Minimalist shoes, the culture divide, and how I won an argument with my wife

One of the cultural differences between me and my Venezuelan wife, and a source of friction, is the way she stresses about fashion. For Venezuelans — or at least for the one I’m married to — a person’s fashion sense is a test of character. Our biggest fashion flashpoint is my shoes … and not only because I don’t give a shit. After I suffered through years of foot problems, from a big toe bone cyst to plantar fasciitis, I’ve recently switched out all my conventional footwear for new wave, foot-friendly shoes.   

My wife says I should be satisfied with popular shoe brands like Hoka or On Cloud because they have advanced cushioning technology. In reality, they have only advanced marketing. The true breakthrough in shoe tech is coming from start-ups who understand that less is more. These new companies are promoting foot health with shoes that have no toe spring, zero drop, and a wide toe box.

To be fair to my wife, the wide toe boxes on these next-generation sneakers do make them look like jumbo clown shoes. Still, these shoes are actually shaped like feet, rather than feet being forced to take the shape of the shoe.

In any event, I was at a Venezuelan party last weekend minding my own business when a guy approached me and introduced himself. He said, “I’m Ricardo and I need to know where you got your shoes.” Ricardo told me that decades of squeezing his feet into conventional sneakers and dress shoes have given him a condition called hallux valgus, where tight footwear pushes the big toe towards the second toe. He took off his shoes to show me his disfigured feet.

Ricardo’s doctor prescribed him a program of intense physical therapy, some kind of foot stretching device, and most importantly, shoes with a wide toe box.

Gout and sunlight 

Ricardo told me he’s looking for shoes with a wide toe box to also provide relief from his gout. In this case, either he or his doctor incorrectly conflated his gout pain with his structural foot problem. Gout is caused by a buildup of uric acid in the blood, which leads to the formation of sharp urate crystals in joints, including the big toe. No shoe is going to solve that.

Ricardo told me about all the dietary restrictions his doctor recommended to control his gout, including limiting meat. The doctor also prescribed Ricardo a daily pill of allopurinol to reduce his body’s production of uric acid.

All this activity wildly misses the mark.

Until recently, I believed that the primary cause of gout was too much fructose. When the liver metabolizes fructose, it releases a chemical compound called uric acid. Table sugar is 50% fructose, and in some fruits, the ratio of fructose to glucose can be significantly higher.

Regardless, gout is another example of food gurus blaming excess sugar for what is in fact a problem of inadequate sun.

According to sun evangelist and celebrity neurosurgeon Dr. Jack Kruse, uric acid won’t be a problem as long as an individual receives sufficient sun exposure:

1. UVA light stimulates the body’s production of nitric oxide  

Nitric oxide supports processes that manage systemic uric acid levels by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow. Nitric oxide’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties also mitigate conditions that could lead to increased uric acid production.

2. UVA light controls the oxidation state of iron in hemoglobin

UVA light ​keeps iron in its optimal chemical form for oxygen transport​. By contrast, uric acid changes the oxidation of iron in hemoglobin to slow oxygen and nitric oxide delivery to mitochondria. In a vicious cycle, low oxygen levels in tissues and mitochondria upregulate enzymes that convert purines into uric acid.

3. Circadian rhythm disruptions affect how our bodies metabolize uric acid

Blue light toxicity from indoor living and excessive screen time creates melanopsin dysfunction, which increases production of free radicals. (Melanopsin is a protein in the eye that synchronizes the body’s circadian rhythm to the external light-dark cycle.) Free radicals can exacerbate gout by increasing inflammation, damaging tissues, impairing uric acid excretion, promoting crystal formation, and weakening the body’s antioxidant defenses.

_____________________________

While Ricardo’s gout story was interesting, what had me stifling a huge smile at this party was his unequivocal endorsement of my footwear. I dragged Ricardo over to meet my wife, and I coaxed him into again explaining his foot situation. As he spoke, I started jumping up and down with excitement over my total vindication. A Latin guy at a Latin party had tracked me down so he could learn more about my weirdo shoes.

I even looked up on my phone the Spanish translation for the word “vindication.” I wanted to make absolutely sure my wife understood the meaning of the moment. I have won, and you have lost.