Auto-Ethnography of My Eating Habits

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Auto-Ethnography of My Food Habits
By Oleg Nekrassovski
This is an auto-ethnography of my eating habits, as they were in the spring of
2009, written as if the researcher/author was someone else, rather than me.
Subject, Method and Scope
The subject of the present study is the food habits of a Canadian-Russian
man named Oleg Nekrassovski. The research methods used were close
observations and unstructured interviewing. The author of the present paper
followed the man, whose food habits are under study, over the course of two
days while closely observing his food choices and asking him to give maximally
detailed reasons for his observed choices of food. The time period of two days
was chosen on the assumption that it will be sufficient to cover Oleg’s major
dietary choices as well as to make the study more manageable.
Introduction
Oleg Nekrassovski was at the time of this study, 25 years of age. He has
been labeled above as a Canadian-Russian in virtue of having lived in Russia for
the first 12.5 years of his life. However, when asked, he claims that his Russian
heritage has no influence on his daily food choices. In spite of that, during the
course of the study he frequently referred to a Russian language text titled
Popular Medical Encyclopedia, which he kept at home and strongly trusted. An
examination of this encyclopedia revealed that it was written by a large team of
USSR’s medical and scientific experts. It was published in 1991, but considering
the amount of work likely involved in its compilation, as well as the fact that all
ideologically sensitive topics in it (such as recommended sexual behavior) were
written according to a communist ideology, it is clear that it was written during
the “good old days” of the Soviet Union. When Oleg was asked why he strongly
trusted this encyclopedia, he remarked that in spite of its ideological bias in social
topics, the articles on truly scientific topics, in this encyclopedia, are probably a

lot less biased than those of any medical encyclopedia published in a capitalist
country. This, he explained, is because the economic system of the Soviet Union
was completely communist and hence usually had little incentive to influence
scientific research. In particular, where as in the capitalist economy, food
producing companies routinely spend millions of dollars on scientists who “prove”
that the foods they produce are healthier than the alternatives offered by
competitors, or that the foods produced by competitors are very harmful and
should be avoided, under communism, all research is funded by the government
and all foods are produced by that same government. Moreover the Soviet
consumer had few choice with regards to food, and in the end, the Soviet
government did not care what, if any, foods he/she will get.
Ethnography
The first day of the study was Tuesday and hence a school day for Oleg. The
first thing that I saw him consume during breakfast was a plate of greasy
spaghetti with added ketchup, and a chunk of butter. The first thing that I asked
him, upon seeing that combination of foods, was why the spaghetti was so
greasy. He quickly answered that it is simply because he adds a significant amount
of sunflower oil to spaghetti while cooking it. When I asked why he does that, he
quickly explained that most vegetable oils contain certain fatty acids, essential for
the elasticity of the skin, which cannot be obtained from any other foods. And
because he often suffers from dry skin, this is precisely the biochemical he needs
to consume on a daily basis. When I asked where he obtained this scientific
knowledge, he referred to the Soviet medical encyclopedia described in the
introduction.
Next, I asked him about the chunk of butter that he was eating together
with spaghetti. He explained that according to the same Soviet medical
encyclopedia, fats, especially animal fats, are essential for the proper functioning
of the human body. Moreover, he added that according to the same
encyclopedia, animal fats contain a lot of cholesterol which is necessary for the
production of most hormones. Finally, he stated that whenever he stops this
systematic consumption of butter, his skin begins to dry severely. So he no longer

