August 16, 2019

"[T]he co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods only eats only three organic, vegan meals a day, barely drinks water and never snacks — or eats dessert — except for an occasional Medjool date."

"[John] Mackey estimates that he eats about 15 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 'A plant-based diet is pretty high in water,' Mackey says, 'so, the actual truth is I don’t need to drink water most of the time.' And if he did snack outside his three meals, he says he would get a stomach ache. Mackey is so dedicated to his rigid diet and wellness routine that when he travels for work, he typically packs a rice cooker with him (to make his morning steel-cut oats) to ensure he doesn’t slip while on the road... At 5 a.m., Mackey wakes up and does his spiritual practices for about 30 minutes to an hour. That includes meditation, reading an array of spiritual literature and daily affirmations.... At 6 a.m. Mackey either has one of two breakfasts: a smoothie or steel cuts oats (the oats are usually for when he’s on the road).... After breakfast, Mackey exercises by going on a short walk followed by some yoga.... Mackey says he eats lunch early, at about 11 a.m., to beat the crowds at the Whole Foods’ buffet line, which is connected to its corporate offices.... After work, Mackey heads home at about 7 p.m. to make dinner with his wife, Deborah. 'We’ll chop up a bunch of different veggies and throw it in the steamer,' he says, 'And then we’ll have some kind of lentil or beans with it and a nut sauce.' Mackey puts down his phone for the night at 9 p.m.... Mackey reads for bit and then heads to bed at 10 p.m."

CNBC reports the virtuous if boring routine of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey.

What part of John Mackey's daily regimen bothers you the most?
 
pollcode.com free polls

166 comments:

MadisonMan said...

I know it says 'the most', your poll. I still want an "all of the above" choice.

He sounds preening and insufferable. Was that the goal?

rhhardin said...

You can microwave brussels sprouts in their frozen bag now. Unfortunately you wind up with more than you needed. Also the dog won't eat them or anything cooked with them.

rhhardin said...

Butter and salsa take the edge off of brussels sprouts.

Greg said...

Thus proving the old saying that there is a fine line between genius and insanity, although maybe not because so far I see no evidence of genius other than he's rich and has a successful business - like Trump

Kevin said...

Yawn. More propaganda from the vegetable-industrial complex.

iowan2 said...

Why would any publication think more than six people on the planet care?
After you've live some years, met some people, lived in different areas, you discover there are always people that are live in the crazy spectrum. They don't interfere with my crazy, so all is good.

While living in NE Iowa I encountered a farmer bucking the baler wearing a dress. Now that's a story that needs told.

rhhardin said...

I'm looking for other uses for Carnation malted milk powder. I bought 9 bottles to get free shipping from Prime Pantry.

You get only a little effect in iced coffee or cold cereal. Nothing good in yogurt.

Sebastian said...

None of the poll stuff bothers me, or no more than any other display of postmodern virtue.

But this does:

"Mackey exercises by going on a short walk followed by some yoga."

Mackey! That's not exercise! Start doing HIIT and hit the free weights pronto! Think of your health!

policraticus said...

He assumes what is doing demonstrates his righteousness.

I pity him.

gspencer said...

Eat well.

Stay fit.

Die anyway.

Bruce Hayden said...

I think that he very much is virtue signaling. WTF are “steel cut oats”, and who really cares? Who cares? Except that he does care that we all know that he is eating ethically, etc. I expect that he flies ethically too, in his private plane, along with his rice cooker, probably through the purchase of carbon offsets from AlGore.

Bu then why waste all that money, time, and effort, going to Whole Foods to shop? Much of it is virtue signaling, on the part of his customers. And no surprise then that the most virtuous of the virtue signalers leads the virtue signalers shopping at his stores.

jaydub said...

I think it's great that he eats a vegetable diet and eschews meat. Last night I had a steak from a steer that has a similar diet and it was delicious. I wonder how he would grill up.

bagoh20 said...

You would expect that people who go through so much effort to be healthy would live twice as long as the rest of us since they work five times as hard trying to, but the results tell us that you are really just wasting a lot of effort and missing out on things for no measurable gain. Lots of pain - no gain. Mostly it really comes down to: don't smoke, don't get fat, move around, and have fun. Much easier, just as effective, and sure sounds like a better life to me.

Black Bellamy said...

What else does this millionaire do that we should do? I get that he also gives interviews, so if any "news" organizations want to take a shot, leave a comment here and I'll get back to you. My doctor recommends extra sodium in my diet, so I'm salty by default, which makes good copy!

Leland said...

After work, Mackey heads home at about 7 p.m. to make dinner with his wife, Deborah.

Oh what a good husband to go home and make dinner with his wife that he only spends 2 waking hours with. But what this he said earlier:

“Then for dinner. Everyone knows I’m vegan so they’ll go out to a vegan restaurant. It’s not like it’s torture for them,”

Which is it? Does he make dinner with his wife or drag them to a vegan restaurant which he claims isn't torture?

However, he does admit to an occasional beer or alcoholic drink “once in a while.”

I wasn't aware beer or other alcohol contains animal products.

jonreece said...

The choice that I'm missing is "Nothing bothers me about this. It's his body, not mine, and I think what he does with his body is his business. Why is this news?"

bagoh20 said...

What are other oats cut with, plutonium blades? I bet all oats are steel cut, so just shut up.

Curious George said...

"....and a nut sauce."


"Paging Laslo, please pick up the white courtesy phone."

Bob Smith said...

Actually nothing. It’s his diet.

Mary Beth said...

Steel cut oats are the best oatmeal.

Anyone who must always only have this or that to eat is tiresome.

Mary Beth said...

Steel cut means pin oats that are cut in a chunkier way instead of the rolled oats that you might think of when you think of oatmeal.

Jeff Brokaw said...

