any more, though.
The (tongue-in-cheek) article seems to suggest that perhaps nutrition is overrated and the human body is very adaptable. I definitely at that way at times, but because portion control was a problem, I had to redefine my diet. Any thoughts? Know anyone on an all-refined sugar diet who is flourishing?
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13 Comments:
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italiagirl84 at 7:55AM on 10/30/09
The snack cake diet - I wish!
fatitalianbroad at 9:59AM on 10/30/09
I dunno, I think it's best to focus on consuming nutrient-rich foods, whether through regular meals or small snacks eaten throughout the day. I would be a mess if I ate Paul Rudnick's diet.
KarynMC at 10:16AM on 10/30/09
I knew a close friend in middle school with an eating disorder.
she only ate gummi candies
...sometimes her hands would turn dark green.
Fitting for a costume; but definitely not good for you.
Luckily: she's doing better now.
hungrychristel at 10:17AM on 10/30/09
i think i would feel BLECH if i ate like that. mentally, it would be awesome...but i would get tired of the sweet taste. you know that feeling and taste after too much candy. i'm sure lots of us will be feeling that after this weekend.
_greenbean at 10:53AM on 10/30/09
I couldn't imagine the kind of crashes I'd be having after I ate that much sugar... though, I'd imagine his body is used to it at this point.
avaryne at 10:56AM on 10/30/09
Rudnick's diet sounds similar to my Dad's. He's the only guy I know that drives around in a car full of tootsie pops, cheese puffs, and double bubble. He's never met a candy or dessert he didn't like.
TaraYang at 10:58AM on 10/30/09
I think that overall, people should eat a reasonably healthy diet, but there will always be people who eat strange foods and are perfectly healthy. For instance, I never once witnessed my grandmother eat anything besides meat. And I mean that. Nothing. No potatoes, no sweets, no breakfast foods or even eggs. Just meat. And she drank heavily (gradually became dependent, though maybe not an alcoholic) and she lived to be 91! I, on the other hand, have eaten only the same thing (hot dogs, in my case) for dinner every single night for months and months (I tend to get on trends like that - for awhile it was soup, before that it was baked beans out of the tin) and my doctor checked me out recently (at the annual, of course) and said that I was fit as a fiddle. :) So, everyone is different. That is the beauty (and curse) of human variation.
Traveller at 11:44AM on 10/30/09
@traveller: my father's a meat-addict. (or used to be) until
He developed some kind-of mass on his feet from eating too much red meat. Poor guy's gotta cut back!
The fact that ur gramma lived to be 91 is freaking cool.
GO GRAMS!
hungrychristel at 11:57AM on 10/30/09
dark green hands? seriously? that totally bugs me out.
gastronomeg at 12:07PM on 10/30/09
The thinnest people I know eat very sweet snacks every day (none of that "healthy" dark chocolate stuff!) Two friends seem to live on Peeps around Easter and any other time Peeps are available. But when they aren't shoving sugar into their mouths, they're eating yogurt or salad--because they like it, not because they're on a diet! I think the total calorie intake is what keeps their weight down, and is no doubt what keeps Paul Rudnick slim, as well.
Teachertalk at 12:19PM on 10/30/09
@Teachertalk - their insides most likely are rotting...cutting corners is never the answer. I constantly hear "bickering" from my family because I actually enjoy good foods. I think its a bit insulting; but just my opinion.
@Gastro: I'm so serious. I can't find this as a symptom to anything in my resources besides excessive copper intake.
I think she was pretty malnourished. It scared me.
hungrychristel at 12:49PM on 10/30/09
My mother seldom ate actual food. She'd taste things as she cooked, but mostly she lived on booze and cigarettes. Once in a while we'd order pizza and she'd eat a little bit, and sometimes she'd snack on a piece of cheese or something, but I'd bet that 90 percent of her calorie intake was booze. She lived to just short of her 80th birthday. Granted, her later years weren't particularly healthy, but she was a lot healthier than she deserved to be. Ya never know.
dbcurrie at 12:46AM on 11/02/09