stops. I had nothing to say against his first and third points regarding butter,
however I was quite baffled by his second point. I asked him whether he knew
that consumption of cholesterol leads to cardiovascular diseases. He responded
that this claim is “rubbish” and a great example of fabricated capitalist research.
Then he pointed me to a passage in his favorite medical encyclopedia where it
was clearly stated that the theory I told him just a minute ago, is an old
discredited theory, with the current one being that consumption of cholesterol
has no effect on cardiovascular health. However, my enquiry into his views on the
physiological effects of butter consumption did not end at that, because he also
stated that cholesterol is necessary for the production of most hormones. So I
asked him what are the hormones that he wants his body to produce in greater
amounts and why does he want those hormones to be produced in greater
amounts? He responded by saying that the hormones that he wants his body to
produce in greater amounts are testosterone and GH, because they cause an
increase in muscle and bone mass.
After finishing his spaghetti and butter combo, I observed Oleg do the
following. He took a coffee mug which, roughly half a liter in volume, and put 3
scoops of whey protein powder into it as well as a teaspoon of creatine
monohydrate powder. Then he filled the mug about ¾ full of water, tightly
screwed on the lid, and began to shake it vigorously. After shaking the mug for
about 5 minutes, he drank down its contents, which by now turned into a thick
white liquid.
I decided to first ask Oleg his reasons for consuming protein powder. Once I
did, he responded by saying that complete protein is essential for health,
especially for the maintenance of the immune system as well as for the growth
and repair of muscle tissue. He also added that overall, protein is required for the
growth and repair of all the cells of the body. When I asked him for his sources of
this knowledge, he cited his Soviet medical encyclopedia as well as “whey
protein” and “bodybuilding supplements” articles in Wikipedia, in addition to any
introductory textbook on biochemistry. However, our discussion continued,
because my next immediate question was why he consumes protein powder

instead of obtaining complete protein from natural sources such as meat. In fact, I
pointed out to him that most North Americans would consume a plate of
spaghetti with meat if they wanted to get a good amount of complete protein
during that meal. He responded by saying that it is true that significant amounts
complete protein can be obtained by eating meat, fish or concentrated dairy
products such as cheese. However, he added that cooking anything reasonably
tasty out of raw meat or fish takes too much time and effort compared to making
protein shakes. He further added that even if he liked spending all this time and
effort on cooking meat and fish, the protein that he would get out of it would be
no less expensive than that obtained from protein powders. Hence, he said, it
would be an irrational thing for him to bother with meat and fish. Finally, he
stated that getting complete protein from cheese is more expensive than from
protein powder; however, in spite of that, he does so periodically because,
according to him, consuming cheese is often a lot more convenient than making a
protein shake.
Next, I asked Oleg why he consumes this, totally foreign to me, substance
called creatine monohydrate. He responded by saying that creatine is a substance
necessary for the maintenance of nerves and the repair of muscle tissue, with half
of the required creatine being synthesized by the human body and the other half
being obtained from eating meat and fish. And since he consumes neither, he
feels he has to take it as a supplement. Finally, he added that creatine
monohydrate is simply one of the commercially available forms of creatine. He
cited “Creatine” article in Wikipedia for all of this scientific information.
Next, I decided to inquire why Oleg consumes protein powder and creatine
in the amounts that I observed him do. In response to such a question he first told
me that on his school days he consumes 3 scoops of protein powder 3 times a
day, to a total of 9 scoops. This, he explained, was because on school days,
protein powder was his main source of protein, and according to his Soviet
medical encyclopedia, 100 to 150 grams of protein per day is an ideal amount for
a man who uses his muscles as much as he does. And since 3 scoops (according to
the manufacturer) provide 38 grams of protein, 9 scoops must provide 114 grams

