When I was little, I read a lot of Gaelic fairytales, mostly from anthologies given to me by an elderly neighbor. For a sampling including some of my favorites, read these: http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=macmanus&book=donegal&story=_contents
Recently I got to thinking about the heroes of some of these stories. The poor heroes, we are told, labored in the hot sun all day, and came home to naught but a bowl of bean soup or oat porridge. Meanwhile, their wealthy but heartless neighbors and relatives lived lives of indolence and supped on the finest fat calves. And yet somehow, presumable due to their pure hearts and good souls, Cinderella grew lovelier every day, while her stepsisters grew ever more hideous, and Donal that was rich grew ever more nervous, while Jack that was poor grew to be clever and spry.Now look at these tales again, from a health and nutrition viewpoint. Cindy and Jack are getting fresh air and exercise; their unkind and cheerless relatives are not. Cindy and Jack are eating low fat whole grains and legumes; their bloated relatives are sucking down fatty food and pickling their livers in the wine cellar.
Really, is it any wonder that the peasant hero is stronger and sharper than the snobby villain? Should we be surprised that our heroine is more beautiful and cheerful than her makeup-caked, overfed sisters?
I guess if we eat right, and get some exercise, we can be the heroes of our own stories.