These people using their food as religion... yer doing it wrong.

Try religion for your religion. Food is to nourish your body, not your soul.

bagoh20 said...

He sounds a lot like HITLER!

Bruce Hayden said...

“You can microwave brussels sprouts in their frozen bag now. Unfortunately you wind up with more than you needed. Also the dog won't eat them or anything cooked with them.”

Something eats them. Maybe the pre-venisons. My partner throws out the bulk of our discarded vegetable matter that we don’t eat by the front porch (meat gets dumped further afield, due to bears). In a nice residential area, it might be a little suspect, but we don’t have many visitors. This late in the summer, about the only plant material that remains uneaten overnight is white bread, whole pickles, and intact cherry tomatoes (have to cut them open to get them eaten). Brussels sprouts get eaten by the wildlife just fine. The cat though doesn’t like the smell of them cooking any better than I do. I can make myself scarce until the stench of them cooking dissipates enough. He is not so lucky, being a declawed indoor cat.

rehajm said...

He’s a shithead for giving his employees healthcare instead of supporting single payer. No amount of vegetables is going to make up for that.

Ann Althouse said...

If you Google "nut sauce," this is the main thing you get. (Don't worry, it's not porn.)

gspencer said...

Steel cut oats?

Rolled oats?

If I'm gonna eat food, I want the kind shot from guns,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGpS6LHeBC0

Known Unknown said...

I didn't see 'nothing' as an option so I did not vote. I don't give a shit about what other people do or eat. If it works for him, that's fantastic.

Also, Mackey is a fairly Libertarian guy, so I'm sure he probably doesn't really care what people think of him.

MayBee said...

If it makes him happy, great. But eating delicious food is one of the great joys on this planet. I've not seen any evidence that people who eat like he does will live longer healthier lives than people who eat more varied food in moderation.

Ann Althouse said...

"Yawn. More propaganda from the vegetable-industrial complex."

Yes, but the best part of Whole Foods is the meat department. Maybe they make more money on fresh fruits and vegetables, but I think the big fresh fruits and vegetables section is theatrical, the first thing you see when you get in (as it is at every supermarket). I think the real money is in other things. It's like the fresh fruits and vegetables are the propaganda and what you're really being sold is: vitamins, medicines, toiletries, cleaning products, and the very thing that Mackey bemoans, processed foods.

Jeff Brokaw said...

“Anyone who must always only have this or that to eat is tiresome.”

Exactly this. Reeks of passive-aggressive. Not fun to be around.

bagoh20 said...

If he wasn't rich, people would tell him to go to hell with the vegan restaurants. "We're going somewhere that serves people food".

Ann Althouse said...

By the way, I do ALL my food shopping at Whole Foods (unless it's a complete specialty place like a bakery or a cheese shop or a restaurant or, when on the road, a convenience store). I won't go in the "regular" supermarket. It actively bothers me because I am used to Whole Foods and only want that (because it's smaller and everything there is good (except some idiotic alternative medicine junk)).

J. Farmer said...

I’m almost never interested in hearing about the personal habits of the wealthy. The notion that being wealthy makes you a super genius whose ideas or habits should be listened to is tiresome but is often pushed in the financial media. How many times did we have to hear about Steve Jobs’ stupid mock turtlenecks? He also thought he could cure pancreatic cancer with fruit juice and meditation.

Ann Althouse said...

"I didn't see 'nothing' as an option so I did not vote. I don't give a shit about what other people do or eat. If it works for him, that's fantastic."

And yet you read the blog post and the items on the poll...

If you consumed it, something must have bothered you more than the other things. If it was all a big bore, why did you read it?

John henry said...

My son's family is fairly strict vegetarian. They do eat eggs and milk and a slice of turkey at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Son and granddaughter 15 both very athletic. She plays volleyball at an all-state level. Team won in an international tournament in Chile last month.

Grandson 10, played soccer for a year ("boring") is now in a little leage type baseball program, plays pickup basketball pretty much every day.

Also both straight A's since first grade.

You can be very healthy as a vegetarian, though it's not for me. Good on Mackey for finding a diet that works for him and sticking to it. Not sure why anyone else should care, though.

John (proud father & grampa) Henry

Lyssa said...

I’m not bothered by it. I mean, it’s weird and I don’t get it, but I find weird people interesting, so I’m glad he shared it. It sounds awful, but I guess it works for him.

But I had the same reaction as (I assume) Althouse (or maybe Meade). What the hell is a “nut sauce?”

Bruce Hayden said...

“I think it's great that he eats a vegetable diet and eschews meat. Last night I had a steak from a steer that has a similar diet and it was delicious. I wonder how he would grill up.”

You really, really, don’t want your cattle eating meat, and esp not beef and beef byproducts. That is where you get Mad Cow Disease, which we should call Mad Human Disease when we eat cattle so afflicted. All I know about it is that it apparently starts with bovine cannibalism, involves prions, which are apparently badly folded proteins, that cross the species barrier just fine, to our detriment.

One of the nice thing about living in MT is the meat. We are esp spoiled. My partner’s ex does a deal where he trades some of his hay and alfalfa for help harvesting it, plus a grain fed cow, and sometimes a pig. That’s been a couple years though, since the pork was clogging up everyone’s freezers. Which means that our beef is raised within 10 miles of here, and we know the provenance of its diet. We also know where to pick up good quality farmed bison and elk (though a lot of people prefer wild elk - got a source for that too). And then we go back to AZ for half a year, where we get the meat we don’t bring back with us from Fry’s (Kroger’s). Which means that we eat almost no red meat during the winter.

Roger Sweeny said...

Actually, I'm not bothered at all. If it works for him, great. And nice to know that he believes enough in his product to use it (yeah, he's partly giving us an ad for Whole Foods).

Michael K said...