of protein. Hence, consuming 9 scoops per day seems reasonable. As far as
creatine is concerned, Oleg told me that the teaspoon of creatine that I saw him
consume, was the only one during the whole day. This, he told me, was because
according to the “Creatine” article in Wikipedia, 3 grams is the daily turnover rate
of creatine in the human body. And since 1.5 grams (half) of that is synthesized by
the body, the other 1.5 grams must be obtained from the diet. “But doesn’t a
teaspoon of creatine contain 5 grams of it, not 1.5 grams?” I asked. He told me
that I was wrong and proceeded to explain how he determined that a teaspoon of
creatine contains about 1.5 grams of it. He told me that the scoops he used to
measure protein powder have a volume of 47 ml. However, according to the
manufacturer’s instructions written on the whey protein container, 3 scoops
supplied 45 grams of powder. This, he said, should make sense to me, because
the protein powder, that he is consuming, is clearly a lot less dense than water. In
fact, he added that if the manufacturer is correct, whey protein powder is about 3
times less dense than water. Thus, he said, assuming that the density of creatine
powder is about the same as that of protein powder, 5ml (1 teaspoon) of creatine
must contain 1/3 of 5 grams or just over 1.6 grams of creatine.
After Oleg drank down his protein/creatine shake, I observed him take a pill
which according to its container contained 500 mg of calcium. So I asked him why
he took a calcium pill. And why a calcium pill which contained 500 mg of calcium.
He responded by saying that, in case I don’t know, according to his Soviet medical
encyclopedia as well as many other sources, calcium is essential for the growth
and repair of bones and according to the article “Calcium” in Wikipedia, a
recommended daily dose of calcium is from 1000mg to 1500 mg. He continued by
stating that according to the manufacturer of his whey protein powder, 3 scoops
of the powder provide 20% of the required daily calcium (whey protein is made
from cheese), and since he consumes 9 scoops on this day, he obtains 60% of the
daily calcium from his protein powder consumption alone. Oleg was confident
that the manufacturer of his protein powder assumes that the daily calcium
requirement is about 1000mg. Hence, he concluded that, on school days, he gets
600mg of calcium from whey protein and since that is not enough, he takes
additional 500mg in pill form. Also, he told me that according to the article

“Electrolyte” in Wikipedia, calcium acts as one of the essential electrolytes in the
human body and hence it is important, for someone who sweats as much as he
does, to consume sufficient amounts of calcium. Since, I had no idea what
electrolytes are and what have they got to do with sweating, I asked Oleg to
explain. He, however, responded to such a request by saying that the subject is
too complicated to explain in a few words and instead suggested that I write it
down and go read up on it once my study of his food habits is over.
The last thing that Oleg consumed during breakfast was a pill which
according to the label on its container contained 21 vitamins and minerals. As
usual, I asked him why. He responded by showing me the list, of all of the
ingredients in every pill, on the container’s label and giving me a quick run,
through the major ingredients. He pointed out that the first ingredient on the list
is vitamin A, in the significant amount of 5000 IU. He explained that he needs to
consume significant amounts of vitamin A daily, because he suffers from dry skin,
and according to his Soviet medical encyclopedia, a deficiency in vitamin A causes
the skin to become dry. Oleg noted, however, that he is not saying that his skin is
often dry because of vitamin A deficiency; instead he admitted that after reading
that vitamin A plays an important role in the flexibility of the skin, he decided that
consuming more vitamin A, within safe limits, will make his skin less dry; and he
claims that his prediction met with success. The next important ingredient that
Oleg showed to me, on the list, was vitamin D. He explained according to his
Soviet medical encyclopedia as well as every other academic source on the
subject, vitamin D is critical for bone growth and repair. Moreover according to all
detailed sources on vitamin D, most foods are deficient in vitamin D and hence,
he said, it is important to take it as a supplement. Among the minerals on the list,
Oleg pointed out potassium, magnesium and iodine. He stated that the first two,
according to the article “Electrolyte” in Wikipedia, are important electrolytes, and
the last one, according to many, widespread academic sources on it, is a critically
important mineral, naturally found only in sea products. And since he consumes
no sea products, it is important for him to take iodine as a supplement.

