NUTrition

What is it with nutrition books? They claim to be "sensible"or "common sense" guides, but usually between the covers is some whacked out malarkey based on limited studies, selective logic and or whatever axe (food processor blade?) the author has to grind. Lose weight! Cure disease! Grow hair! Live forever!
I'll call this book Skinny Twit, as this bestselling(!) book doesn't deserve direct publicity. I agree with the authors that whole wheat and veggies are better than processed food, and that one should cool it on sugary and fried stuff. It's their veganism-will-save-you that I don't get. Saying "I don't like animal products because it's unfair to the animal and hard on the environment" is one thing, saying "Animal products will kill you" and supporting it with poor arguments are another.

Sample statements (and my comments):

Skinny Twit- Milk is toxic! It's for the baby cow, not you!

Namowal- Soy Milk is derived from soy beans, which are for the baby soy plant, not you.



Skinny Twit- Cheese is toxic! There's pesticides in cheese!


Namowal- Pesticides? What the hell do you think they're spraying all over fruits and vegetables? Unless you're getting organic produce, you're getting pesticides.



Skinny Twit- There's yucky stuff like pus in milk


Namowal- You can't escape yuck. There's yucky stuff like bugs and worms in your produce.



Skinny Twit- Artificial and animal-derived products could cause allergic reactions!


Namowal- Almost anything could cause allergies. People are allergic to pollen, grass and wheat, soy and peanuts for example.

And while I'm on my rant, I don't get the notion that natural = healthy and unnatural = dangerous. Rattlesnake venom, poison ivy, strychnine and smallpox are all natural. Purified water, flush toilets, live saving medicines and surgical procedures are unnatural.

Skinny Twit- You must an organic vegan diet unless you're"an idiot who wants cancer"-*


Namowal: That's crap! I had a roommate who ate only veggie organic stuff. He was eventually diagnosed with
lymphoma. Where'd that come from? Did someone slip him a beef bullion mickey? Oh, I know! His tofurkey was so meat like that his body mistook it for meat and flipped the cancer switch.

Ironically, my pal started eating meat (when he felt up to it) during treatment and is still alive, six years later. Did veggies cause the disease? Probably not. Did meat cure him? Of course not. I trot out this example only to show that, while veggies are healthy, they won't protect you from everything, nor will meat (in moderation) destroy you.




*actual quote(!)