We have a Whole Foods down the street. The only thing I ever buy there is sushi. They have pretty good sushi.

My wife lives on ice cream and coffee. When we were married the first time, 40 years ago, it used to drive me nuts. he would fix my dinner and not eat. mNow Im don't care. She frequently will eat in the middle of the night.

I love Brussels sprouts. She can't eat them. It's genetic. Unless you have the gene, they taste like soap or something. She punishes me by serving a heap of Brussels sprouts with each dinner. I eat them just to prove something.

When we lived in California, we used to buy meat at Stater Brothers, which has good meat. Now we mostly buy meat at Costco.

Heartless Aztec said...

Dang, that BLT I just had for breakfast was good. You know what they say - Bacon is THE gateway drug.

whitney said...

He is still going to die

Wince said...

Curley: I'm still hungry!

Moe: You got a tape worm.

Fernandinande said...

What part of John Mackey's daily regimen bothers you the most?

What a perverse question. Why should any of it bother me?

Being bothered by it is snootier than his talking about it (no doubt after someone asked).

Today, Mackey, 65, won't touch a frozen meal or anything processed.

Contrast with
I won't go in the "regular" supermarket.

QED. That's pretty snooty.

Michael K said...

There was a similar prion disease of deer and, I think, elk a few years ago.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of deer, elk, and moose, initially recognized in Colorado mule deer. The discovery of CWD beyond the borders of Colorado and Wyoming, in
Canada and as far east as New York, has led to its emergence as a prion disease of international importance.
Epidemiological studies indicate that CWD is horizontally transmitted among free-ranging animals, potentially indirectly by prion-containing secreta or excreta contaminating the environment


and

Isolated, noncontinguous clusters of
prion-infected cervids have been located as
far west as Utah and extending east to New
York and West Virginia1. Local prevalences
have reached as high as 30% of free-ranging
deer [93]. In Canada, CWD cases have been
diagnosed in farmed elk and white-tailed deer,
as well as free-ranging deer in Saskatchewan
and Alberta


Doesn't mention Montana but "as far west as Utah" includes it.

Ryan said...

I image searched him. He lacks muscle mass and badly needs to lift.

alanc709 said...

Veganism ranks with healing crystals and other new-age mysticism, as far as I'm concerned. The more varied your diet, the more likely you are to obtain the various nutrients necessary for good health.

Roger Sweeny said...

If it was all a big bore, why did you read it?

Because it was by Ann Althouse, and that usually means it is not boring. After all, you can't be completely sure whether something is boring or not until after you've read it.

"Always trust content by Althouse"?

tcrosse said...

At Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton St, Dublin, you could get your steel-cut oatmeal with Bailey's Irish Cream on it. Slainte!

Kay said...

None of the things on the list really bother me. They just reminded me about how I would really like to cultivate for myself a very disciplined morning routine of my own.

Roger Sweeny said...

Besides, I was hoping for a "It doesn't bother me. It's his business." answer to the poll and I had to read to the end to see that it wasn't there.

Jimmy said...

Nice to have all the choices. Veg, or meat or Vegan. Don't really care one way or the other. But a few years ago the Whole Foods here had bacon in the breakfast buffet. For the regular price, based on weight. Real bacon, not fatty, well cooked. Possible to have 7 or 8 pieces, plus gravy, and eggs, for under 6 dollars. Insane. Now they sell it by the strip. I think 50cents each.
Any diet that doesn't include bacon is pretty much a waste of time.
And yes, the best part of Whole Foods is the meat department. Much better than any other markets in my area.
Eating good food is one of the joys of life. People have different ideas about what 'good' is...As long as they stay in their own lane, its fine by me.

Jeff Brokaw said...

He can do what he wants, but the fact that his food choices are a *news* story is where this crosses the line into virtue-signalling territory.

If you removed all the virtue-signalling from the news, would there be anything left?

Rory said...

It needs an option for "I just can't stand grownups who say 'veggie'".

Birkel said...

My answer:
He's flaunting what passes for virtue amongst his social circle but what looks like idiocy and self-flagellation to normal people.

He should whip himself with a cat of 9 tails if he wants to make an impression.
Like the priest from Dan Brown's book.

ALP said...

Oatmeal is taken very seriously in our house. We almost parted ways after 25 years due to an argument about rolled vs. steel cut oats. I am disappointed in the overall oatmeal knowledge of the Althouse community and overall oat-shaming.

Bob Boyd said...

Trump can chow down on McDonald's hamburgers, chug a 12 pack of diet Coke and top it off with 2 scoops of ice cream. It doesn't put him out of sorts or give him a tummy ache.

Fussy John Mackey eats like Adolf Hitler.

I bet there's a reason they cut the section concerning his of his bowel movements. The photographer came out of Mackey's bathroom, looked at the reporter and shook his head. The reporter immediately got on the phone to her editor.

ALP said...

Overall, also disappointed I used "overall" too many times....

Caligula said...

"he eats about 15 servings of fruits and vegetables a day."

Most people who ate a diet like that would spend their days sitting on a toilet.

Perhaps it's heresy, but I view "superfoods" claims, and general claims that this or that food will make or keep you healthy, with not much less skepticism than I'd view all those bottles of "This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease" (but the literature that says they do is over here) "nutritional supplement" nostrums/quackery found at a GNC store.

Is faith in food is where faith-seekers go when they lose their religious faith? Do you believe, truly believe, that eating the right foods will save you? Salvation on a plate?

rehajm said...

If it was all a big bore, why did you read it?

When you wade in you don't know it will be a bore. There's always speculative investment going on...

JackWayne said...

I voted for the bowel movements but what I would have voted for is that he is anti-evolution. We are omnivores which means that we evolved eating everything we could put in our mouths. By selections only vegetables, Vegans show they don’t believe in evolution. Rousseau is an idiot but most lefties like him particularly for his ideas on the “natural” state of Man. There’s a disconnect there.