After breakfast Oleg went to his first class and I decided to come along.
Along the way I decided to pose him a question on the subject which became
apparent to me while collecting data on the foods and artificially produced
biochemicals that he consumed during breakfast. It became apparent to me that
many of his dietary choices are aimed at repairing and building muscle and bone
mass. When I asked him about it, he responded by saying that it is silly to spend
hours in the gym or, in his case, days engaged in physically demanding manual
labor, and yet ignore the possibility of increasing ones strength and lean body
mass through diet.
After, coming home from his first class and studying for awhile, Oleg had
lunch. His lunch was in many ways similar to his breakfast. It consisted of a plate
of greasy rice, another chunk of butter very similar in size to the one he ate for
breakfast, and, as I expected, a protein shake from 3 scoops of protein powder. It
turned out, upon inquiry, that the rice was greasy from added sunflower oil; just
as I expected. However, upon seeing another chunk of butter I decided to ask
Oleg about its weight, how many such chunks he consumes in one day and why.
Oleg responded by saying that he measures out those chunks by dividing a pound
of butter into 16 approximately equal parts. Hence, he continued, every chunk of
butter that he consumes weighs 1 ounce, and he consumes 3 such chunks and
hence 3 ounces of butter on school days. And this, he said, is because he has
determined that on the days when he does not consume animal fat from other
sources, 3 ounces of butter is what his skin needs to prevent drying up, as well as
being his upper tolerance limit for the consumption of animal fat. He decided to
elaborate on this last point by saying that, in case I have not tried it, consuming
large amounts of animal fat often causes liver ache because animal fats are hard
to digest and are primarily digested by the liver. Hence, consuming large amounts
of fat overburdens the liver and causes it to hurt. Thus, he added, that for himself
he has determined that he can consume a maximum of 3 ounces of butter per day
(provided no other animal fat is consumed) and not experience liver ache. Finally,
he reminded me about all the other benefits of consuming significant amounts of
animal fat, about which he told me during breakfast.

I did not expect to see Oleg take another 500mg calcium pill during lunch,
because he has already explained that all the protein powder that he consumes
during the day, together with one of such pill, satisfies all his daily calcium needs.
However, I did think that he might take another pill containing 21 vitamins and
minerals. When he failed to do that, I asked him why. He responded by saying
that I should start being more observant, and proceeded to show me again the
container of those pills. And sure enough, on the container it was clearly stated,
“Directions: Take one tablet daily with a meal or as directed by a health
professional.”
After lunch Oleg went to his second class of the day. Since I had no
questions to ask him, I did not bother coming along. When he came home from
his second class he had a light, fruitarian snack, which consisted of 2 apples, 1
pear and 1 banana. When I asked him for his reasons for such a snack, he
responded by saying that it is a well known fact that fruits, just like vegetables,
contain variety of vitamins and fiber, which is necessary for preventing
constipation. However, he continued, that according to his Soviet medical
encyclopedia, fruits, unlike vegetables, contain a substance called pectin which
prevents the semi-digested food from rotting inside the gut. He further added
that according to the numerous sources on the subject, appendicitis occurs when
the semi-digested food moves along the gut too slowly (usually from a lack of
fiber in the diet) and begins to rot. When I inquired about the specific amounts of
fruits that he consumed during that snack, he responded by saying that the
amounts are a result of a “reasonable” habit, and are not based on any scientific
calculations.
After finishing his fruitarian snack and studying for a while, Oleg had dinner.
Not surprisingly, it consisted of greasy spaghetti, a familiar chunk of butter, and a
protein shake. The only dish that was new during dinner was a bowl of salad into
which Oleg mixed in sour cream and salt. Though I knew that sour cream and salt
were usually added to the salad only for the sake of taste, I was suspecting that
Oleg may have additional scientific reasons for doing so. When I asked him about
it, he confirmed that he added both for the sake of taste; however he added that

