Tuesday, March 11, 2008

In Defense of Food

This is a book that has been on my reading list for a while now. I get sidetracked by the need to learn what to do to make my children sane, but then again, maybe that too is in this book. When I first started reading it I honestly thought to myself, "This sounds like Ryan, I bet he would like it." Turns out he was reading, or had read, this guy's other book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. Again, doesn't the title just sound like Ryan? Anyhoo (that one's for April), I am now frantically trying to finish this book so I can recycle it and give it to Ryan for his birthday. Isn't that perfect for Mr. Green?! But here is the real reason for the post (a quote from the book while he is talking about the Industrialization of Eating and how our relationship with food has changed):

"The milk of cows did not start out as a nutritious food for humans; in fact, it made them sick until people who lived around cows evolved the ability to digest milk as adults...(they develop a mutation and) the peple possessing the new mutation then had access to a terrifically nutritious new food source and as consequence were able to produce more offspring than the people who lacked it." (pg 102-3)

Fine, were are the spawn of people who mutated in a effort to digest milk from a cow. Now we pasturize it, manipulate it, and treat the cow as a machine, but at least it is somewhat natural. Here is where the real concern comes, if and when, we mutate far enough to accept high-fructose corn syrup. (Google it, it's a wonder we can consider it a food)

"Our bodies have a long-standing and sustainable relationship to corn that they do not have to high-fructose corn syrup. Such a relationship with corn syrup might develop someday (as people evolve superhuman insulin systems to cope with regular floods of pure fructose and glucose), but for now the relationship leads to ill health because our bodies don't know how to handle these biological novelties." (pg 105)

Oh, and just try to avoid HFCSyrup. I dare you. The only bread you can purchase off a typical, non-organic, supermarket shelf is Extra Sour Rye Bread (even the regular Rye has it). OR, you can just not think about and hope your insulin system is a superhero...that's what I do and it doesn't seem to be working. Diabetic coma, here we come!

3 comments:

JRV said...

And people think humans arent a result of evolution. HA! I found a bread (he only eats white) that I will allow Steve to eat. Oroweat Whole Grain White. No HF Corn syrup. The girls and I eat wheat from trader joes. Im definitely checking out that book. Thanks

Amanda said...

Alright spelling teacher, "...the peple possessing the new mutation..."

What are peple?

Hmmm. This entry is interesting. Maybe I will check out the book from the library. I kind of like not knowing about some things, though. About bread - since I got a kitchenaid I have been making my own bread. Water, salt, yeast, sugar (only 1 Tablespoon...) and flour. I can give you the recipe if you want.

H said...

Fine Amanda...as I tell my students, "it is pee-oh-ple" blah blah. Typo and I didn't use spellcheck.

As far as the bread...I'll be looking for your post. Check out the book because he suggest not purchasing anything with more that 5 ingredients. I guess you could sell your bread to me :)