Known Unknown said...

"If you consumed it, something must have bothered you more than the other things. If it was all a big bore, why did you read it?"

I never used the word boring. You are projecting.

The poll asked about what 'bothered' me. I answered truthfully. Nothing about it bothered me.

walter said...

He and Jack Dorsey sound like a blast.

AllenS said...

When Mackey has a flat tire, I'll bet he has to call a meat eater to fix it for him.

rhhardin said...

Either Oat Bran or Oatmeal is fine with me. The key is peanut butter.

Robert Cook said...

Why should anything about his daily diet regimen bother me (or anyone else)? I wouldn't want to follow that regimen, but if that is what he prefers, good for him.

"He sounds preening and insufferable."

Why? How so?

walter said...

AllenS,
He can call Beto.

Robert Cook said...

"He assumes what is doing demonstrates his righteousness."

No, that is you assuming he lives his life to show off and as a rebuke to others.

"I pity him."

Who are you to pity him? He seems like he's doing just fine.

mockturtle said...

rhhardin suggests: Butter and salsa take the edge off of brussels sprouts.

Butter with garlic on brussels sprouts.

Karen of Texas said...

Didn't read article because don't care - he can vegan if he wants just don't cram your religion down my throat - so don't know if it was mentioned but...if he isn't taking a B12 supplement or eating fortified foods since he eschews meat, then all the meditation and yoga in the world won't prevent his brain from going south. A B12 deficiency can mimic dementia.

Robert Cook said...

"If I'm gonna eat food, I want the kind shot from guns."

You want to eat bullets?

wild chicken said...

I snubbed our local version of Whole Foods for years, until recently when I got serious about cooking. Where else are you going to find bulk grains and spices so cheap, and all the weird ingredients that recipes call for now.

The deli there is the social center for *that* crowd. Though people seem to be more alone with their laptops and phones than actually socializing.

MountainMan said...

"When Mackey has a flat tire, I'll bet he has to call a meat eater to fix it for him."

I think there is a lot of truth to your observation, AllenS.

rehajm said...

You want to eat bullets?

Potato gun...

RK said...

daily affirmations....

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."

- Stuart Smalley

Fernandinande said...

I’m almost never interested in hearing about the personal habits of the wealthy.

This case is a bit different: the guy runs a big chain of "health food" stores, so there's possibly a legitimate interest in his eating habits, if you're into that kinda stuff, e.g. if you buy stuff from his stores.

Robert Cook said...

"I love Brussels sprouts."

I'm not a big veggie guy, but I do love Brussels Sprouts, (and I'm fond of spinach).

Sheridan said...

Let him dig fence post holes for a day and then ask him about his diet!

Rocketeer said...

Nut sauce sounds like it would pair nicely with fumunda cheese.

walter said...

Butter helps the brussel sprouts slide off plate into trash.
I kid.
I like brussel sprouts..but they don't like me.
Meaning no one likes me when I eat them.
Which makes me wonder about Mackey's methane contributions.

AllenS said...

Robert Cook said...
I'm not a big veggie guy, but I do love Brussels Sprouts, (and I'm fond of spinach).

I like brussel sprouts and love spinach.

MountainMan said...

I think his diet is deficient and unhealthy. He should be adding in some healthy proteins, like fish, eggs, and boneless skinless chicken or turkey breast, and only occasionally very lean red meat or pork. Then it would be fine. The most positive thing about the diet is the lack of carbs, especially refined sugar and white bread, which most Americans would benefit from by eliminating entirely.

AllenS said...

I never complain about food because I can eat anything. I do however, want to see a dead animal on my plate.

D 2 said...

"He was a clean cut kid, but they made a vegan out of him that's what they did."

I presume in the modern point-scoring system that determines his humanity, the guy was looking at the fact that he was:
-a white guy in the old cohort (but not so "old" as to get that "respect wise elder" thing)
-a capitalist buying and selling stuff on the backs of labour

.... so he needed like a +50 point bonus move. And if he likes women, the way Percy Sledge suggested, well, what the hell else is he gonna do? Veganism it is!!

Even then, this fella doesn't realize he is the Enemy of the True Ones.

mockturtle said...

Although I clicked on option number one, nothing about his regime bothers me in any way. Perhaps he is preening but I suspect someone interviewed him about his diet. I am reminded that the hardy medieval samurai ate a very similar diet.

Maillard Reactionary said...

What MadisonMan said.

On the one hand, he should get a life. On the other hand, if he weren't so self-absorbed, he might be more of a nuisance.

Robert Cook said...

"Trump can chow down on McDonald's hamburgers, chug a 12 pack of diet Coke and top it off with 2 scoops of ice cream. It doesn't put him out of sorts or give him a tummy ache."

Ha! He acts as if he's always out of sorts, and he often looks like he has a tummy ache (particularly in photos where he seems to be trying to smile but succeeds only in achieving a grimace).

Francisco D said...

I love Brussels sprouts. She can't eat them. It's genetic.

My wife has a terrible aversion to vegetables and says it is genetic. I do most of the cooking and hide onions, celery and carrots by sautéing and blending them. She gags at broccoli and cauliflower. I cook it for myself when she is away.

We would all be better off by eating more vegetables, but I cannot imagine a life without a great steak, lobster, beef&pork chili, beer can chicken, etc. I very rarely eat fast food, but don't see that as a virtue. That stuff only tastes good when I am really hungry.

As to steel cut oats, I have been eating them for the past 10 years. They have much more texture than rolled oats and you can be creative in the things you add.

mccullough said...

He waits 8 hours to eat between lunch and dinner. That’s too long. He needs to eat an afternoon snack at 3.

Beth B said...

