Re: [CH] Bumblebee Tuna and extracts...

Dana H. Myers (dana.myers@gmail.com)
Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:44:35 -0700 

Tina Brooks wrote:
> Honestly Mark, you don't think that the crap that we've been allowing food
 > companies to put into the food we eat might have anything to do with the
 > health crises affecting our countries? Obesity, diabetes, autism, asthma --
 > God knows what else.

Actually, for the most part, no, I don't think the "crap" in our food
is responsible these issues.  Obesity and diabetes are almost certainly
not due to what's in our food, but the sheer quantity and type of food
we're stuffing in our faces, all the while becoming more sedentary.

If anything, the problem with our food supply, if there is one, is
that it's too good.  We get huge quantities of high-density food
at very low expense and without much physical effort.  It's trivial
to maintain a 4000 kcal/day diet, even if you don't eat deep-fried
food.

Asthma appears to be far more linked to air quality than food.

Autism - that's a good question.  I don't think there's anything
really linking it to food.  Heck, it could be a genetic trend for
all we know.

Further, don't discount improved health care has extended lifespan
substantially as well as reduced infant mortality.

> I love my caffeine... it's nice and natural and whatever it does to the
 > nervous system just gives you a nice wake up jolt first thing in the
 > morning... so what if it's addictive, but I prefer it to be organic
 > and fair trade certified because I care about what I'm putting in my body.

What?!  Urushiol is natural, but that's not a good reason to eat it.
Fair trade has nothing to do with what impact a food has on your body.
It took me a while to realize that I had the symptoms of hypothyroidism
across the board (joint aches, drowsiness, mental fogginess, carpal tunnel
syndrome, lump in my throat).  At first, I'd try coffee to perk up and the
symptoms became worse.  Finally, I started to suspect caffeine and I
sharply reduced caffeine intake (basically went cold-turkey), and two weeks
later all of the symptoms profoundly disappeared.  My doctor still looks
at me with a little disbelief when I mention this...

I'm far healthier because I sharply reduced that "natural" caffeine.

Don't get me wrong - I prefer fresh, natural sources of nutrition
(18 months ago, I weighed around 113kg, now I'm below 80kg) but I
don't worry *that* much about those FDA-approved substances, because
they're not a big part of a healthy, balanced diet.

The fact is, most of our food supply is not full of "crap".  It's
safer, much less expensive and has a longer shelf-life than it did
100 years ago.  There are crappy foods - trans-fats are the big
bad guy now - but it's never been healthy to eat any kind of
fat that's solid at room temperature.

Dana