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Good article/interview

jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

I haven’t read any of this guy’s books yet, but I’m planning to after reading this:

http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/80868/?p…

He’s not a raw food advocate, per se, but he does say to eat mostly plant food. Especially leaves.

Check it out:

“The authority of mothers was essentially destroyed by the food industry. The $32 billion a year in marketing muscle out there has undercut culture’s role in determining what we eat, and culture is a fancy word for your mom.”

... and…

“The more you process the food, the more profitable it is. If I go to the supermarket, I can buy a pound of organic oats for 79 cents. Now that’s a lot of oats, and nobody’s making much money. But if you turn it into Cheerios, suddenly you have a brand. You’ve got your little doughnut shape, you’ve got an ad campaign, and suddenly you’re charging four bucks for a few ounces of oats. Then you come up with a Honey Nut Cheerio Cereal Bar with a layer of artificial milk in the middle. Now you’ve got a convenience food that’s very much your own, because you’ve got this special formula to make your fake milk. And kids can eat them in the car or on the way to school. Now you’re charging $10 or $20 for a few penny’s worth of oats. That’s the gist of the food industry. That’s the economic imperative.”

... and…

“The food issue and the healthcare issue are seen as separate. Of course, they’re not. When I was a boy in 1960 we spent 18 percent of our national income on food—twice as much as we do today—and only 5 percent on healthcare. Today it’s flipped. We spend 16 or 17 percent of our income on healthcare and only 9 percent on food. The less money we’ve been willing to spend for food, the more we’ve settled for processed, highly refined, cheap, fast food, the more our healthcare problems have escalated.”

Just some excerpts… parts that made me go, “Yeah!” That last part in bold made me go, “DUH.”

:o)

Comments

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    jenergy! You’ve been on my mind, hoping you’re ok and you’re family’s ok. This sounds very interesting and a little creepy how greed is affecting our health.

  • jenergyjenergy Raw Newbie

    Oh, thanks amysue! I’m doing fine… had a stress parade yesterday, but everything always works out fine in the end. As my dad always says, don’t sweat the small stuff… and it’s all small stuff. ;o)

    I think I posted an update here about my dad’s cancer… luckily it was the small-cell, non-spreading kind and they got all of it from the one lung. It didn’t spread to his lymph system, so now it’s just a few isolated, tiny spots in the other lung. He’s not up to a second surgery yet, still recovering from the first one and it really did a number on him. He’s reeeaally tired of being so tired all the time and getting sick of the whole recovery process. It’s taking longer than he wants it to!

    So other than being cranky as hell, he’s going to be just fine, I think. YAY. He’s still going to have to clean up his eating, drinking, exercising, health habits, though, or my mom and sister and I are going to gang up on him. ;o)

    Thanks for asking. That was sweet.

  • pianissimapianissima Raw Newbie

    i actually read pollan’s latest book. “in defense of food.” it is such a breath of fresh air. no hype. no fear. a nice return to simplicity, moderation…

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    pianissima – Oh yeah, I’ve never actually picked up the book and looked at it, but now maybe I will…

    jenergy – good, I was worried because you seemed to have disappeared and you’re quite a bright light around here. My uncle was similar after his surgery, slowed down in general but also because of having to tote oxygen around. I’m so glad it’s treatable, though.

  • kundalalitakundalalita Raw Newbie

    i thought this was interesting:

    “Nutrients are invisible. No one’s ever seen, tasted or smelled a nutrient. So you need experts to guide you in your food choices. You need scientists. You need journalists. It’s like a religion. If what matters is invisible and inaccessible to you directly, you need a priesthood. And now we have a food priesthood.”

  • greeniegreenie Raw Newbie

    Yes, he’s a good guy. He’s written a lot about nutrition and food. Check out The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

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