Ah, the life of a multi-millionaire ascetic...

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

“The choice that I'm missing is "Nothing bothers me about this. It's his body, not mine, and I think what he does with his body is his business. Why is this news?"”

This. Why is it newsworthy that a busy middle-aged person has settled on a disciplined routine diet that they find healthy and palatable? Not a vegan, but God bless if you’ve found that is what works for you. Yes, food is a great pleasure but not nearly so much as an alert, active mind and body. I admire those that have managed to mentally reduce food to fuel. It must be liberating and conducive to a certain serenity.

rcocean said...

If you just moderate your consumption of fatty meats and alcohol and don't get fat, you'll live as long as Mr. Whole Foods.

I've never understood the whole vegan vs. vegetarianism thing - from an ethical standpoint. Goats and Cows don't mind being milked. Nor do chickens mind laying eggs. If people really concerned about other living things, they'd give more money to charity. Think of all the good Mr. Wholefoods could do if he just gave $1,000 to 1,000 families in Africa for medical care.

But he'd rather feel virtuous because he doesn't force a Cow to live in Dairy Prison.

rcocean said...

I saw a great Lee marvin dragnet episode yesterday. Marvin was a serial killer & vegan who only wanted carrot juice and yogurt. Joe Friday ate his usual roast beef sandwich.

Bob Boyd said...

He acts as if he's always out of sorts, and he often looks like he has a tummy ache

That's the look he gets when he's been dealing with stupid all day and there's still a lot of stupid to go.

tommyesq said...

Seems to me he is a millionaire through selling products that he deems unhealthy to his ignorant customer base?

Anonymous said...

"You can be very healthy as a vegetarian"

For awhile. Eventually your health will start to decline. Studies have shown most vegetarians go back to eating meat (85% in one study). There is no question that from a nutritional standpoint it is an inferior diet to a healthy diet which includes meat (and eggs etc. for vegans). I have a particular issue with parents who inflict a vegan or vegetarian diet on their children, the risks (which are numerous) far outweigh any potential benefits.

mockturtle said...

Yesterday I ate the best burger I've had in years in a little restaurant in Fort Nelson, BC. Mmmm! A five-napkin burger.

DB said...

The more fascinating the routine, the more fascinating the person. From dailyroutines.typepad.com: "Despite all this activity Churchill’s daily routine changed little during these years. He awoke about 7:30 a.m. and remained in bed for a substantial breakfast and reading of mail and all the national newspapers. For the next couple of hours, still in bed, he worked, dictating to his secretaries.

At 11:00 a.m., he arose, bathed, and perhaps took a walk around the garden, and took a weak whisky and soda to his study.

At 1:00 p.m. he joined guests and family for a three-course lunch. Clementine drank claret, Winston champagne, preferable Pol Roger served at a specific temperature, port brandy and cigars. When lunch ended, about 3:30 p.m. he returned to his study to work, or supervised work on his estate, or played cards or backgammon with Clementine.

At 5:00 p.m., after another weak whisky and soda, he went to be for an hour and a half. He said this siesta, a habit gained in Cuba, allowed him to work 1 1/2 days in every 24 hours. At 6:30 p.m. he awoke, bathed again, and dressed for dinner at 8:00 p.m.

Dinner was the focal-point and highlight of Churchill’s day. Table talk, dominated by Churchill, was as important as the meal. Sometimes, depending on the company, drinks and cigars extended the event well past midnight. The guests retired, Churchill returned to his study for another hour or so of work."

Gojuplyr831@gmail.com said...

daily affirmations...

"Every day in every way, I get better and better."

gilbar said...

HEY! cut the guy some slack! He's Found THE SECRET to longevity!
living this draconian way, clearly makes living Barely better than dying
BUT! because of it, he has been able; not only to live, but to continue working TO THE ANCIENT AGE OF 65!

Until you can show me even ONE person; that not only lived, but was Active, AT SIXTY FIVE!
y'all need to admit that HIS secret is working. Seriously! Have you EVER HEARD of a meat eating, none yogaing person even Living to 65? Let alone Still being Active at that age?

question? do i HAVE to end with a </sarc?

rcocean said...

I love B. Sprouts with Milk. Broccoli is good too. as stated, our pets do NOT like either.

SeanF said...

"At 6 a.m. Mackey either has one of two breakfasts: a smoothie or steel cuts oats (the oats are usually for when he’s on the road)."

What is that "either" doing there? It doesn't belong there.

That sentence bothers me more than anything about Mackey's diet.

Michael K said...

"He was a clean cut kid, but they made a vegan out of him that's what they did."

My daughter became a vegan under the influence of a boy friend. Then she spent a year in Spain. She came back a meat eater. She said she would have starved to death as a vegan in Spain.

J. Farmer said...

@rcocean:

I've never understood the whole vegan vs. vegetarianism thing - from an ethical standpoint. Goats and Cows don't mind being milked. Nor do chickens mind laying eggs.

I think it's more the conditions of factory farming.

Louie Looper said...

I had popcorn and a beer for dinner last night. That’s sort of vegan.

rcocean said...

Our local WH makes its $$ off the meat/fish and wine. Once Amazon took over they upped the prices on 90% of the wine, except for their own brands. Their meat prices are out of sight. steak $25/lbs in some cases. Hot bar prices have not gone up, but they now have LOTS of pasta, rice, Mexican dishes with chicken as the only meat. The chicken of course is bone-in. Yesterday, they actually had hot dogs. That's at $9.99 a lbs! So, we get most our food elsewhere.

Of course, we can afford WH. But its principle of the thing, Dammit.

daskol said...

The Goode Family, Mike Judge cartoon from a decade ago which lasted only a season, had a very funny scene in its first episode in a WholeFoods like store. Someone should tell Mackey that was a satire of virtue signalling, not a how-to guide for living.

rcocean said...

