Tan Land visits the Spillover Podcast
Comments and context on my recent interview
I was recently interviewed by Alex Clark on the Spillover Podcast.
It was a fun conversation that covers so much of Tan Land philosophy in a pretty short time. We discussed seed oils, plastic clothing, how the food system devolved into its current state, and of course, how food can save the world.
If you’re a long time follower, I’d definitely recommend a listen. And if you are a new subscriber after listening to the show, welcome.
I wanted to make a quick post to summarize and add more context to what we discussed. This post will contain a lot of links to other posts I’ve written about these topics, so give them a read if you’re curious.
Seed Oils
We talk a lot about seed oils in the podcast. The reason is that seed oils are everywhere now, but 100 years ago, they made up about 0% of the western diet.
Since that time, rates of every chronic health condition have skyrocketed.
While they are not the only cause of our health problems, they do play an outsized role.
What’s more is that they don’t even taste good. Unlike most “healthy diets”, avoiding seed oils actually makes your food taste better.
And that is a core tenent of Tan Land philosophy: that health and healthy food are not only enjoyable, they are more enjoyable than the opposite.
What is a seed oil? These are oils that are naturally present in seeds which have been industrially extracted and concentrated.
They are commonly referred to as “cooking oil” or “vegetable oil”, despite the fact that they are neither fit for cooking nor a byproduct of vegetables.
You can learn more about what seed oils do to your body here, and more about the chemistry of why they’re bad here.
And of course, if you want to avoid seed oils without giving up one of your favorite snacks, check out MASA Chips.
The Food System
Most of the food you can buy in the US today is poisonous.
Devoid of nutrients and full of toxins, most food today is barely worth eating.
Sure, there are many financial incentives companies have that encourage them to make fake food.
And the government has had a role to play too.
I’ll write more on this in the future, but for now, just understand that the government subsidizes industrial scale farms that grow large quantities of toxic food that finds its way into every grocery store in America.
This makes organic and natural food expensive, so poor people who can’t afford it are left eating the cheap stuff.
Hence my statement that the government is paying for poor people to be sick.
Of course, this fate isn’t sealed. We can fix it, and if we do, we can solve many of society’s current problems.
The best way to do that is to buy more of your food from small local farms. I’ve made a website that helps you find a local farmer called Shire; check it out here.
Clothing and Environmental Toxins
In addition to food, there are many environmental toxins that harm your health, causing obesity, hormone disregulation, infertility, and more.
Plastics and associated chemicals are toxic, and they are in everything.
This isn’t just pollution spewed from factories— this comes from products you buy every day.
Cosmetics, cleaners, and of course, clothing.
Most popular clothing brands, including the beloved lulu lemon, are made of pure plastic.
Absorbed through your skin, microplastic particles wreak havoc on every part of your body.
But all is not lost—natural fiber clothing (like cashmere, wool, cotton, and silk) looks even better, is healthier and more sustainable, and is the same price or cheaper than brand-name plastic clothing.
Read more about what materials to watch out for and what alternatives to buy here.
And as for other environmental toxins, you can learn more here, and I talk more about costmetics here (including why I don’t wash my hands).
Sun
Many people fear the sun. They get burned at the beach, and slather carcinogenic, environmentally toxic sunscreen on themselves every time they go outside.
This is not the way. You were designed to be under the sun, and that’s where you’ll be happiest and healthiest.
The sun isn’t the problem— our health is the problem. Learn more about this here:
Beauty
Beauty is the visual expression of health.
You can’t have one without the other. Nature is inherently beautiful, and by respecting nature both in our bodies and in our world, beauty naturally follows.
Yet some people would claim it’s superficial, and indeed, beauty is easy to pervert.
By seeking nature and natural health, you not only feel better, you get beauty for free.
Check this post and this post for some examples.
In Conclusion
Welcome to Tan Land. Unlike many popular conceptions of health-as-sacrifice, here I promote a vision of health that is inherently enjoyable.
How could living consistently with the way we were designed be anything but enjoyable?
Read more about this in my about page. I’m excited to have you here with me.