Here’s an exercise, just to imagine something: Imagine 24 hours without ingesting any doof—that is, without putting anything in your mouth whose primary pleasure comes from added salt, added sugar, added fat, or convenience. Nothing packaged.

You know you can do it. That is, you know you possess the ability to do it. You know humans lived that way for almost all of human history. I’m not saying doof is good, bad, right, or wrong. I’m not asking where it came from or how green or sustainable it is.

I’m not even suggesting you try avoiding doof for 24 hours, just to think about it. But not just a cursory, “hmm… sounds hard. I could probably do it but wouldn’t want to.” Seriously reflect on the prospect.

What would happen? What would you do more of? Less of?

What do you expect to find easiest or hardest? How much planning would you need to do? How many things would you have to avoid from your kitchen? Could you empty your house of it? Would you feel craving? Are you worried whom you could spend time with without feeling pressured or tempted? If you’d miss events with too much temptation? So what if you did?

Would you suffer? Might you prefer it?

How would it affect your relationships during the 24 hours? Before that day, planning for it? After the day?

What emotions might you experience more or less of? In greater depth? What emotions do you feel now, even before thinking about it?

Do you think after doing it you’d regret it? Want to do it again?

If you feel resistance to thinking about it, what is the source of that resistance?

Do you find thinking about it makes you more or less interested in trying to go without doof for 24 hours?

I’ve done it

I suspect I consumed some doof nearly every day of my life until recently. Then, in stages, I cut it out. Once of my life’s great changes, but I couldn’t have changed everything overnight. I took months. Now I would never return.

Anyone can do it, though the exercise is just to think about it. If you do go beyond the reflection exercise and cut out food, though, I predict you’ll wish you’d done it earlier.

• ← 461: 24 Hours With No Electrical Power (After)
• 462: Bill Ryerson, part 3: The biggest impact you can make →