At 6 a.m. Mackey either has one of two breakfasts: a smoothie or steel cuts oats (the oats are usually for when he’s on the road)."

Rewritten: At 6 a.m. Mackey has a breakfast of a smoothie or steel cuts oats (the oats are usually for when he’s on the road)."

What about that, teacher?

William said...

He does a lot of travel and flies first class. I don't have first hand experience, but I bet the bathrooms there are spiffy. So maybe it's not so bad. Still, it's not the best way to pass your time....The only real joy in such a diet is virtue signalling so I don't begrudge him that meager pleasure. If he lives to a hundred, he'll have the last laugh on those who mock him. If not, we can all snicker when we read the obituary notice, especially if it involves colon cancer.....There's bound to be a proper balance of diet, exercise and money that increases one's chances of a long, happy life. He's probably on the right track, but random mutations get a vote, so we'll see how it turns out.....French fries with ketchup count as two servings of vegetables.

roesch/voltaire said...

Sounds a lot like the Tom Brady diet and look where that leads.

rcocean said...

Since we are wine drinkers we noticed Amazon made all lower quality wine the same. that is before the wines ranged from $6-12 bottle depending on quality. Now,they are ALL $12. "Higher" quality Wines that were $12-16 are now all $16. Simarly, their bagels and pastries used to be varying prices, now they are all the top price.

MadisonMan said...

Here's my routine from today. I woke up -- alarm today -- at 4:30. After debating about rolling over and falling back asleep, I remembered I had to get into work before data I needed on a computer at work was purged. So, I got up, has breakfast -- two pieces of Oat Porridge Toast (Oat Porridge bread from Origins Bakery, and it's pretty good, I got it at Sentry last night, never had it before and haven't perfected toasting it yet), brushed my teeth, kissed my still-sleeping wife goodbye, remembered I needed a receipt for boots I'm picking up today, so found that, then walked into work. The walk into work shook things loose, so to speak, so I took care of that when I got in. Read emails, then I created some material from the aforementioned data. Then I went and got Iced Coffee (Indie) and a Donut (Greenbush -- kosher). Now I'm going to back to making more material from those data.
This sounds at least as interesting as Mr. Whole Foods, yet somehow I'm not being interviewed.

mockturtle said...

J. Farmer observes: I think it's more the conditions of factory farming.

That's really the issue for most, I think. What could be more appalling than a feedlot? Or chickens living out their entire lives enclosed in tiny cages?

rcocean said...

"I think it's more the conditions of factory farming."

I wonder if worries about the Factory conditions in the 3rd world where his shoes and clothes are made.

MadisonMan said...

He does a lot of travel and flies first class. I don't have first hand experience, but I bet the bathrooms there are spiffy

A colleague of mine just flew 1st class back from Asia. She reported that the First Class bathrooms were just about the same as the rest of the airplane's (I asked) -- but that they were very much cleaner throughout the flight.

I don't use 'spiffy' to mean clean, but maybe you do. 'Spiffy' means fancy-pants in my book.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The trouble that I have with people who go "vegan" is that they expect/demand that everyone else needs to cater to their extreme diet. Vegetarian is something I can cope with if I have a vegetarian guest or go out to eat with some vegetarians. I actually often cook vegetarian meals for us at home.

Vegan is not cope-able. It is rigid and extremely difficult to do in a "normal" kitchen

The other issue is the preachy hectoring by the vegan and sometimes vegetarian. I especially don't want to be preached at when I'm trying to eat. I don't try to force my diet on you...shut up about yours.

Known Unknown said...

Re-rewritten:
Rewritten: At 6 a.m. Mackey has a breakfast of a smoothie or steel cuts oats. The oats are usually for when he’s on the road.

Known Unknown said...

I think some people assume he's showing off or something (virtue-signaling), but I think it's quite consistent to ask the CEO of a supermarket chain what he eats. It's like asking the CEO of AutoZone what kinds of cars they prefer to drive.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

As a proper host, I always ask my guests before they arrive if they have any food allergies or diet restrictions. This way I can be sure to avoid serving things that are going to KILL them and try to make at least a few things that they can enjoy.

We hosted a BBQ a few weeks ago where the usual fare would be a Tri-tip, Chicken, Italian sausages on the grill with some salad sides,grilled french bread, perhaps a starch like corn on the cob or potatoes, and of course a dessert or two of some kind.

My good friend informed me that she was now vegetarian but was still eating some fish and dairy. OK Fine. How about a some grilled salmon. We can even do it on a separate BBQ if you like. She was cool. Said: "I can avoid the stuff I'm not eating and bring a some salads to contribute" Brought Fresh crudites, assorted raw vegetables with a dip for you heathens :-), fruit salad.

That's how you do vegetarianism and not be a pretentious ass.

gilbar said...

CEO of AutoZone:
I would NEVER drive a frozen, or processed car. Let me explain my wakeup routine....

gilbar said...

DBQ taunted...
We hosted a BBQ a few weeks ago where the usual fare would be a Tri-tip, Chicken, Italian sausages on the grill with some salad sides,grilled french bread, perhaps a starch like corn on the cob or potatoes, and of course a dessert or two of some kind.


NOW you tell us! and we still don't know your address :<

Freeman Hunt said...

Affirmations?

gilbar said...

Are there parks in Madison?
I think (sometimes, i really do!) that Meade should organize an Althouse BBQ potluck!!!!!
I could bring trouts (stupid stockers, not respectable wild browns)

Howard said...

He's on the Francisco D fiber super diet to produce solid movements that clears the mind of clutter

RobinGoodfellow said...

Blogger MadisonMan said...
I know it says 'the most', your poll. I still want an "all of the above" choice.

He sounds preening and insufferable. Was that the goal?


