The culture of too much
We live in a culture of excess that makes us sick. We are pushed to consume more and more, to seek novelty, to fill the void with food. But excess is not abundance, it is a form of disguised poverty. At 43, I chose to say stop. I chose to nourish my body, not saturate it. Low-carb was my way out of this hellish cycle. As I returned to dense, simple foods, I discovered that 'less' was often 'more'. Less sugar, less carbohydrates, but more life.
On my grill, I practice this philosophy of the right measure. You don't need an overflowing plate to be satisfied. We need a plate that makes sense. A nice piece of meat, some perfectly grilled vegetables, good fat. It's complete. That's enough. Excessive toppings, sauces and breads only serve to mask a lack of quality or an inability to appreciate simplicity. To nourish is to provide what is necessary, nothing more, nothing less.
Clarity of need
This is how to get out of excess, you have to find the clarity of your needs. The sugar confuses everything. It creates artificial needs, compulsive desires, hungers that are not. By removing it, we find the truth of our biology. We learn to distinguish the need for fuel from the need for emotional comfort. We become more honest with ourselves. The grill is an excellent mirror of this honesty. He can't stand artifice. If you try to do too much, you ruin the product. Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to remove.
This clarity spreads throughout life. We begin to clean up our possessions, our commitments, our thoughts. We look for quality rather than quantity. We prefer one deep conversation to ten superficial discussions. We prefer one hour of concentrated work to eight hours of agitation. Nutrition is the starting point for a global personal ecology. It's learning to respect your own system to better respect the world around us.
Respect for the living
Ultimately, getting away from excess also means respecting the living. When we eat too much, we waste valuable resources. We lack respect for the animal that gave its life, for the land that produced the vegetables, for the work of those who feed us. By eating consciously and measuredly, we honor the chain of life. We take what we need with gratitude, without greed. It is a form of secular spirituality that is expressed at every meal. The grill is the altar of this celebration of life.
It's a lesson in maturity. The child wants everything, right away. The adult knows how to choose and wait. By choosing low-carb, we choose metabolic maturity. We agree not to give in to all impulses to preserve our health capital in the long term. We are investing in our future. We leave the tyranny of the moment to enter the serenity of duration. It is a radical change of perspective that brings deep and lasting peace.
The freedom of sobriety
This is why ultimately, sobriety is the supreme form of freedom. No longer dependent on excess to feel alive. Being able to find joy in simple things: the taste of grilled meat, the warmth of a fire, the clarity of a rested mind. It is this freedom that I cultivate here in Montana. The grill is not just a kitchen tool, it is a tool of liberation. It allows me to feed myself without being chained. It allows me to be myself, without artifice.
I see my clients leave with this same feeling of lightness. They came to eat, they leave with a vision. They understood that health is not a constraint, but an opportunity. The opportunity to live fully, without the weight of excess. The fire slowly goes out, the stars appear, and I feel rich in this simplicity. It's the only wealth that really matters. Nourish, without ever saturating. It's my art, and it's my life.
