On Jun 7, 5:37 pm, Ron Peterson <r...[at]shell.core.com> wrote:
- quote -

Absolute bullshit. All you need to do to improve your diet is to eat
real food and stay away from the overly processed and manufactured
crap.

On Jun 7, 3:23*pm, rpautrey2 <rpautr...[at]gmail.com> wrote:
- quote -

Thanks for the warning label.

We can't improve our diet without doing nutrient research.

--
Ron

In Defense of Food: Nutrition, Food Science and the American Diet

Mercola.com


Acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan argues that what most
Americans are consuming today is not food but “edible food-like
substances.” His latest book is called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s
Manifesto.

In this interview with Amy Goodman, Pollan discusses nutrition, food
science and the current American diet. According to Pollan:

“Food’s under attack from two quarters. It’s under attack from the
food industry, which is taking, you know, perfectly good whole foods
and tricking them up into highly processed edible food-like
substances, and from nutritional science, which has over the years
convinced us that we shouldn’t be paying attention to food, it’s
really the nutrients that matter. And they’re trying to replace foods
with antioxidants, you know, cholesterol, saturated fat, omega-3s, and
that whole way of looking at food as a collection of nutrients, I
think, is very destructive ...

“Basically the food has gotten more complex ... you can’t really make
money selling things like, oh, oatmeal, you know, plain rolled oats.
And if you go to the store, you can buy a pound of oats, organic oats,
for seventy-nine cents. There’s no money in that, because it doesn’t
have any brand identification. It’s a commodity, and the prices of
commodity are constantly falling over time. So you make money by
processing it ... you take those oats, and you turn them into
Cheerios, and then you can charge four bucks ...

“We’ve known this for a hundred years, that if you eat this Western
diet ... lots of processed food, lots of refined grain and pure sugar,
lots of red meat and processed meats, very little whole grains, very
little fresh fruits and vegetables ... about 80 percent of heart
disease, at least as much Type II diabetes, 33 to 40 percent of
cancers all come out of eating that way, and we know this.”

Sources:
Democracy Now February 13, 2008


-------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
In case you didn’t already know this, Michael Pollan is the same New
York Times author who wrote the brilliant article about the perils of
factory-farmed beef back in 2002. He also published the book
Omnivore's Dilemma in 2006, which is well worth reading if you have
not already done so.

In this interview, Pollan discusses many of the problems with our
modern, Western “food-like” diet, and the underlying causes,
including:

How dietary recommendations based on nutrient content has led you
astray from real foods
The real reason why food products have become more complex
Why refined food products are so pervasive despite the knowledge that
they damage your health
How nutrition science is actually not meant to help you, but rather
allow food companies to make health claims to increase profits
Why whole foods are so much more expensive than processed foods
Why you cannot get sound dietary advice from your government
Today’s Recklessness is a Mortgage on Tomorrow

It all boils down to this: if you want to optimize your health, you
must return to the basics of healthy food choices.

The problem is, there is so much confusion about what is healthy – and
in some cases, whether or not something is actually food -- and as
Pollan describes, one of the reasons is due to the obsessive focus on
individual ingredients or nutrients.

The simplest way back toward health is to focus on WHOLE foods; foods
that have not been processed or altered from their original state.
Food that has been grown or raised as nature intended, without the use
of chemical additives, pesticides and fertilizers.

Speed is of paramount importance to most people. Fast food and
processed food products are the norm for most working people simply
because of its ease and speed. Likewise, most people want to change
their health status, or their weight, quickly. Hence the plethora of
drugs and processed foods that promise to do just that.

Well, folks, here’s a thought for you to chew on; the FASTEST way to
optimal health is through choosing a diet made up of whole foods.
Making your food selections based on your nutritional type can speed
up your progress even further.

So if you’re REALLY interested in speeding up your recovery from
disease, losing weight and increasing your overall health quickly,
putting your daily diet front and center is akin to zipping down an
empty expressway, compared to toiling through a traffic jam.

Why?

Because whole foods give you MORE than the sum of their individual
nutrients.

Whole, organic foods contain so many other things that work together
synergistically, making them superior to anything that contains only
the active ingredient (and frequently as a synthetic version at that).

That’s also one of the reasons why I do not put a major focus in my
health recommendations on supplements. There is a danger in getting
too hung up on particular nutrients because you will consistently miss
your mark.

Eating a diet of processed foods while popping vitamins and
supplements, thinking you’re getting everything you need for health,
is a reckless miscalculation that will extract its true cost in the
form of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Any amount of time and money you save today by stopping at a fast food
restaurant, you’re bound to repay later when you’re too ill to lead an
active life.

Your Future Health Depends on Today’s Choices

Sad but true, multi-national corporations are forcing small organic
farmers out of business. However, by realizing that they are the key
to your good health, you can help them not only stay in business, but
prosper, as you begin making healthier choices for yourself and your
family.

And remember, a diet based on local, organic foods doesn’t have to be
cost-prohibitive for the average family or single consumer. One way to
keep costs down is to visit farmers' markets and use Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Not only is their food fresher
and healthier for you, but it is far more environmentally friendly, as
large amounts of fuel are not wasted in transporting it to you.

Here are some great resources to obtain wholesome food:

Farmers’ Markets

Farmers' Markets
A national listing of farmers' markets.
Eat Wild Directory of Farms
Local Harvest
Find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably
grown food in your area.
Eat Well Guide: Wholesome Food from Healthy Animals
The Eat Well Guide is a free online directory of sustainably raised
meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs from farms, stores, restaurants, inns,
and hotels, and online outlets in the United States and Canada.
Chicago's Green City Market
Chicago's only sustainable market with the highest quality locally
farmed products. May through October. (Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7
a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSA’s)

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center, Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
Weston A. Price Foundation
FoodRoutes
The FoodRoutes “Find Good Food” map can help you connect with local
farmers to find the freshest, tastiest food possible. On their
interactive map, you can find a listing for local farmers, CSA's, and
markets near you.
Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
Other Organizations and Online Suppliers

The Slow Food Organization

Sustainable Table
For even MORE links to cool organizations like the “National Farm to
School Program,” or the “Farm to Hospital Program,” don’t miss my
resource page Promoting Sustainable Agriculture.



Related Articles:


Is Processed Food Really Food?

How to Buy Organic Without Breaking the Bank

Food as Healer, Food as Slayer

mercola.com

Article Link:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...ican-diet.aspx