This was my reaction. I usually love to vote in Ann’s polls, but this story had too many WTF items.

8/16/19, 7:15 AM

J. Farmer said...

I wonder if worries about the Factory conditions in the 3rd world where his shoes and clothes are made.

I have no clue but weren’t you asking about the ethical considerations of veganism writ large. But if you state some concern you have, and I say “well millions of kids starve to death every year so what’s your concern compared to that?”, would you cease having that concern?

MacMacConnell said...

Does the Green New Deal have provisions for vegan emitting green house gases?

Leland said...

I didn't vote either.

The easiest option is "flaunting virtue", but it wasn't his flaunting of Vegan lifestyle that was a bother. It's the notion that Vegan is healthy. Here, it wasn't claimed to be healthy. Instead, it was mentioned that he occasionally allows beer and other alcohol into his diet; which is a healthy thing to do (both to allow it and do so moderately) yet those things are neither defining of Vegan or anti-Vegan. So Vegan isn't so much a diet as a declaration of being healthy (the flaunting of virtue), which it isn't. If Vegan was just a diet, then it wouldn't bother me someone chose to do it.

So I didn't see an option that fit my bother.

None of the other stuff even comes close to a bother. I agree with him about getting sufficient water from fruits. I don't care what he puts in his digestive track. He's not invading anybody's private space if I choose not to read his article, and if I do, then that's my invasion. I'm not worried about Deborah; she's a grown woman capable of making her own decisions. I assume "nut sauce" here is nuts mashed into a cream (it could be semen extracted from ejaculation, but I can just as equally think he means something like almond milk or nut butter). Aside, nobody has issue with the term peanut butter, despite butter implying a dairy product; so perhaps sauce is actually more appropriate than butter? I rather be a multimillionaire not caring what people thought about what I carted around. About Grown Men with stomach aches; I watched this last night. I'd say it is your definition of snack. Again, back to what I watched last night, which include timing and discussion of a bowel movement; both of which were more awkward.

PM said...

Spelling out your veganism is foreplay to like-minded eaters.

Bob Boyd said...

"I'm a vegan"

AllenS said...

I just ate a hot dog with chopped onions on a bun with ketchup and mustard. That's 5 food groups right there.

Ambrose said...

Somewhere there is an executive assistant tasked with schlepping the rice cooker on trips for him.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I just ate a hot dog with chopped onions on a bun with ketchup and mustard. That's 5 food groups right there

Hah! That is exactly what I tell my husband when I eat leftover italian sausage and anchovy pizza for breakfast and he gives me a hard time about it.

D 2 said...

It's not the personal choice he makes for himself. That's for him. It's the presentation that it is a future ideal to espouse to the rest of us.

"George Smith will turn 90 years old this Sunday. He credits his long life to drinking bourbon in copious amounts before noon and not working for the majority of his adult life. He cackled through his last remaining tooth about spending most of his 40s sitting at Main & Elm St with a drifter named Bill and yelling racial epithets at immigrants, saying how much that helped him relieve the waters on his brain stem, reducing the risk of cancer. Although he never took any sort of medical training, he also suggested roast beef sandwiches with canned gravy that the Sisters of Charity gave him as a hot lunch on Mondays gave his bones an added "chemical vigour" and that frequent bouts of masturbation cleaned out the bacterias from his bloods - "although only if it is with a picture of Grace Kelly, and not that tart Sophia Loren" he adds. George would tell the young people of today to consume less. "If everyone lived as I did, drinking a little, sleeping in a lot, yelling at Chinese in their Audis, well, we wouldn't have so many problems I reckon. Earth first! ... well, Bourbon first, but Earth second!"

Anonymous said...

The only thing that bothered me at all was the insistence that everyone cater to his preferences by attending him at his vegan restaurants. "No, John, we're going to the Mexican restaurant, order the fried avocado and shut the fuck up."

Kevin said...

Maybe they make more money on fresh fruits and vegetables, but I think the big fresh fruits and vegetables section is theatrical, the first thing you see when you get in (as it is at every supermarket).

At my WF you are forced to make your way through the produce section or take a hard left and rankle the people waiting at the kombucha bar.

Most of the time I'm not there for produce, yet that section is a traffic jam of abandoned carts and people blocking the aisles as they select the most perfect organic, non-GMO, vine-ripened, artisanal heirloom tomato.

Theatrical is exactly the right word for what's happening there. And the patrons have largely learned to play their assigned roles.

Kevin said...

"No, John, we're going to the Mexican restaurant, order the fried avocado and shut the fuck up."

John's a vegan?

As my dad responded often during my youth, "That sounds like a personal problem."

mockturtle said...

I saw a t-shirt in Alaska that read, "Early vegetarians were those too stupid to learn to fish and hunt."

Kevin said...

I think it's more the conditions of factory farming.

There is an inflation to moralism. Once enough people don't eat eggs or milk, we'll be on to the next thing by which I can demonstrate I'm a superior human being.

Perhaps it will be that you eat no produce grown on land that was taken forcefully from indigenous peoples.

Wait, I'm giving them ideas...

Yancey Ward said...

It is virtue signalling, and idiotic virtue signalling at that.

Yancey Ward said...

I tried veganism once, but I found they were made of nothing but gristle.

rcocean said...

"I have no clue but weren’t you asking about the ethical considerations of veganism writ large"

Yes, and thank you for the response. I was going off a different tanget.

Ralph L said...

What the hell is "nut sauce"?

It's made from beat juice.

Skippy Tisdale said...

10 Best Vegan Nut Sauce Recipes - Yummly

https://www.yummly.com/recipes/vegan-nut-sauce

Known Unknown said...

A hot dog with ketchup?

Oh, boy.

gilbar said...

A hot dog with ketchup?

i don't mean to sound judgemental; but That is morally WRONG!

Jim at said...