according to the article “Electrolyte” in Wikipedia, once the salt is consumed, it
splits, inside the human body, into two important electrolytes.
After finishing his dinner, Oleg studied for several hours until it was time to
go to sleep. However, just before going to sleep he had an impressive snack. It
consisted of a single cheese sandwich about 3 inches in thickness. The incredible
thickness was due to the fact that Oleg made it by putting a slice of cheese half an
inch thick between 4 slices of bread. When I asked Oleg for his reasons for eating
such a snack in the end of the day, he responded by saying that he can’t fall
asleep on an empty stomach, so he consumes this snack mostly for its taste and
energy value. He did admit however, that it contains some protein, animal fat and
calcium, but added that these amounts are too small to cause him an overdose in
either one of the three biochemicals.
The next day was Wednesday and hence a work day for Oleg. His breakfast
was the same as the day before except that he did not consume a calcium pill.
When I asked him why, he responded by saying that during the course of this day
he will consume 3 cheese sandwiches like the one I saw him consume last night.
And since cheese contains a lot of calcium, a calcium pill on top of that may result
in an overdose. He also told me to note with regards to cheese that since cheese
also contains a lot of protein and animal fat, he will consume this day only 2
protein shakes (6 scoops of protein powder) and 2 ounces of butter.
After breakfast Oleg set about preparing his work snacks. They consisted of
three sandwiches, each from 4 slices of bread. Two, as may be expected, had a
half inch thick slice of cheese, and one was for some reason made by putting
peanut butter and some salt in the 3 spaces between the 4 slices of bread. When I
asked him about it, he reminded me that salt consists of two important
electrolytes, and that all electrolytes get lost through sweating, which will start
once he starts he shift. As far as peanut butter is concerned, he said that he used
it only for the sake of its high energy content. He also told me to note that the
massive cheese sandwiches that he will consume during his shift also contain salt
(because cheese is salted) as well as all other import electrolytes. His source for
the last point was, as may be expected, the article “Electrolyte” in Wikipedia.

After preparing all the food that he will consume during his shift at work,
Oleg went to work. And I of course went with him in order to continue my
observations. His work was indeed physically demanding. It consisted of lifting
and moving boxes of various weights, both on the ground and up and down the
ladders. Unlike most people, Oleg worked nonstop, and considering his elevated
body temperature which keeps him warm even in the coldest environments, it is
not surprising that sweat was continuously pouring down his head and back.
After about two hours of work Oleg took a snack break. The first thing that I
observed him do during that break was that he came up to the tap, in the
washroom of his workplace, with a plastic bottle which fit about half a liter, and
quickly filled the bottle full of tap water. Then, he drank down that half a liter of
water in one go, and again refilled the bottle. He slowly consumed the second half
a liter of water with his first cheese sandwich. When I asked him for his reasons
for consuming water in such a manner, he explained that he consumed the first
half a liter exclusively to replenish his bodily water reserves which were severely
depleted by the continuous heavy sweating, where as the second half a liter was
consumed with food in order to make the food easier to swallow as well as to add
even more water to the bodily reserves since he has established that in such a
case half a liter is not enough. Next I decided to initiate a discussion by telling him
that in my opinion the tap water is not clean and that most health conscious
North Americans prefer to drink bottled water. He responded by saying that he
learned back in high school that in Canada all tap water is sterilized. He also
added that he is confident that in a capitalist country, such as Canada, all bottled
water comes from the tap because it is cheaper for the profit seeking, selfish
capitalist companies to do so, and that it should not be surprising that it is
advertised as being cleaner than tap water because he has already pointed out
that capitalist companies will stop at nothing in convincing people that what they
produce is better than the alternative. Finally, he added that he consumes at least
3 liters of water (6 half liter bottles) during his shift, so buying that amount of
bottled water would both be a strain on his finances as well as a heavy load to
carry on his back during the trip to work.

After his first snack, Oleg worked for another 2 hours, by the end of which
he consumed his second snack. During the second snack the manner in which
food and water was consumed, was the same as during the first snack. The only
difference being that during the second snack Oleg ate the peanut butter/salt
sandwich. After working for another 2 hours, Oleg ate his third snack, which was
identical to the first. Finally, after working for another 2 hours Oleg’s shift was
over and he went home.
After coming home from work, Oleg ate a, no longer surprising to me,
combination of foods. They were 2 apples, 1 pear, and 1 banana, his 3 inch thick
cheese sandwich, an ounce of butter, and a protein shake. Since it was already
very late, Oleg did not consume any more food on that day and soon went to
sleep.

Auto-Ethnography of My Eating Habits

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