What part of John Mackey's daily regimen bothers you the most?

The fact somebody at CNBC thought it newsworthy.

mockturtle said...

Allen S is right to add ketchup to his hot dog. It adds just the right je ne sais quoi. Pickle relish adds a nice touch, too. With enough condiments you won't be able to taste the hot dog.

Bilwick said...

"'Mr. Hickenlooper, 67, a socially progressive, pro-business Democrat . . .'" Cut the BS and just give me the bottom line: one the Statist Scale (0 being libertarian anarchist and 10 being total tyranny) where does Hickenlooper stand? Less statist than State-shtuppers Warren and Sanders? More statist than Trump? All I need to know is who's the bigger threat to liberty.

Ann Althouse said...

Instead of lugging the rice cooker around, he should have his company produce a nutrition bar or cracker that is as close to steel-cut oatmeal as possible. Then, travel light.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Seriously, what is the deal about Whole Foods. Why do people think it is so good....or so bad.

I've never been to whole foods. The closest one near me in my State is 250 miles away. The next closest is 302 miles away in another State.

The likelihood of my shopping there is pretty much nil.

tcrosse said...

Steel-cut oatmeal takes a lot longer to cook than rolled oats. Think of the extra energy expended for so little nutritional benefit. The nutrition bar problem is getting the grainy bits to stick together. This requires some sort of goo, usually sugary, which turns your steel-cut oats into a Snickers bar.

Oso Negro said...

My definition of “well-off” is being able to be the cheese at Whole Foods without choking on the price. Fucking high- grader hippies! Privoz Rynok in Odessa is real shopping.

Karen of Texas said...

People who shop there and employees at Natural Grocers, a small store, scaled down version of Whole Foods with a pretty decent selection of natural and organic groceries (and dietary supplements) refer to Whole Foods as "Whole Paycheck". Heh. Since Amazon took over Whole Foods, I've noticed higher prices on many things, lower prices on some "staples" and less variety. However, if you're an Amazon Prime member with an Amazon cc, you can make it work.

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Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

What part of John Mackey's daily regimen bothers you the most?

Deborah slicing all those steel cut oats.

Danno said...

If you consumed it, something must have bothered you more than the other things. If it was all a big bore, why did you read it?

Maybe he/she is addicted to Althouse? If that's a thing. Sure better than the TDS we have been seeing.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

There's nothing wrong with what he's doing, and nothing wrong with telling us about it. Why shouldn't he promote the types of products Whole Foods sells, and the lifestyle that goes with it? Still, truth be told, you can buy a lot of food at WF that isn't very healthy for you, but tastes good. I've done that.

Walking is decent exercise, depending on how far and fast you go, and how often you do it. It's generally the kind of thing that's good for your health, but won't get you in top physical shape. Yoga, OTOH, can be VERY intense, depending on the type, and the effort you put in it. I was never a fan of yoga, but I actually do a very tough form of it now, and it's actually a very taxing form of strength training.

The only thing I think he's doing wrong is not drinking much water. Among other reasons, it's important to keep the kidneys and urinary tract flushed.

Danno said...

I like brussel sprouts and love spinach.

Speaking of spinach, I love making and eating spinach dip spread on a artisanal bread. Whole Foods does have a large and very reasonable selection of store-baked breads.

Nichevo said...

J. Farmer said...

But if you state some concern you have, and I say “well millions of kids starve to death every year so what’s your concern compared to that?”, would you cease having that concern?

8/16/19, 10:07 AM

But J, that's your go-to.

pokerone said...

My son is a vegan and yoga instructor who thinks he's going to live to 120. He has two children, who are small for their age. Can you guess why? It saddens me but my grand-daughters are my light of life. I reminded him a couple of weeks ago about the saying that if Hitler had had a hamburger now and again WWII may never have happened. "Hitler was a vegetarian?" he asked.

Bunkypotatohead said...

My food eats what he eats.

RichardJohnson said...

wild chicken
I snubbed our local version of Whole Foods for years, until recently when I got serious about cooking. Where else are you going to find bulk grains and spices so cheap, and all the weird ingredients that recipes call for now.

Where I live, Sprouts and H.E.B. have bulk grains and spices a lot cheaper than Whole Foods. I occasionally purchase Whole Foods baked goods- cookies or oatmeal bars. Not their bread, as I can make good bread a lot cheaper at home, and with a bread machine, it doesn't take much time.

Jamie said...

My choice is not on the list: "Why on earth would anyone want to live this way?"

I'll bet I'm not the only person on this thread to say it.

Jamie said...

"At Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Grafton St, Dublin, you could get your steel-cut oatmeal with Bailey's Irish Cream on it. Slainte!"

Ok, that sounds amazing. Maybe some toasted pecans on it for crunch? But do I make it for breakfast or dessert... hmmm....

We have dear friends, former vegetarians and still people who try to "eat ethically" (we frankly do not), who won't touch Whole Foods. We also have a Whole Foods about five minutes from our house, which I hate going to (I will on rare occasions when I want to try a specialty ingredient that my very well-stocked supermarket, also five minutes away, does not carry) because of the grumpiness of the patrons and the fug of smug in the air. This said, yeah, yeah, factory farming bad, and we are in a position to buy meat that has not been factory farmed; I suppose we should start doing that. But I resist, because it seems impossible to "eat ethically" without partaking of the fug of smug; I guess, as the food shopper in our house, I've decided for all of us that we will not, through our behavior, appear to judge our fellows. And I suppose the animals we consume suffer for it.

Jamie said...

RichardJohnson, a big H-E-B, Sprouts, and Whole Foods are all minutes from my house. As referenced in my prior comment, I virtually never have to go to WF to buy uncommon ingredients (and I think I've set foot in Sprouts once).

I do kind of wish Central Market were closer to me...